A new month and an easy fish dish

And just like that it was April.

I like to take the first day of each month to look ahead, and this month holds a few big events for me.

• April 11 – The official relaunch of Les Mills group fitness programs at 24 Hour Fitness, in which we will debut the latest quarterly releases including BODYPUMP 89, BODYATTACK 84 and CXWORX 14. As a group fitness instructor for 24, it’s just about time that I begin practicing all the new moves I’ll need to teach. Here’s a look at how to learn Les Mills choreography.
• April 12-13 – I’m attending an intensive two-day National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) certification workshop, followed by the official exam to become a personal trainer. I’ve already been studying the material and am looking forward to spending an entire weekend learning from the pros. Stay tuned for more on that.
• April 25-27 – We’re going on a road-trip to Boonville, California, which is a couple hours north, to enjoy the festivities planned for Dave’s sister’s wedding. And we’ll get a chance to see some of Dave’s relatives that live far away. The weather might be a little cold and some of the events take place outdoors, so I’m still looking for the perfect attire.

And I also have another little weekend of fun crammed in, which I will discuss soon.

Now on to the food.

Cooking fish at home

I’ve said before that I’m a huge seafood and fish lover. And although I typically always order fish when out to eat, I’ve never made it at home (outside of a pre-packaged version). Truthfully, I’ve always been a little nervous about cooking fish.

Since I’m on a mission to prepare more healthy meals at a home, last night I cooked the following for Dave and myself, and it was quite tasty.

Mango salsa tilapia

This recipe fits my needs of easy, healthy and requiring very few ingredients.

Mango salsa tilapia recipe:

• 2 tilapia fillets
• 1 jar of mango salsa
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 bag of rice (I used brown, but yellow could also work)

Directions:

1. If your fillets are frozen, defrost them in the fridge for about six hours before you need them.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Dry the fish with a paper towel.
4. Line a baking dish with foil.
5. Place the fish in the dish and brush on a little bit of olive oil.
6. Dump as much mango salsa as you want over the fish.
7. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Check with a fork around 15 to make sure fish is white and flaky.
8. Heat the beans on the stove in a pot.
9. Cook the rice on the stove in a pot.
10. After everything is cooked, lay the rice on the plate, layer on the beans and place the fish on top.

What comes out is a fairly fancy looking dish, even though it is incredibly simple.

Dave has joined me on this fish journey and has been such a good sport trying more and more types. When we first started dating, he would barely touch anything seafood or fish outside of shrimp cocktail or mild tuna sushi, but now he’s really come to like a few kinds. That makes me happy.

Although I’m just getting started on my path to becoming a skilled chef, I do get a bit of excitement when a meal turns out good like this one. Here’s to cooking fish at home.

Questions of the day

Do you have any big events planned for April? Do you have anything you’ve been wanting to eat at home but have been hesitant to prepare?