What I Cooked For Dinner 1: Fish Sticks, Asparagus & Roasted Potatoes


Tilapia en Papillote. This is my new favorite way to prepare fish. I will post the recipe later in the week. The truth is this is the adult option at our house. I haven’t even offered it to the kids–mostly because I know my kids. They might never eat fish again if I served Tilapia en Papillote to them.

What I Cooked For Dinner is a new thing I have been thinking about lately–just posting pictures of what ended up on my table for dinner. Trying to be honest, too–about what food ends up on my kitchen table at 6 pm. I tend to cook dinner Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then on the weekend I take it easy and we go out or have prepared food. I like the ritual of cooking during the week and more indulgent food on the weekends. I also love the schedule I have created for myself. Having a schedule really simplifies things because I no longer have to spend any time thinking “What am I going to make for dinner?” Monday is pizza night. Tuesday is fish. Wednesday is steak or some kind of red meat. Thursday is chicken. Friday is “whatever.”

For a while I had “Whatever Wednesday.” That was also fun. But we have settled into a routine and it works. “Whatever Wednesday” has turned into “Fun Friday.” Fun Friday is not as catchy but it is certainly a fun way to begin the weekend.

I tend to rotate vegetables/starches too but I don’t have such a fixed plan. Usually I rotate potatoes, rice and corn/pasta for the starch and try to serve a vegetable I know everyone will eat like asparagus, broccoli, artichokes or cucumbers. There are plenty of leftovers come the weekend and I know at the end of the week that I have served a variety of foods.

Tomorrow, I am doing a post on “What’s Cooking in My Kitchen” about the exciting work that I am doing with The Healthy Apple, Amie Valpone. Be sure to visit her blog The Healthy Apple and check back for tomorrow’s post on all the healthy food that we made together. Off to eat some eggplant! Here is more about What I Cooked For Dinner…

Homemade Fish Sticks Kids Fight Over made with Cereal. Here is a link to the breading in my recipe for Crispy Chicken Tenders. I find that flounder produces the best fish sticks because it is drier than cod. I cut up the fish in pieces, dredge in egg and in seasoned cereal crumbs. I cook the fish for 2 minutes per side in olive oil. Served with a wedge of lemon and a vegetable your almost done with dinner.

Asparagus cooked in the microwave in water for 4 minutes. My son was raving about my mother-in-law’s asparagus. Now her secret is out. I prefer less high tech cooking methods but my main goal is getting my kids to eat veggies. So, sometimes I use my microwave. The end result is actually pretty close to perfect–which is why everyone likes them. Plus, it makes me seem decidedly modern when I actually use my microwave to prepare dinner.

Roasted New Potatoes…My kids love french fries. These new potatoes have a similar feel. I did some research on how to make crispy potatoes that were soft inside like french fries. If you slice the potatoes into 1/3 inch slices then boil them until they are a little soft and a fork goes in easily the end result is a crispy on the outside but soft on the inside oven roasted fry. After boiling them in salted water, I drain them and drizzle some oil on them and bake them in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes per side. They take a total of an hour to prepare (20 minutes to slice and boil them–40 minutes in the oven) but the results are worth the extra effort.
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