Home Cooked Meal with Seafood

(This is part of a blog series called “YOU CAN DO IT!”  We believe that every single human on earth should enjoy the abounding benefits of eating more seafood. So we are here to boost your confidence around all things seafood! Follow along as we throw back the curtain and empower you to make a shift in your kitchen and around your dinner table for good!)

The research abounds to the benefits of eating a home cooked meal vs going out or ordering dinner to your doorstep. When you eat at home; you tend to eat fewer calories as you are significantly more mindful of what you are putting into your body and you get the extra benefit of being able to connect with your family.  Cooking at home does more than fill your belly; it can also boost mental and physical health. So why do people not cook at home more often?  When we polled our Instagram family, almost 90% of people had the same answer…TIME. 

Time is the single biggest obstacle in not just a home cooked meal, but cooking a balanced dinner at home.  We. Get. It

But if cooking dinner at home is important to you, YOU CAN DO IT.

And If spending time together around the dinner table matters to you, YOU CAN DO IT!
Here are 3 of our favorite ways to create time around dinner time:

 MAKE AHEAD BIG BATCH SALAD

Salads are one of the easiest things you can prepare in advance. At the beginning of the week, construct a massive big batch of salad using romaine, kale, spring mix, butter lettuce, or whatever tickles your fancy. Make sure to utilize a salad spinner to get your lettuce as dry as possible, liquid speeds up veggie decay! Then go ahead and load the top of the salad with your favorite dry ingredients.  Some of our go to salad toppers are: chopped celery, shredded carrots, radishes, red onion, cucumber, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes (keep whole), walnuts, pecans, almonds, olives, sunflower seeds. 

Each night at dinner, go ahead and fill up half your plate with your already prepared salad.  Then take a quick minute to add your extras: avocado, croutons, cheese, and finally your dressing. You can throw your protein (oh hello, easy extra serving of seafood!) right on top and make a big yummy meal out of it or enjoy the salad as a quick and healthy side. Either way, you saved all the time because you prepared a batch salad ahead of time and did not have to think about, dream up, or cook an additional side for your meal.  Our family went from eating salad about once a week to 4-5 times a week when we made this small shift. See, YOU CAN DO IT!

HOME COOKED MEAL WITH SEAFOOD

We obviously have a biased opinion about cooking seafood here in the Fish Fixe kitchen. But we will never get over the convenience of cooking it, it is so fast! 

Did you know that fish muscle fibers are much shorter than they are in beef and chicken?

That is the reason that fish cooks so quickly. So if time is something you do not have a lot of, seafood for dinner is definitely worth exploring.

We have an entire recipe library Fish Fish Kitchen | Seafood Recipes for Home Chefs on our website if you want to buy some extra ingredients, impress a date or you just want to get creative in the kitchen. But if you have olive oil, salt, and pepper then honestly, you have all you need to put a beautiful, healthy, and fast meal on the table for your family. Our resident chef, Melissa Harrington likes to say, “A sprinkle of salt and pepper and a 7 minute sear is all you need to ring the dinner bell!” 

Do you have salt?  Do you have pepper? Do you have 7 minutes?  See, YOU CAN DO IT!

(*Adds dinner bell to Amazon cart!)

COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE

Yes, friend. Everyone is busy and this kitchen hack saves so much time. It makes everything easier, especially preparing a home cooked meal.  And if you are cooking seafood at least once a week, this mantra will help you fulfill the American Heart Association’s recommendation of eating seafood at least twice a week.

If you plan to make seared tuna tonight, then enjoy tuna poke bowls tomorrow. If you cook up yummy One Pan Roasted Shrimp and Potatoes | Fish Fixe Kitchen tonight, then throw in some extra shrimp and you are ready for shrimp tacos when you get home from the baseball field or the pool tomorrow night or Saturday for lunch!

Cook once, eat twice. See, YOU CAN DO IT!

Now that you’ve been inspired to make more home cook meals, check out shop.fishfixe.com to stock your freezer with premium seafood!