Today's Lunch...Tilapia

Why Tilapia? Fish is a great alternative to meat in terms of getting the protein and vitamins we need without the fat. In fact, unlike read meat, chicken, pork and even other types of fish (like salmon) tilapia is virtually free of saturated fat – making it a better choice for supporting a healthy heart. Tilapia is also a great substitute for other flakey white fish (such as Chilean Sea Bass). While both share similar health benefits, tilapia is better in terms of sustainability and therefore is more often readily available and less expensive =) …Choosing the cheaper fish option is not always a bad thing! In fact, for us broke college students it's usually necessary to choose whatever's on sale/the cheaper option.

Basic Facts: On average, one filet of tilapia fish (without cooking it in tons of fat a.k.a. butter & oil) contains:
128 calories
26 g of protein
2.7 g of fat
1 g of saturated fat
0 g of carbohydrates
57 mg of cholesterol

In terms of vitamins/minerals, Tilapia is rich in vitamin B3/niacin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. And, unlike other popular fish such as Tuna, tilapia is very low in mercury. It’s important to monitor our mercury intake. Exposure to too much mercury has harmful effects on our nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, kidneys, stomach, and large intestine. Beware that mercury is contained in a lot of our favorite fish... but, lucky for us, not in tilapia =)

Quick Tilapia Recipe: (I literally made this in 25 minutes…that’s all it takes)

•Preheat Oven to 375
•Sautee whatever veggies you have in your fridge using a little bit of extra virgin olive oil & garlic. Personally, I had to get rid of what was left in the bottom of my spinach bag, mushrooms & cherry tomatoes. I also cut up a red pepper and a green pepper and added them to the mix.
•Once veggies are lightly sautéed, drizzle fresh lemon juice on top & stir. Then, place veggie medley in an oven safe dish & set aside for a moment.
•Take tilapia filet and coat it in what’s leftover in your sauté pan after removing the veggies. Add some spices ontop of the fish (I added McCormick’s Caribbean Jerk, parsley & hot pepper flakes) Don’t add salt - you don't need it!
•Place tilapia on top of veggie medley & bake for 10 – 15 minutes (depending on how thick your filet is)
•Switch the oven from bake to broil. Broil the fish for about 4 minutes (or until it’s nice & crispy on top)
Quick, Delicious, Nutritious & Filling – what could be better than that?