Sunday, January 17, 2016

Lemon Pepper Tilapia

It's the third week of January. How are those New Year's resolutions going? If you are looking for a healthy recipe to whip up for dinner tonight (and you like seafood), try this delicious Lemon Pepper Tilapia!


I always feel better when I eat healthier, but that's not always the easiest thing to do. As I type this, I'm snacking on a tablespoon of homemade cookie dough. But atleast I'm enjoying it--ha! If you're going to do something, you might as well enjoy it, right?



However, tilapia and chicken are two of my "go to" foods whenever I'm trying to eat a little better.

Sometimes I wonder how much better I would eat if I had a nutritionist managing my food choices. Let's be honest: I would probably still sneak some cookie dough when it's around. The cows, however, don't have to wonder what this would be like. Many dairy farms hire a nutritionist to balance the dietary rations for their cows. Each group of cows have different needs and therefore eat a different mix of ingredients. Milk cows at the beginning of their lactation require more energy than those cows nearing the end of a lactation. Adding unnecessary energy (say, corn silage or other feeds high in energy) to rations when cows don't need it can result in cows putting on weight. There are times when cows putting on a little weight isn't a bad thing. You want them to have some reserves as they start their lactations. They start that lactation right after having a baby and the last trimester of pregnancy can be demanding, so a little extra weight isn't a bad thing. As long as it doesn't go overboard and create fat cows. That will be a problem.

Enough about that. I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but here in Indiana it is COLD! Looks like winter has finally arrived.

Friday was still pretty warm so I took the opportunity to ditch my coat when I was feeding calves. This one calf was actually born on my birthday!! I've been calling her Birthday Baby. She's sassy and I love it. A lot of my show cows had birthdays close to mine. It's fun.


I don't like the cold, but the cows are more tolerant of it. The rumen, which is the largest of their four stomach compartments, is like a big fermentation vat and helps keep the cows warm. When it gets close to zero degrees, the cows are definitely cold though. They are experiencing cold stress. When this happens, it's best to keep them dry and keep the wind off them. Closing up the barns and adding extra bedding are two things that help with this. Many free stall barns have curtains on the side that can be raised when it's warmer to increase ventilation and air flow and can be lowered to reduce wind and keep the heat in when it's cold.

Cows also tend to eat more when it's cold. Another reason it's important to make sure they always have access to fresh feed and water.

Speaking of fresh food, let's get back to this yummy recipe. I made jasmine rice and broccoli with it. I didn't have any brown rice, but you can substitute that if you have it.


Lemon Pepper Tilapia

Ingredients:

  • Tilapia filets, raw
  • Lemon pepper seasoning 
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp olive oil


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/spray pan with nonstick cooking spray
  2. Juice the lemon; reserve juice
  3. Sprinkle fish with lemon pepper; cover with lemon juice and olive oil
  4. Place fish on baking pan and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes
  5. Enjoy!


1 comment:

  1. LOVE this post and how you tied cow nutritionists to our own unregulated diets. Thanks for sharing on the Country Fair Blog Party this month!

    ReplyDelete