Lemon Caper Tilapia

We eat a lot of tilapia-mostly because we love fish and it's cheap (let's be honest). I find myself running out of ways to make it interesting though, so I've had a hard time getting excited about it lately. But, I tried this recipe tonight from the Taste of Home website, and it is definitely a keeper. Make a few veggies and throw together a salad and you are done! Easy and delicious!

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• Place tilapia in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with capers, oregano and paprika.
• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes.
• Top with a squeeze of lemon juice

 

Oven Baked Tacos

I've seen the idea floating around Pinterest for oven baked tacos, and I thought it was just an added step to something that was perfectly fine to start with. But I kept reading about people doing this trick and how it was "life changing" so I thought it was worth a shot. It's basically your regular taco recipe, but before you add any toppings, you bake them. You stuff the shells with your meat and cheese and line them up in an 8x8 pan and bake at 425 for about 10 minutes. When you take them out, the shells are toasted, extra crunchy, and delicious! Then you can add whatever toppipngs you like, and enjoy! It's super simple but makes a huge difference. I don't think I'll ever make tacos the old way again!

 

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I love the idea of stuffed peppers, but they always seem to fall short in the flavor department. I found this recipe at skinnytaste.com that sounded delicious though so I decided to give stuffed peppers another try, and I'm so glad I did!


Stuffed Pepper Soup

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt.Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.

Notes:
*I added 1 can of Rotel (it just makes everything better)
* I also added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some crushed red pepper

(This picture is from skinnytaste.com. We ate this too fast for me to snap one!)

Oven Salmon

Tonight I wanted something healthy, quick, and easy for dinner. I also had some salmon that needed to be used. So, here's what I did:

• On a piece of foil, I layered salmon, spray butter, lemon slices, salt/pepper, and a dash of white wine.
• I wrapped the foil up to make a little pouch and baked for 30 minutes at 325 degrees
• Unwrap the foil and it's ready to go!

Under the lemon slices the butter and wine make a little sauce that's creamy and yummy!

Here's the finished product.

Lettuce Wraps

I have a very black/white relationship with Chinese food. I'm either REALLY in the mood for it, or I want nothing to do with it. It's been awhile since I've had any though, so when I was planning my recipes for the week I started looking for a healthy recipe to satisfy my craving. I wanted something different than stir fry, and I stumbled across a lettuce wrap recipe that sounded delish!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup julienned green onions
• 12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil. Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture.
• Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds. If desired, fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up. Yield: 6 servings.

I left out the gingerroot because I am NOT a ginger fan, and I used cooking oil spray instead of the peanut oil so that it would cut down on the calories. Otherwise though, I made the recipe exactly as listed (I did however marinate the chicken in a little teriyaki for about 24 hrs before cooking, which gave it a lot more flavor).

This was the finished product:

We had some hot and sour  soup from our favorite local place, and I steamed some edamame as well. It turned out better than I expected-I'll definitely make this one again!

Great Summer Recipe

I am always looking for new recipes to try, because I feel like I make the same things over and over. I eat primarily low fat, low carb, so that narrows down my choices sometimes. I also hate to cook a lot in the oven in the summer because it just adds to the heat, which is bad enough without any help! This morning though, I found this recipe online, and thought it sounded delicious, and it was!! This was seriously SO, SO GOOD!!

Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Nectarine Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 nectarines, pitted and diced
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.
2. To make the salsa, place the nectarines, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt. Cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Stir the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Place the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the pork chops with oil, and season both sides evenly with the cumin mixture.
4. Place pork loin chops on the preheated grill. Cook until lightly browned and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side. Place pork chops on serving plates, and top with a generous spoonful of salsa.

NOTES:
*I added garlic to the salsa mix, because garlic just makes everything better! But, I'm sure it'd be just as good without it.

*I also made the salsa several hours before dinner, so it would have time to sit. I also went ahead and put the chili seasoning on the pork chops, and let them marinate for several hours before cooking.

*I used olive oil cooking spray, instead of regular olive oil to cut down on calories and it worked great.

With a salad and corn on the cob, this was a perfect recipe for this HOT day! Now, if I just had some strawberry shortcake for dessert....

I'm Back!

Well, the last time I blogged was at the end of February, and then it just stopped, which makes perfect sense. That's about that time that my life kind of stopped....I got very exhausted, I got really sick-really, really sick, I got brain surgery, I got an extended stay at Baptist Medical Center, and I got a crazy few months of trying to heal and go back to work. But now, I've got summer vacation, so things are looking up :)

I had to laugh the other day, because this is what I was dropping off at the post office:

That would be medical bills for neurosurgery, radiology, anesthesia.....
sounds expensive!
(and it is-sheesh!)

Then, I got this in the mail the same day:

Newsletter for the Accoustic Neuroma Association. The most expensive, select club you never want to be a part of! :)

For my birthday, Tom gave me some money to get some new spring/summer clothes, since all of my old ones were way too big now (good problem to have, but still a problem!). But then about 2 days later I got really sick and all the craziness started, so I never got to use the money. Well, a few weeks ago I remembered about the money (I can't believe I had forgotten about it), and decided to let the shopping begin! There's nothing I love more than a good bargain, so I decided to see how far I could make the money go.

Here's some of the cuties I've gotten:

I've gotten lots more too, and none of them have been over $8! Love some bargains! Also, yes, all I'm shopping for is dresses (and a few skirts). That's all I wear when it's this HOT!

This is what's on my summer reading list:




Any other must reads??