Parmesan Almond Crusted Tilapia

Per my last post, you all know about my love for Trader Joe's almond meal.  I also bought some Tilapia during my last visit, wanting to create a new recipe using my beloved almond meal.

The result was mouthwatering.

When serving dinner, I usually load my plate with more veggies than meat/fish and let Gary enjoy a larger meat portion.

Not. This. Time.

I ate my whole tilapia fillet and craved even more!

Parmesan Almond Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients:

3-4 Tilapia Fillets {we only had 3 in our package, but they were good size}

2-3 Eggs {to help almond crust stick}

Parmesan Almond Meal Crust - 1 cup almond meal, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, Italian Spices {Parsley, Basil, Oregano} to your liking, S&P to your liking.

Directions:

~Pat Tilapis Fillets dry using paper towels {set aside}
~Crack eggs on a deep plate and beat until mixed.
~Combine ingredients for crust into a small bag.  Seal bag, shake and once mixed, empty into a deep plate.
~One at a time, dip fillets into egg wash, then dredge through crust mix, making sure each side is coated evenly.
~Add each fillet to a pan preheated and coated with cooking oil of your choice {I prefer coconut oil}.
~Cook tilapia on medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side {checking for color and flakiness}

Serve with roasted broccoli and a sweet potato for a healthy, nutritious meal!

Patted dry and ready to go!

Right next to the stove for ease

1st side is cooking

Cooked perfectly!

 ***Tilapia is my favorite fish to cook.  It is versatile and does not have that "fishy" taste.***

Do you like fish?  What is your favorite way to prepare fish?

Trader Joe's Almond Meal

I want to shout it from the mountains : I LOVE Trader Joe's Almond Meal.  It's one of my favorite finds from TJ's {and trust me, I have many}!!  It only costs $3.99 for a 1 pound bag, which is a spectacular price for such an amazing and versatile product.

Trader Joe's Almond Meal

How I store it in my kitchen

Here are some of the recipes I have used almond meal in:

Almond Pancakes

Bad iPhone pic, GREAT recipe!

Almond Flax Pizza Crust

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

I will be posting a new recipe using almond meal later this week {I know-the suspense is killing you}! Until then, stop by your local Trader Joe's and load your shopping cart with their Almond Meal.  Then go home and make one of the recipes above....you will thank me {but please finish chewing your food first}.

What Gets Me Through The Week

Work has been crazy busy since coming back from Winter Break with no end in sight, so here are a few things that have been getting me through the week.

ALMOND MEAL - I am in LOVE with this almond meal.  I don't want to say we have been eating strictly Paleo, but we are trying as much as possible and the possibilities are endless with this one ingredient.  Pancakes, pizza crust, breading for chicken, fish, etc.  Oh, and it is MUCH cheaper than almond flour {only about $4 at Trader Joe's}.

ALMONDS - These are raw almonds that I have been taking with me everywhere I go.  Just a few when I feel a little hungry and I am good to go!  I tend to have these and a banana for my morning snack at work.

EGG MUFFINS - Last weekend I shared my recipe for these.  Gary jumped on board this week and he is a HUGE fan.  I keep experimenting with my own recipe.  This week I added a handful of spinach and broccoli  to the food processor, which is why they look so green!

PITTED DATES - How have I been able to say no to M&M's in the afternoon?  2 of these babies.  Sweet, sticky and super filling!

 STIR FRY - On Wednesday, I did not feel like making the complicated meal I had planned {note to self: any meal that will take more than 30 minutes of work needs to be saved for the weekend}.  Rather than fall off the wagon, I used the chicken breast I had already defrosted for that night, some broccoli that wouldn't make it past the weekend and a bag of frozen veggies to create this easy meal.  It turned out really nice and I even garnished it with a few of the almonds I showed you above.

This was my 2nd stir fry of the week {the 1st one was planned} but it was soooo different.  My 1st one included red bell peppers, mushrooms, and more almond butter than I would like to admit!

Surprisingly, there were no adult beverages included in that list {this may need to change tonight}!  

Wishing you all the most awesome weekend ever!

Egg Muffins & Almond Pancakes

Today has been a lazy Saturday at its finest!  I rolled out of bed around 10, made the delicious breakfast you will read about below, and went to my parents house so Gary could work on their computer.  After he was done we took a nice long walk around their neighborhood before heading home.

A few weeks ago, I found the Holy Grail of quick, easy and healthy breakfasts.  I cannot keep it to myself any longer, so you are in luck!

Let's start with these egg muffins:

Do you have 20 minutes?  That's how long it took me from start to finish to make 12 of these national treasures.

Ingredients:

8 eggs
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Onion
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms
S&P as per your taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

You can either chop the vegetables by hand or do what I did and throw them all in the food processor, pulse a few times and throw it in a mixing bowl.  (As you can probably see below, I forgot to add the mushrooms to the processor, so I did those by hand).

Crack the 8 eggs into the bowl, add the bacon, S&P and mix.  Pour mixture into well greased muffin tins (whether using either oil or PAM, etc., make sure they are VERY well greased) until 3/4 full.

 Cook for about 15 minutes, then let cool on your counter.

This muffin tin alone gave me 3 days of breakfasts and a morning snack (2 for each meal).  Just heat two on a plate for 30 seconds and you have a healthy, delicious meal WITHOUT having to think about what to make.  Next week I am going to start making 2 tins at a time because Gary  is FINALLY dumping his cereal habit (CHEERS, APPLAUSE)!!  Having to make this twice a week will be a breeze because I can cook them while I am cooking dinner.

Moving on to the pancakes...

I bought some almond meal at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago, because it is MUCH cheaper than almond flour.  I am not an expert, but I think the only difference between almond meal and flour is that the flour ground finer than the meal.  For the difference in price, I do NOT mind have chunky meal over the flour!

Since trying to eat Paleo (we are definitely on the right track, but still struggle) I have been craving pancakes!  So this is what I created this morning, alongside my trusty egg muffins:

Sorry for the photo quality, used my iPhone.

We have tried coconut flour pancakes before and they were okay, but I felt that I needed something heartier.

Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Almond Meal
3 Eggs
2 TB Coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1/4 tsp. Almond extract
Cinnamon and nutmeg to your liking (I just add a few shakes of each.  Nutmeg is my go to spice for a hearty flavor)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix by hand.
Drop 1/8 cup batter into a pan or skillet that has been oiled.
After adding the batter to the pan, I dropped a few blueberries into each pancake.
Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes.

Plate & ENJOY!!

We plan on watching a movie tonight while eating homemade pizza where I get to use some more almond meal that was inspired by Tina.  I read her blog daily and she has such great recipes and is such a positive person and an inspiration.

Hopefully most of you get a 3-day weekend.  Either way, enjoy it to the max!