Honey Lime Haddock

One of the things that I've been doing to keep myself out of trouble for the past 4 months is working out.  Why you ask?  Because ....

• I bake bread ... and can't stop eating it
• If I have to be in my 40's I want to look awesome doing it
• It's time to take this body back from the havoc these three kids had on it
• I'm amazed at how strong I am and how you can see a transformation in your body in a matter of weeks
• I want to buy any bathing suit bottom I want (not just the ones that hold it all in)
• My very high metabolism as a teen/20-something UP AND LEFT ME!!  Curses!
• I think turning beet red and sweating like a pig after each workout will keep me humble

Never in my life have I worked out this much.  I started with running in August and that went really well ... until it got cold, slushy and overall yucky.  I'm devoted but not THAT devoted. (Plus I always seemed to see people I knew as I ran and I was always red-faced and sweating like a swine.  Gah!) So I turned to workout DVDs to get me through the cold, nasty months.

I 'invited' my pals Brooke Burke and Jillian Michaels (see these links to my fav DVDs of theirs) to come over 3-4 times per week to keep me on track and because I really want to tone what I have.  While I like Brooke's cute chatter (to a point) and would LOVE to have her body, I do so love me some Jillian Micheals.  The woman is tough but knows when I need that verbal encouragement (aka kick in the ass) to get me through. 

In the very beginning it was hard.  My muscles screamed and I was sore for the first few days.  I struggled through the workouts and I usually started to give these ladies (especially Jillian) the stink eye and muttered under my breath about why I'm doing this around the half way point.  But after a couple of weeks things got easier and doable and .... I got me some muscles too!!  My arms have never looked better.  I feel stronger in my thighs, I have definition in my abs (which are still hidden under a bit of the Grinch Belly) and I've lost between 1/2 to 3/4" off both thighs.  Yay me! 

I'm going to keep this obsession of mine going because I have a goal.  We head off to Florida in April to see my parents and I plan to do a big reveal poolside with m'new abs, thighs, butt etc.  Oh happy day!  I may be revealing them to a seniors community but I'll take what I can get, right?

Since I'm putting so much energy into working out to tone all that my kids made flabby on me I decided that I also want to try to eat better.  Healthier.  But still tasty.

Brad is always on board for seafood/fish so I went on the net and looked at one of my favourite blogs for inspiration.  Have any of you visited Mel's Kitchen Café??  Truly an exceptional food blog with recipes that are gastronomical home runs/touchdowns/hole in ones ... or whatever sports reference you deem worthy.  Let's just say that I could see our stomachs being 'Besties'.

I did make a couple of changes to this recipe - one of which had to do with the fish we used.  I love tilapia and we eat it quite a lot but I don't necessarily like cooking it.  One side of the fillet is always thin and the other quite thick which makes it hard to get even cooking.  So, we opted to use frozen haddock fillets and they worked like a dream!

We served this up one night last week with an order of Mushroom Risotto (truly delish in it's own right) which is another easy (but fairly time consuming) stove-top dish.  Brad offered to help if we could make the risotto so I took him up on it.  Can I just say that I adore cooking with my husband?  We work well in the kitchen and there's just something satisfying about making a meal together then sitting down to enjoy it. 

Look at that man stir that risotto! 

This fish was light, flavourful and perfect with the risotto.  It got high praise from Brad and will definitely be going on my 'favourites list'. 

A delightful meal with a delightful man while keeping myself on track for a delightful body.  Bookworm bliss.

Inspired by: Mel's Kitchen Café 'Honey Lime Tilapia'

4-5 haddock fillets (500g pkg - thawed)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (the juice from 1 large lime)
zest of one large lime
1 tbsp grapeseed oil**
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced

Flour Mixture
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp grapeseed oil **

** Grapeseed oil is my oil of choice usually but olive oil would work just as well here too.

One to four hours before you will be cooking your fish:
In a medium bowl, combine the fresh lime juice, lime zest, grapeseed oil, honey, salt, pepper and garlic.  Mix well and set aside.  This mixture will smell wicked awesome!

Place fish fillets in a large Ziploc bag and pour marinade over them.  Remove air from bag and seal securely.  Place in the fridge, flipping your fish about halfway through the marinade time, to make sure each fillet is coated well in the delicious marinade. 

Cooking Fish
In a pie plate or other shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper.  Combine well. 

Heat a medium (or large) non-stick skillet, over medium heat.  Pour in the grapeseed oil and allow it time to heat up.

Remove a fish fillet from the Ziploc bag and allow the excess marinade to drip off.  Place the fillet into the flour mixture and lightly coat each side.  Repeat for the remaining fillets (I was able to get all of our 5 small fillets into our large skillet.  If you can't you'll have to do two batches or use a bigger skillet).  Discard marinade.

Place fish fillets into the preheated skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side (don't try flipping them back and forth or you'll lose your batter!).  Gently flip the fish after the allotted 4 minutes and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes or until fish flakes easily.  Serve immediately.

Easy Stove-Top Side Dish Options:
Mushroom Risotto
Parmesan Basil Orzo