Diet

Tilapia with Cous Cous or Red Beans & Rice

Salmon isn't the only fish I love, for Tilapia has been a staple in my household for quite some time now. I buy the fillets from Trader Joe's and get bummed out whenever they're not in stock. Like most fish, Tilapia is a lean source of protein, but what makes it so great is that it has low levels of mercury, making it a great, healthy dish. It is super easy to make and can be prepared in a number of ways, but today I'm going to show you one of the simplest methods, so here goes:

You'll need:

• Tilapia Fillets
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• Garlic Salt

**Note: I didn't provide any measurements because I just season to taste.

Directions:

1. Spray a baking pan with butter flavored cook spray before placing the fillets inside. Start by rubbing a tad bit of EVOO to both sides of the fillets.
2. Next, season the fish with the sea salt, garlic salt, and cracked black pepper:
3. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for approx. 20 minutes on 350* (Be sure to flip the fish over halfway through the process to ensure it cooks thoroughly:
4. While that's cooking, you can prepare your sides. One grain that I've been digging for a while, especially since I've been on a weight loss journey, is cous cous. I would describe cous cous as a cross between grits and rice, but it's high in fiber, especially if you get the whole wheat kind. I purchase the Trader Joe's brand:
5. To prepare the cous cous, all you have to do is boil one part water to one part cous cous (so if you're only making 1 cup of cous cous, then boil 1 cup of water--1 cup is enough for about 4 servings). Once the water reaches its boiling point, remove the pot from the stove and add in one part cous cous:
6. Allow it to sit for a while, then fluff with a fork. You can also add a dash of salt and butter to flavor, but I like to eat mine with a little bit of soy sauce.
7. You can add steamed or boiled broccoli (I prepare mine with a little butter and salt) to the mix for a light, healthy meal, as pictured above. That's how I ate it the first night I prepared it, and then on the second night, I had leftover Tilapia with red beans and rice and stir fried veggies:

I just love the red beans and rice by Zatarain's:

The only thing you have to watch out for with boxed items such as this is the sodium content. There is actually a low sodium version of this, but I didn't purchase it this time around. If I had, I probably would have just dumped a bunch of salt in it anyway, LOL!

Well ladies and gents, that's it for this installment of Healthy Recipes. Look out for more tasty, nutritious dishes to come!

Diet

"Uptown" Salmon Salad

I love salmon, and there's this little hole-in-the-wall spot I used to hit up for lunch that served a green leaf salmon salad they called The Uptown. Although the salad was super delish, I noticed that after a while, the chef started skimping on the amount of salmon in the dish, probably to cut down on costs. I therefore decided that instead of paying $10.00 for a salad that mainly consisted of lettuce, I'd make my own, with a heftier serving of salmon. So, here's my recipe for the "Uptown" salmon salad.

To prepare this tasty dish, you'll need:

• A big hunk of juicy salmon (Wild Alaskan from Trader Joe's is my fav)
• Dark green lettuce (I use the Baby Spring Mix from Trader Joe's. Spinach leaves would also work great for this salad. I would stay away from Romaine lettuce just because it has less nutritional value than the darker varieties)
• Mushrooms (optional)
• Olives (optional)
• Cilantro (optional, but this salad ain't the same without it!)
• Hard boiled eggs
  
• Butter flavored cook spray
  
• Olive oil (optional)
• Lemon juice
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• Paprika
• Capers
• Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
  

**Note: I didn't provide any measurements because I just season to taste.

Directions:

1. Spray a baking pan with butter flavored cook spray before placing the salmon inside. I like to rub a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on my salmon prior to seasoning, but this step is not necessary. You will however want to pour some lemon juice on top of the salmon. Don't be shy about it. Pour it on!
2. Next, season the salmon with a dash of sea salt (too much will dry the fish out), and apply some cracked black pepper and paprika. You'll also want to place some capers on top. Be sure to spread them out, as it is really the capers that give the salmon a burst of flavor. Once you have all your seasonings on top, the salmon should look like this:
3. Next, cover the fish with aluminum foil to lock in moisture:
4. Bake the fish on 375* for approx. 20 minutes. While that's cooking, start preparing the salad.
5. Clean the salad leaves with a fruit and vegetable wash. I use this:Be sure to rinse the salad well and dry the leaves using a salad spinner.
6. Throw in your extras (I add mushrooms, olives and cilantro. I also like tomatoes, but didn't have any on hand this time around). Add some salt and pepper to the salad, then toss it with some balsamic vinaigrette dressing (Raspberry vinaigrette is also super delish with this dish):
7. Once the salmon is done, slice it and lay some pieces on top of the salad. You can also add a hard boiled egg for extra protein (which, by the way, is good for your body and hair ;-)). Eat and enjoy!
   

Diet

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Cheese & Mushrooms

Summer is here and many of us are still trying to get bikini ready. Since I know I'm not alone in this weight loss journey, I figured I'd share some of the healthier meals I prepare for my family. This dish in particular has been a staple of my regimen for years now, as I once explained how my husband and I try to go meatless at least two days out the week (Okay well, I go two days, and he's forced to go meatless when I do. What can I say, he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy ;-)). To see the benefits of doing so, check out the following post: Meatless Mondays Work!

Okay, so to prepare this tasty dish, you'll need:

• Whole wheat pasta (I alternate between the penne and rotini, but the shape doesn't really matter. Just make sure you get whole wheat because it contains more fiber and is therefore healthier than white pasta. I always get the organic variety from Trader Joe's.)
• Spinach (You can use fresh spinach, but I just get frozen, chopped spinach because it lasts longer. I also get the organic variety.)
• Mozarella cheese
• Marinara sauce (I get Tomato Basil Marinara sauce from Trader Joe's)
• White mushrooms (You can buy them whole or sliced to save time)
• Sea salt
• Garlic salt
• Cracked black pepper
• Optional: Fresh cilantro (Unfortunately, I didn't have any on hand this time around, but adding fresh cilantro leaves to this dish just gives it an extra boost of flavor)

**Note: I didn't provide any measurements because I've been cooking since I was twelve, so I just use portions that I think will serve enough peeps and simply season to taste. Sorry!

Directions:


1. Boil the pasta in enough water to fully cover it. Boil for approx. 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Stir periodically to make sure pasta cooks evenly and doesn't stick. Don't overcook! Pasta should be firm when done (mushy pasta is yucky!)
2. While the pasta is boiling, start cooking the spinach. Place a small amount of water in the skillet like so:
3. Add the spinach and sprinkle a small amount of sea salt on top. Cook the spinach until it goes from looking like the pic on the left to the pic on the right.
   
   
   Basically, you don't want to cook all the water out of the spinach. It should not be dry, but moist. If you use fresh spinach, you can simply sautee it in butter flavored cook spray and a little bit of olive oil if you wish.
   
4. Once the pasta is done, place it in a colander/strainer to drain the water.
5. Next, add the pasta to the spinach, and pour in the pasta sauce. Toss in some cheese (Not too much or else this dish will go from being healthy to decadent real quick!), mushrooms, and your seasonings.
6. Stir it all together, then cover and let simmer...
7. Once the cheese is all melted and everything looks delish, uncover and serve. This dish tastes great when served alongside a grean leafy salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

This dish is not only tasty, but super healthy. Be careful not to eat too much of it though (which may be hard because it's really good :-)) because the fiber content is so high that it will clean you out for sure, LOL! This dish is great because you get a serving of greens, and according to a recent article on Babycenter.com, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach is listed as one of the Ten Best Foods for Babies. And as you can see, my lil' man loves it:


And his papa does too! In fact, he loves it so much that he decided to share some with you ;-)