Polar Bear's Birthday Party

My son is officially 3.5. I can't believe it! A friend summed up my parenting experience with these simple words: "The days are long and the weeks are fast."

In honor of his half birthday (and adding a bit of fun to yet another mundane Monday) we decided to throw a birthday party for Polar Bear. We invited PB's friends (Croc brought the presents), gave him a crown, bought a cake, and made him a special birthday dinner: 

Island Teriyaki Salmon (3oz portion = 4 points)
Sautéed Spinach w Crispy Garlic (2/3c =  2 points)
Purple Sticky Rice (1/2c = 3 points)

Total Weight Watcher Points: 9

:: RICE ::

Purple Sticky Rice can be found in the bulk section of Whole Foods. It's so good and full of anti-oxidants (read: battle free radicals and slow down aging process). 

Any rice will do so don't sweat it. Grab whatever you have in your pantry and cook using your preferred method. This will take the longest so prepare first.

:: SALMON ::

Marinate the salmon in your favorite teriyaki sauce for at least 1 hr. I love the island teriyaki marinade which has pineapple juice in it. You can find a bottle at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

1. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a pan with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), and spray with nonstick spray.

2. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on the prepared pan. NOTE: Don't pour the remaining marinade over the filet, it will burn during the broil, all the flavor is in the filet.

3. Broil until the fish flakes easily with a fork, approximately 9 mins.

:: SPINACH ::

Start the spinach while the salmon is broiling. This is a super quick and tasty side of veggies. The recipe below makes 4 x 2/3c servings. 

1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin

4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced (or just chop 'em up like I did)

20 oz french spinach, baby leaves

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and let garlic sizzle in oil, tossing occasionally, until light golden, about 2 1/2 minutes; remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. NOTE: Be careful not to burn the garlic. As pieces brown, remove from skillet.

2. Add half of spinach to same skillet and cook, tossing with tongs, until spinach wilts, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; remove to a serving bowl. Add remaining spinach to skillet and cook, tossing with tongs, until spinach wilts, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; remove skillet from heat.

3. Return cooked spinach to skillet (discard any liquid in bowl) and sprinkle with salt and pepper flakes; toss to coat. Spoon into bowl and sprinkle with garlic (toss just before serving for garlic to stay crisp). Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

SERVE & ENJOY!