Delicious Recipe

April 7, 2010

Last night, I was thinking about my favorite meals to make for my family. The ones I like the most are inexpensive, simple, and delicious without that guilty feeling you get when you walk away from a calorie-rich meal. The recipe I’m sharing with you is one that I cannot take credit for. My Mom recommended it to me after she prepared it for herself and my Dad several times.

Don’t shy away because I am saying vegetables and tilapia in the same sentence. My husband is NOT a fan of eating things that swim, and he loves my tilapia and vegetables recipe. So, here’s the skinny:

Ingredients:
-A tilapia filet for each person you are feeding (sometimes Dads need two, and sometimes small fries can share one, but they shrink significantly after being baked)
-Two large raw carrots
-1/2 of a purple onion
-2 large handfuls of fresh green beans
-Paprika, Dried Dill, Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil.

Instructions:
-Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Cut the veggies into bite size pieces and toss them onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. Hand toss until coated.
-Stick ‘em in the oven for 30 minutes.
-While the veggies are cooking, rinse and dry the tilapia. Squeeze lemon juice over them and sprinkle with olive oil, smear until coated. Sprinkle generously with paprika, dried dill, and salt and pepper. Rub and flip the filets until they are red.
-With 8 minutes left on the vegetable timer, scoot the veggies to one side of the cookie sheet and add the tilapia. Cook until the timer sounds.

Your result will be delicious, salty/sweet caramelized vegetables and the most flavorful tilapia that doesn’t taste like fish! This meal is great for Spring and Summer because it is light and flavorful.

You can begin preparing this meal about an hour before you are planning to serve dinner, or you can prepare the entire cookie sheet after breakfast, and pop it in the oven right before dinner, prepping dinner at a more convenient, less hectic time of day. It is totally up to you! Then, you toss the parchment paper into the garbage and put the cookie sheet away. Dishes are done! Enjoy!

Fresher Produce!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Do you buy a lot of produce? I know I do! It seems like I always need to run to the store for some fresh romaine lettuce or a purple onion.

Things like carrots and onions seem to last longer in the refrigerator than grapes or tomatoes, but I have a solution that will help your produce stay fresh longer and keep you from having to throw out ripened fruits and vegetables.

Forever Bags are an As Seen On TV item, but they are available in most stores like Wal-Mart and Target. I, personally, purchase my Forever Bags at Big Lots. They are $4.00 for 16 bags ~ 8 - 9”x15” bags and 8 – 12”x17” bags.

Here’s how they work: Forever bags are made of an all-natural and environmentally friendly material. Fruits and vegetables exude ethylene gases as they ripen, and Forever Bags absorb and remove these gases, thus slowing the ripening and aging process.

The bags have proven to slow the ripening of my fruits and vegetables significantly. I am able to reuse the bags, preventing the inevitability of purchasing more bags. You will find that you can keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for a considerable amount of time, giving you the opportunity to eat them until they are gone, instead of throwing them out and buying fresh. Give them a try, Forever Bags are a great trick!