Feed me Seymour.

I've decided to add in a few recipes that I've come up with/recreated/found which are incredibly healthy. And tasty. Now, I know that sounds like an oxymoron. Tasty and healthy do not typically end up in the same sentence. But because my lovely husband is not only lactose-intolerant but has irritable bowel syndrome, meal times can be a huge challenge...especially for a girl that loves anything fried and covered in cheese. And to make my life even harder, Brock is bound and determined to complete a 14-day "Candida Cleanse" diet...meaning no carbs or sugar. It's the Atkins diet - on crack. I think this diet is a load of crap, but he's insistent and I'm supportive, so I'm now forced to cook like some tree-hugging vegan hippie. But I refuse to eat something that tastes like cardboard so I've become quite crafty with spices and herbs. Check back here every once in a while and try some of these recipes for yourself. You'll be surprised by how good healthy food can be. Trust me. I have been.

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Baked Herb Tilapia with Rice and Steamed Asparagus

Let's start with the Baked Herb Tilipia:

Ingredients:

• fresh tilapia fillets (go for the fresh stuff - tastes better - no preservatives/processing)
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• dill weed
• oregano
• onion powder (or chopped onions - I just cry like a baby when I cut onions, so I stick with the powder)
• parsley (go fresh if you can...but dried works just as well)
• lemon-pepper seasoning
• sea salt (only use normal table salt if you're desperate...this is supposed to be "healthy")
• minced garlic (either mince up some garlic cloves or buy minced garlic in the little glass jar)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a glass baking dish - use whatever size fits the fillets in an even layer. Then place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the dish. Splash each fillet with a little lemon juice. Sprinkle the fillets with the dill weed, oregano, onion powder (or onion), parsley, lemon-pepper seasoning, sea salt, and minced garlic. I don't measure anything, but it's just a pinch or two of each spice/herb for each fillet. Turn over the fillets and sprinkle the seasonings on each fillet (again). Then bake at 450 for 15 minutes (or until the fish flakes easily with a fork).

Side Dish - Rice:

I've been using Lundberg Country Wild Whole Grain Brown Rice, a combination of long grain brown rice, whole grain Wehani rice, and whole grain Black Japonica rice. It's a simple side that just requires a dash of sea salt. No saturated/trans fat. No cholesterol. No sodium or sugar. Gluten free. Perfect for Brock's crazy diet.

Side Dish - Steamed Asparagus:

Just snap off the thick white ends of the asparagus and discard. Snap/cut the rest (including the tops) into bite size (1-inch) pieces. Throw into a veggie steamer and serve with a dash of sea salt. Simple and scrumptious. If you want a little more flavor, sprinkle with thyme and a hint of rosemary and garlic. Or if you're lucky enough to have a steamer with a "spice screen" (the steam rises up through a small screen where you put whatever spices you like) then no need to sprinkle the asparagus prior to serving.

Bon appetit.