One of the (many) perks of having your parents come and visit: they stock your fridge! I was one happy girl when my parents brought a full Sprouts grocery bag full of things that I don’t usually buy here at school. Avocados and salmon, grapefruits and pears, more veggies and fruits and plenty of quick oats and brown rice. Definitely not your typical Top-Ramen kind of dorm-room-pantry.

I’ve been avoiding campus food in favor of my own healthy meals for the past week, and this dish has popped up twice in the past couple of days because it’s so delicious!

What I’m calling the “Sesame Salmon Stack” :) A low-carb lunch that only takes about 20 minutes to make. Plus it’s packed with so many health benefits:

• Double the Omega-3’s from salmon AND avocado
• Monounsaturated fats (the HEART-healthy fat!)
• 4 ounce salmon contains 20 grams of protein with only 3.5 grams of fat
• Low-carb
• Variety of vitamins from bell peppers including A, B6, C, E, and K

The sesame sticks are the least healthy component of this recipe, but by sticking to 2 tablespoon portion size, they still add crunch and flavor without too many extra calories.

I just prepared the salmon burger according to the package, baking in the oven for about 16 minutes. While it cooked, I mixed half of a ripe avocado with some lemon juice, pepper and garlic – Guacamole! Then I diced up 3 different bell peppers, and measured out 2 Tablespoons of Trader Joe’s Sesame Sticks.

Once the salmon came out of the oven, I topped it with some Light Asian Sesame Salad Dressing, the guacamole mixture, bell peppers, and sesame sticks. It looked pretty! Not gonna lie, I was kind of proud of myself for coming up with a recipe using all these great ingredients my parents brought me. Now I just need something that utilizes my left-over pear, broccoli, yogurt, and oatmeal….. ;)