Happy New Year

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Now it's time to set our resolutions for 2014. How many of us wrote..."Lose 40 pounds" or "Be more healthy" on the list? I think we have all set these type of resolutions a time or two. But how often do we fail at keeping our weight loss resolutions? For some staying focused is a piece of cake but for others it's a challenge. We aren't all strong and at times we may find ourselves discouraged because the weight is not falling off fast enough. Does this sound like something that has happened to you? Let's make 2014 the year that makes you that strong fit person you want to be; not for vanity reasons but for health reasons. Let's jump start the year with this recipe. 

I love fish and although there are all sorts of pros and cons about eating fish; it's my preferred meat. Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Well, depending on where your fish comes from, you might be getting a side of antibiotics or PCBs that you're unaware of.  So what type of fish should you buy? Farm raised or wild caught? There are all sorts of articles on which is better but here is a little info on the difference. 

Farm Raised- Consists of raising fish commercially in tanks, enclosures and controlled pens across the country usually in lakes, ponds, rivers and oceans.  Due to their compact living situations and feed, they tend to have more diseases, toxins, artificial dyes, antibiotics and contain more fat then compared to their wild caught versions. 

Wild Caught - These fish tend to be higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, protein and contain very low levels of disease as well as being free from antibiotics, pesticides & artificial dyes. Wild caught are obviously free to roam about the ocean and find their own food which results in them containing less fat then the farm raised versions.  While mercury can be an issue with wild caught, it can be just as much of an issue with farm raised fish that are raised in the ocean. The only down side is that wild caught fish tend to cost 3-4 times more than farm raised fish. 

So there you have it.... Wild caught it is. Now let's make our first healthy meal of the year. I don't have a name for this dish. I cook fish with any vegetable so for this blog's sake we'll call it...

Fish & Asparagus w/a side of white rice 

What you will need:

10x12 pan 

Aluminum foil (cut into big enough squares to wrap the fish and asparagus)

1-2 bags of wild caught salmon 

Depending on how many ppl you're cooking for will depend on how many bags you need. I use 2 b/c I make enough for a few days. However, you can also buy fresh wild caught fish but as you read, it will be a bit pricey. These bags come with 4 sealed wild caught salmon

Seasonings of your choice (in the picture you can see the seasonings I used)

Frozen bag of Asparagus (NO CANS- either a frozen bag or make fresh)

Lemon or lime whichever you have available

* I like to add shrimp as well

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Place the bag of asparagus in the microwave for 2 minutes (if frozen, if fresh you can place in the aluminum)

Next squeeze lemon on fish,shrimp and asparagus and season to your liking. I like to use Salsa Herdez (if I have time I will make homemade salsa) on top of my fish for flavor and a little spice. 

See below ⬇️

After you season place in aluminum and close. Continue to do the same until you finish packing all your pieces. You can place as many asparagus spears as you want w/the fish and shrimp. 

Place pan in oven and cook for 25-30 min (each oven is different so if you have one of those super ovens then check on it at 20 min and so forth). 

While your fish is cooking you can start cooking your rice (follow instructions on package). I like to use jasmine rice but you can use whatever white rice you prefer. For an even healthier choice, you can cook Quinoa (following instructions on package for cooking). The choice is yours.

And vualaaahhh your meal is ready! 

We have this thing at home where we like to rate the meals I cook. This one got an overal score of 8.2. If you try this recipe, I ask that you share any changes or add ons you made. We can all work together in cooking our way into a healthier lifestyle.

One the count of 3, healthy lifestyle. Are we ready?? 1,2,3... HEALTHY LIFESTYLE 

Zumba love,

Marisol