It’s never too late to Make healthy Mondays a habit, maybe for your Chinese New Year resolutions!

I’ve dished out various combinations of healthy lunch boxes ever since that post, but the one I’m happiest with most is the Red pepper salsa with salmon and quinoa as it was designed for the purpose of fighting inflammation in the body.

After some brief “research” (googling), I found:

List of anti-inflammatory foods (non-exhaustive)

• salmon (fatty fish)
• peppers
• garlic/onions
• almonds (nuts)
• whole wheat
• soy milk
• diary
• tomatoes
• beets
• tart cherry

Some can be incorporated in our snacking (I always have almonds for my 11am snack and soy milk for breakfast!) but I took the first three items on the list to make the following lunch box and it left me feeling satisfied yet refreshed (i.e. no food coma).

Recipe for red pepper salsa 

Ingredients:

• 2 red peppers
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1/2 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1 tbsp apple vinegar

Method:

1. Half the red peppers and roast them on high heat (200 degrees (c)) for 20 minutes until charred
2. Let the red pepper cool down then cut the red peppers into small cubes
3. Put in a mixing bowl and mix all the other ingredients together

Salmon fillet

Method:

1. Add olive oil to your pan on high heat
2. Sear the salmon on one side until very crispy (about 3 minutes)
3. If you’re taking your lunch box to work the next day, stop here. You will reheat your salmon in the microwave the next day which will finish cooking the fish.
4. If you’re eating it right away, put the salmon in the oven for about 5-8 minutes.

Happy cooking!

For more articles on homemade food, check out:
Recipe for restaurant-quality roasted tomato soup
Make healthy Mondays a habit
Recipe for the perfect homemade lemon tart
Discovering the perfect plate of spaghetti carbonara