Monday Night Shopping Rocks

DSCN2585Roasted acorn squash and pear salad with balsamic vinegar/shallot “dressing”

Seriously, people-  you need to do your Christmas shopping after work on a Monday.  I don’t know if next week the luck will hold out- but the place was EMPTY.  And I bought ALL OF THE THINGS. And only a few things for myself.  Success!

Today was a skip day as far as running/workouts go- I’m beat.  And tomorrow is Tough Tuesday- so I decided to listen to my body (gasp) and take my first full day off from exercise since sometime before Thanksgiving.  Yesterday I did, in fact, complete 15 miles- with an average pace of 8:47 min/mile.  I started relatively slow and picked up the pace at the end- with the last two miles around 8:00/mile.  Sometimes I look at these paces and I am discouraged- last year at this time I was averaging 8:15 min/mile easily for runs over 18 miles- and I am just not there yet.  The femur injury really took A LOT of my speediness away-  I need to work on appreciating the fact that I CAN run, vs my perceived slowness.

For those that are interested- this week’s meals are as follows:

Monday- Homemade “fish sticks” with big salad

DSCN2587
Tuesday- Vegetarian night-  All of the veggies + pasta (AKA big veggie pasta)
Wednesday- Out-  Helping out at my BFF’s (her husband is on a business trip)
Thursday- Fennel Rubbed Pork Chops with Quick White Wine/Garlic Pan Sauce, Sweet Potato, Asparagus
Friday- Probably take out-  we have a party to prep for!

This week I am going to be switching between some weeknight ideas and some big-time party food appetizers.

What to expect: Mini-Make Ahead Crab Cakes with Ginger -Lime Sauce, Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with home-made marinara, and possibly a few others yet to be determined…  and probably a cookie or two!  Please tell me which savory appetizer you want to see first!

On to what we ate tonight.  Please make these “fish sticks” ASAP.  They are crispy, crunchy, NOT BAD FOR YOU, and totally satisfy the need to eat something that is reminiscent of childhood :)  Have them with lemon, have them with tartar sauce- or eat them how I do- with a really adult helping of ketchup.  I know, I know.  I just can’t help myself.  I did have a side of sriracha, though.

Start with a firm white fish.  We had Mahi-mahi.

DSCN2561 DSCN2562  Remove any pinbones using pliers.  It isn’t too scary, just do it.
DSCN2564
I didn’t want the texture of the skin in the sticks, so I removed the skin.  Your fish-dude can do this for you, too.  To remove skin- hold the fish with one hand, and begin sliding your SHARPEST long knife along the skin line, angling the knife toward the skin- using even, smooth motions.DSCN2565  I turned it over to show you that doing this isn’t an invitation for disaster- you can definitely do this.  Again- a SHARP SHARP SHARP knife.
DSCN2567Now cut the fish into stick forms.  I cut the fish in half first, along the center of the filet, then made some long cuts, then cut those in half.  Do whatever makes sense for the shape your fish is.

Next, get a breading area going.  I dipped my fish in egg whites (lightly whisked) that I seasoned with salt and pepper- followed by panko that I added some garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to. (no pictures of breading the fish since hands were fishy and eggy and had panko all over them.  Never really learned the whole wet hand/dry hand thing)

DSCN2573   All breaded…DSCN2574 Ready for the oven.  400 degrees.  15-20 minutes.  Flip ’em once.  They should look like this when they are done-DSCN2586

Lightly brown, crispy- not falling apart all over the place making a mess.  Perfect!DSCN2587

The salad wasn’t really a recipe-  just squash, roasted- pears, cut up- shallot, minced and some balsamic vinegar.  We used one box of spring mix between the two of us.  No oil, no nothing else- just uber simple large salad.  Squash also roasts at 400-  start it before the fish and throw the fish in with 20 minutes left to go on the squash.  (It takes 35-40 minutes- get the fish and salad together during that time)

DSCN2558 DSCN2575 DSCN2577 DSCN2578And that’s it!

Easy "Fish Sticks"- Crispy baked Mahi-Mahi
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2-4
 
Substitute any firm white fish.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb White Fish (buy more if you are feeding more people- just make more breading)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 Cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Teaspoon paprika
  • Salt and Pepper
Lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or other preferred dipping sauce
Instructions
  1. Cut the fish into pieces longer than they are wide (stick shapes).
  2. Whisk the egg whites until lightly foamy and broken up; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Mix panko and seasonings together in a shallow dish; season with salt and pepper
  4. Dip the fish in the egg whites first, then lightly press into the panko mixture. Cover the entire piece with panko.
  5. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray; arrange breaded fish on the baking sheet. Do not overcrowd.
  6. Bake at 400 degrees.
  7. Flip the fish after about 7 minutes, or when they are brown on the bottom. Cook for another 7-10 minutes until the fish is browned on both sides and is cooked through.
  8. Serve with lemon, tartar sauce, or if you are me- ketchup!

 

 

 

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