Three Great Fish Recipes

Lately I've been buying bags of frozen tilapia fillets, and finding lots of great ways to eat them. Generally we are a grilling family when it comes to fish, and I still think grilling is the only way to do salmon. But tilapia is a smaller, milder, more delicate fish, and there are lots of ways to make it delicious in the kitchen. Here are three of my favorite recipes for tilapia, and they can also be made with other mild white fish like cod or halibut.

Coconut-Almond Crusted Tilapia
Parmesan-Garlic Tilapia Sticks
Fish and Chips (I actually modify this recipe somewhat so I'll have to post that sometime)

Hello from the South!

We've been in our new home for about a week and a half now, and we are loving the green, the water, and the beautiful trails around here. We're getting to the know the area, Mr. J is busy with his new job, and I'm trying to balance keeping the kids entertained during the summer with getting my house unpacked and organized.

When it came to meal planning, I cut myself a lot of necessary slack before, during, and after our move. But I can only take so much eating out and so many pre-packaged foods. My kitchen is fully unpacked, and although we still have tons of boxes around the house to tackle, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of "real" food--including a lot more made from scratch meals and fresh veggies and fruits.

One thing I struggle with when planning dinners, is that I tend to choose recipes that require a lot of preparation and time. I enjoy cooking. However, I have a lot of other things to do, and the hour before dinner tends to be a busy (and needy) time around here. So, my new goal when planning a menu for the week (or two? or the month? I think that might be better!) is: for every time-consuming meal I have planned, include two that are relatively simple.

This will be a challenge for me. One thing that will help is making large batches of whatever I am making (sauce, dough, etc.) and freezing for later use. So I'm going to try and implement that more often too.

I've been going through my Google bookmarks, and here are a few meals I am excited to try out in the next month or so. I have rated them on a scale of 1-5 stars for ease of preparation - 1 star being very simple to throw together, and 5 stars being pretty time-consuming. It seems I need a few more simple meals to add to this list. Ideas, anyone?

Non-vegetarian dinners:

Garlic Chicken Bow Tie Pasta ***
Chinese Orange Chicken *** (We love the stuff from Panda but I've never had much luck making my own - I have high hopes for this one)
Pesto Chicken ** (one star if using jarred pesto, but I like to make mine)
Beef Cheddar Baked Flautas ** (Use the leftover beef for sandwiches or shepard's pie)
Coconut Almond Crusted Tilapia ***
Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos ***

Vegetarian dinners:

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna ****
Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna ****
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese ***
Caprese Panini (add turkey to make more filling for those who want it) **
Crispy Southwest Wraps ***
Spinach Curry Soup ** (recipe from my sis-in-law)

Snack:

Homemade Granola Bars *** (This is a new recipe I'm really excited to try!)

Coconut Cream Pie

This is one of our favorite pies, Mr. J's in particular:

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (in a can in the Asian section)
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 t salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 t vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup whipped topping

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine half-and-half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Microwave on high, stopping to whisk it every minute or so, until thickened. Stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract.

Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm way behind on my family blog and too lazy to tackle it right now, so I'm updating here instead. Our house-hunting trip was absolutely exhausting but we are now under contract with a house we LOVE. Cross your fingers that the home inspection and everything else goes well, and that I don't lose my sanity with Mr. J now living across the country (we'll join him in six weeks or so).

Speaking of which, before our trip, I made sure to make one of Mr. J's favorite meals, which I also happen to love. Here it is: my take on Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Pound chicken breasts to flatten if they are thick. Place a cheese and a ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces well.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and/or bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm with mashed potatoes.

Stay tuned for dessert!

Giveaway Winner!

I used random.org to generate the winning number for the giveaway. The winner is ....

#4 Lovely Domestic Diva! She said:

Our favorite simple meal is a big salad with all sorts of chopped veggies and diced leftover chicken or boiled egg or nuts for protein. No cook, yummy, and my little one loves it (especially if he can pick the veggies).

Frittatas [baked omelets -- so there's no flipping] are another favorite.

Those are both great ideas! Thanks Lovely Domestic Diva! I will email you your gift code for CSN stores right away.

And thanks everyone else who contributed. Since Mr. J is starting his new job down south soon, and I'll be single-parenting for a little while until school gets out and we can join him, I'm going to need lots of easy meals to throw together. No slaving away on anything complicated ... the kids usually appreciate simple foods more anyway. I'll probably do a post soon with all of my (and your) simple kid-friendly ideas so I can have them in one place.

Meanwhile, I do have one extra special meal in mind that I'm going to cook for Mr. J before he moves. So stay tuned for that!

Granola Bars

{Don't forget to enter the giveaway (below) by Friday!}

I discovered these granola bars a few years ago and like to whip them up every now and again. They are a great alternative to the store bought variety--more nutritious plus easier on the budget. Even better, everyone enjoys them, kids and grown-ups alike. Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ground flax seed (or wheat germ)
3/4 t ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 t salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
chocolate chips to taste

Optional ingredients: flaked coconut, raisins, other dried fruit (I included coconut. Also, note that chocolate chips are NOT optional. Not for me. )

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Mix together the oats, brown sugar, flax seed, cinnamon, flour, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil, and vanilla. Mix well (so much easier if you use your hands). Spread mixture evenly into pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm (if you wait too long they will be harder to cut).
Enjoy!

Review and CSN Stores Giveaway

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to choose a product from CSN stores to review. They have a huge selection of kitchen stuff as well as practically everything else under the sun. I was looking at getting some decor or a new fancy kitchen gadget, but then my trusty blender broke. I can't go very long without a blender, so that's what I ended up ordering. Below is the review I submitted to CSN of my new, 12-Speed Osterizer Blender.

And now for the fun part! I have a $20 gift code to give away to one lucky reader.

Here's what you have to do to enter:

• Leave me a comment telling about your favorite simple, HEALTHY, kid-friendly meal. I want to do a whole bunch of advance meal planning the next month or so, and I want it to be simple stuff. And I'm hoping this will jump-start my planning.
• Leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win.
  
• That's it. You don't have to subscribe or tweet or anything like that. :)

Good luck! I'll close the giveaway Friday at midnight.

Here's a link to all of CSN Stores. And here's a link to the kitchen stuff.

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• 12 speed blender
• 450 Watts
• Sleek slope design for attractive counter display
• 5-Cup scratch resistant and dishwasher safe glass jar
• Exclusive All-Metal Drive system for power and extra durability

12-Speed Osterizer Blender

Great Blender!

By Janell from Soutwest, USA on 3/29/2011

4out of 5

I got this blender to replace my other Oster blender when the motor burned out (after several years). I am pretty hard on blenders--I use them a lot to make smoothies. I really like the glass jar and so far I'm just as pleased with this one as my old one. It blends quickly and uniformly. Does great with ice. I don't know if there's a blender out there that would last me more than a few years. But so far this one is working great!

(legalese)