Fish is an incredible source of protein, and excellent for managing/maintaining your waistline ladies!
Now I absolutely love almost any kind of fish. The healthiest for your heart is pink fish – yep, salmon! Unfortunately, I was not able to whip up a tasty salmon dinner this past week (a little costly for good fresh wild alaskan salmon). Beware, however, with farm-raised salmon – they can contain toxins, which in a large consumption can have negative affects on our health (key word “can” meaning not all farm raised salmon contain toxins, and raised with an unhealthy diet). This week included two delicious fishy dinners full of flavor, and and thrown together within 25 minutes with random ingredients.
Earlier this week I stopped by Trader Joe’s to grab some Swordfish, but left with Mahi Mahi; I just was not satisfied with the swordfish fillets they had, so I grabbed one of my “go-to” fishies that I typically order when I go to a seafood restaurant. I marinated two 4oz fillets in fresh squeezed lemon juice, cracked pepper corn, and a chopped garlic clove, and allowed it to sit for about 10-15 minutes wrapped in saran wrap while I whipped up the counter-part to this sea creature. I started cooking up my quinoa in water (2 parts water to 1 part quinoa), and added in some fresh lemon juice and about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. *Side-note: The grain quinoa is an excellent source of fiber and protein*
In a skillet, I tossed on a variety of frozen veggies: bell peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, and broccoli bits, and allowed them to thaw and cook before mixing them into the quinoa. While the quinoa and veggies were steaming and simmering on low heat with a cover over the pot, I tossed on both fillets onto a skillet and tossed in a little extra garlic and lemon juice to absorb into the Mahi.
Bon Appetit!
The final touch was to create a comfy bed for the main attraction. I grabbed a bag of baby kale leaves that we picked up this past weekend at the farmer’s market and allowed it to lightly wilt in the skillet beside the fish. This paired well with a delightful glass of champange. This whole course was a fantatic blend of refreshing citrus/sweet balsamic/and tingling bubbles!
Later on in the week I put together another delicious fish dinner. Again, I opted for white fish, it’s just so much cheaper to get white fish when living on a tight budget. The main attraction this time around was flounder! I think the main reason why I like this fish so much is because I always think of Flounder in The Little Mermaid 🙂
This course was especially easy and took no longer than 15 minutes to throw together. First up, I began cooking some rotini pasta, and grabbed some cucumber salad I had set aside in the fridge. I rinsed the pasta with cool water, added it to the cucumber salad, and allowed it to set aside to cool and blend while cooking the fish.
For the fish, I just simply threw it onto the skillet with some frozen orange and yellow carrots for about 5 minutes. To ensure even cooking on both sides, I flipped the fish about every minute, making sure it did not over cook. After piling everyithing onto my plate, I drizzed about a quarter of a fresh lemon over the flounder and topped it off with some black pepper, and VOILA:
yes....that is a bag of pretzel m&m's....they're kind-of one of many sweet weaknesses 😉
I LOVE it when I accidentally create an absolutely delicious dinner by throwing whatever I can find in the kitchen.
Helpful meal planning tip: ALWAYS make sure that your freezer is stocked with a variety of cut veggies, and good quality meat & fish. All you have to do is toss a couple of your favorites onto a skillet with a few seasonings / garnishes – and you have a healthy, delicious, and most importantly low-maintenance meal at your lips after a very long day.
This will help prevent stopping at the drive through on your way home form work, or mindlessly nosh on cheap junk food…like those pretzel m&m’s pictured above….oops!
I hope you all have had a healthy start to a fantastic weekend! 🙂
Nutritious Nibbles 