Sheet Pan Salmon Teriyaki with Sweet Peppers

Dear All of the Salmon Everywhere,

I apologize to you. I apologize to you because I have a terrible habit of overcooking you.

As Brad likes to tell me, “if there’s a flaw in your cooking, it’s a refusal to adhere to a timer.”

And you know what?

He’s right.

I overcook things.

But I’m trying to quit. 

Even though this salmon was just a tad well-done, the marinade, which I initially saw on Skinnytaste,  tasted amazing and the roasted peppers were the perfect sweet complement to a savory dish with a little bit of kick.

About halfway through last month, I saw a photo of myself that truly horrified me and even though we all take horrible photos sometimes, in this particular photo I was wearing a blouse that I thought was one of my more flattering choices.

I signed up for Weight Watchers Online the next Monday (so cliché) and even though the Weight Watchers dialogue can be a little cult-like (“you’re not on a diet, this is a LIFESTYLE”) I like the structure that the program provides and it has inspired me to make healthier food choices.

The thing with Weight Watchers is that yes, it’s always about counting points assigned to different foods, but they change up their formula every year or so to reflect whatever the fad diet du jour is.

When I lost weight using Weight Watchers after college, it was a primarily low-fat diet, and then it evolved to reduce processed foods and focus on clean eating, and now it seems to be a low-carb, low-sugar diet.

I actually find that I do feel best when I’m limiting carbs, so I like this plan and even though I have days where all I want to do is eat a bag of tortilla chips and maybe an entire baguette, I am losing weight and I have more energy.

I’ve found that it’s actually quite easy to cook low point dinners on this diet, because again, the highest point items are carb heavy — rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, and of course sweets and desserts. Even though Brad isn’t following the same plan that I am, he’s super supportive and is always happy to eat whatever I make for dinner.

I usually make him an extra side dish to go along with whatever we’re eating (and I’m talking Minute Rice in the microwave, we’re not talking Michelin star quality here here).  Rice is actually my favorite option because I’ll usually have a little bit measured out — I’m not a big fan of rice and won’t overdo it unless we’re talking about fried rice in which case hi, what’s your name?

This salmon dish lent itself perfectly to a side of brown rice and another side of steamed broccoli and next time, I won’t overcook it.

The Recipe