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Happy New Year!
It’s been a little quiet over here! To finish 2019, I signed off social media! I decided to do this in effort to end the year, and decade, strong and in a positive frame of mind. While away from the ‘gram and book, I shared a little about my positive experience here on Wholesome-Joy (“WJ”). If you haven’t checked it out, you can by following this link: Signing Off Social Media for Positivity! Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to sign off for a week or two!
It did wonders. December was as beautiful as I imagined and not holding on to a phone at all times really contributed to deeper conversations, more laughs, and overall mental clarity; The perfect start to a new decade!
Has that tripped you at all? It has me. A new year can come and go but when we’re close to the decade game, I get a little giddy! Of course, this is the first real adult decade I have entered. Born in 1991, I’ve only seen Y2K and 2010 with baby eyes! Heading into 2020, I am fully equipped for glory. Yep, and I bet you are too!
Now, let’s talk about something super fun. To kick off the new year, I am bringing you something special. So special that I think it may change the beginning course of this year for you.
January. I will be completely upfront, honest, and share that I am a SUCKER for a “New Year, New Me”. It’s inspiring, it’s positive, and it usually falls off around January 20th. Hold on though, somewhere around February 18th, I get the fire back. Then, I’m pretty easily sliding into Spring Break and Summer fairy 60/40 [60% “on target”, 40% not].
In preparation, I put my “detective hat on” and dug a little deeper. I pondered it for myself, I asked my friends, my family, some of you on social, and I found the base line.
The first common roadblock to our goals: Cooking burns us out.
We plan, we shop, we prep, we cook, and we store the food every week, if not every day for some of us [without the shopping, of course]. After three weeks of this, we are ready for someone else to do it for us, i.e. BJ’s Brewhouse.
Not this year, Heat Miser! This year we are kicking all of the excessive chopping, cooking, container weighing, clean-up, and flying high with Sheet Pan January!
Introducing: Sheet Pan January
This month, beginning today, I am bringing you 8 [eight] sheet pan meals to help keep you sane. They will be affordable, simple to assemble, and give you back your brain. We have pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp, salmon, sausage, and the list continues.
Each sheet pan will yield 4 to 6 servings and will be ready within 40 minutes, with many under the 30-minute mark. Sheet pan recipes for the week will post Monday and Wednesday and if you’re subscribed to my email newsletter, you will get a little extra love.
Sheet pans will be Paleo, Whole30 Compliant, Keto friends [with modification options], and overall clean and healthy for you and your family.
Why you’ll want to subscribe to my newsletter:
Each Sunday during Sheet Pan January, you will receive a shopping list and sneak peak of the two sheet pans coming your way! I want to take the most work off of your shoulders.
You can subscribe to my newsletter here: The Wholesome-Joy Real Read
What is a sheet pan meal?
Sheet pan cooking is the technique of cooking an entire meal on a sheet pan in the oven. Similar to a one-pot meal, it saves time, clean-up, and is done in one place creating a blanket of incorporated flavors. It consists of a protein and a side, ready to be plated with little effort.
What do I need for a sheet pan meal?
You will need 1 [one] sheet pan and a roll of parchment paper.
The official sheet pan kick-off is Monday, January 6th with a delicious sneak peak recipe below!
Don’t have a sheet pan or parchment paper? Check out with these from Amazon:
Sheet Pan Lemon-Basil Salmon and Asparagus
Light in flavor and crisp on the palate, this lemon-basil salmon is a show stopper. Paired with salmon’s best friend, asparagus, you’re in for a simple meal in less than 30 minutes.
What makes this salmon and asparagus different from the rest?
- The light flavor: Lemon lightens everything and while it’s a common citrus in fish, lemon paired with fresh basil is another level.
- The method: Sheet pan dinners save time and clean-up. Plus, when assembled correctly, all ingredients cook evenly making it easier than skillet cooking.
- The budget: You know I am all for a budget meal. This sheet pan salmon comes in at $18 [excluding olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder] yeilding $4.50 per serving. What’s not to like about that?
How to Make Sheet Pan Lemon-Basil Salmon and Asparagus
- Assemble the sheet pan. Line your sheet pan with parchment paper. Place asparagus and salmon onto the pan.
- Make the sauce. Combine extra virgin olive oil, lemon, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Season the asparagus. Drizzle the asparagus in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Top the salmon with sauce. Pour lemon-basil sauce over the salmon.
- Bake and enjoy!
Sheet Pan Lemon-Basil Salmon and Asparagus
Simple, yet flavorful, salmon and asparagus baked on a sheet pan for simplicity, easy clean-up, and time management.
Lemon-Basil Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 stem basil leaves (about 4-5 leafs, chopped)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 dash black pepper
Sheet Pan Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 dashes black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon (fillet or individual servings)
- 1 pound asparagus (trimmed)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine all of the lemon-basil sauce ingredients.
Place asparagus on the parment paper. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lightly toss the asparagus within eachother to coat them all with EVOO, salt, and pepper. Arrange asparagus in the sheet pan to make room for salmon.
Place salmon on the sheet pan and cover with lemon-basil sauce. Bake for 20 minutes.
Wholesome Joy 