Light Flax & Oat Baked Tilapia

I came across a few breading/coating recipes online that used alternatives to flour.

I've tweaked them a bit to come up with this, to add some more flavour and improve the texture. I'm happy with the results, a simple tasty fish with healthy ingredients and low fat.

You could add whatever herbs or spices you like to the flax & oat base. I use my 'magic bullet' for this and it works really well! (have to justify that purchase after all!) Don't try to over coat these, it won't crisp up because there intentionally isn't much oil in this recipe. If your diet doesn't permit eggs you could omit them. Tilapia is quite wet anyway, the coating will still stick, of course not quite as well but I've tried it and it works.

Servings : 8

Ingredients:

2 lbs tilapia fillets (8-9 fillets, each one cut in half)
2 egg whites
1 cup rolled oat (not quick, just regular rolled oats)
6 tablespoons flax seed meal (or add whole flax seeds, they will grind up)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper (to your taste)
spritz oil (optional)

Directions:

1.Put all the dry ingredients into your magic bullet or blender (from oats to pepper in the list), and process until you have a smooth texture.

2.Get 2 large bowls out, add the egg whites to one bowl, whisk them up a bit. Add the coating mixture to the other bowl.

3.Using one hand, add about half of your tilapia to the egg white bowl, mix it up to coat them all. With your other hand, coat each filet one by one in the flax/oat mixture, getting it even on each side and both ends. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet. Do same with the second half of the filets. You may need a second cookie sheet depending on the size.

4.Spritz the top of the filets with oil if you like (ie with an oil sprayer or store bought oil spray).

5.Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes, flipping them half way through. Alternatively you could broil 3-4 minutes per side. Serve 2 pieces per person, with sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

Smart Shopping Strategies to Fight Rising Food Prices

In 2004, a gallon of milk was $1.63;
In 2008 it is nearly $3, and more if you buy organic milk!!!!

You want to feed your family healthy foods, but it can appear that purchasing less-healthful, prepared and packaged foods can save you money.

Don't fall into this marketing trap! Keep the goal on price-per-nutritional-calorie rather than paying for empty calories designed just to fill you up without any nutritional benefits.

Try these three strategies for making your food dollar go farther while eating healthily with whole foods.

1. Go to the bulk bins. Packaged and processed foods include the price of the wrapping, which then adds to our landfills. Buy rice, quinoa, couscous, pastas and other grains in the bulk food bins and store in airtight containers. While you're in that section, consider adding some of the just-add-water, great-for-a-healthy-meal-or-snack options: a refried bean mix for burrito night (typically a low-sodium, low-saturated fat and vegetarian offering), dried hummus powder and even dehydrated split pea soup.

2. Use frozen versions of out-of season vegetables. When green beans have to be shipped in from South America and look a little jet-weary, think instead of the bag of vegetables that were flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness and won't go bad before you get to use them. When cooked properly, frozen vegitables can be as appealing as fresh, and don't contain any extra additives or preservatives.

3. Purchase meats in bulk and freeze in individual portions. Look in the warehouse stores for bags of frozen fish fillets. Watch for sales on chicken, then clean and separate pieces for freezing in zip-top baggies.
One of the major advantages of buying in bulk and freezing portions is that you'll always have healthy food on-hand for a nutritious meal with very little effort. The one-pot meal below, for example, is just about as easy as it gets -- you can even just toss in your individual frozen servings without thawing!

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by eDiet.com