Simple One-Pan “Tis The Season” Tilapia Dinner Recipe...
This low-carb, incredibly simple weeknight dinner recipe is highly-nutritious and quite flavorful! Trying to stay healthy (and avoid temptation) while eating delicious food this holiday season? Add this recipe to your meal plan, it’s a balanced meal that provides excellent protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs.
Along with tons of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants essential for overall health. This meal is both energizing and filling, and can help you keep your calorie count down, while replenishing your body post-exercise.
You can also switch up tilapia, (which is a white, flaky fish), for another similar fish of your choice for some variety; Some options include flounder, sea bass, catfish, orange roughy and rainbow trout. In addition, you can add a variety of different spices to this recipe as it fits your tastes and preferences… The best part about it is it’s so versatile!
If you like your meals spicy, add some hot red pepper flakes to your fish, or for some added inflammation-fighting benefits, add a sprinkle of turmeric powder – which contains a powerful antioxidant compound called curcumin.
Now let’s dive into some of the major health benefits of this recipe…
Provides Lean & Mean Protein
As you know, protein is an essential element when you’re trying to lose weight, as it helps you build lean muscles, and greatly boosts metabolism to increase fat-burning. Protein also fills you up for a fraction of the calories of other foods!
So, why did we pick tilapia in this recipe? Because it’s a very lean, yet high protein fish. One fillet (or 87g) of cooked tilapia contains only 112 calories, and a single serving makes up more than 15% of your daily protein requirement!
Protein also fulfills a number of functions in your body that no other macronutrient can; Beyond assisting with weight loss, it’s needed for the proper growth and development of cells and muscles. In addition, it needed for healthy bones, teeth and nails, amongst many other functions, so you need to make sure you get enough from high-quality sources.
Rich In Healthy Fats
This recipe also contains olive oil, which is rich in heart-healthy fats called monounsaturated fats. This type of fat can help reduce inflammation in the body, promoting enhanced health. Plus, if you’re on a low-carb or keto diet, regularly consuming healthy oils with meals is a great way to up your fat content from plant-based sources.
Believe it or not, extra virgin olive oil is considered one of the best superfoods out there, due to the large amount of antioxidants it contains. For this reason, it’s one of the best anti-inflammatory foods, with the ability to help protect your body from disease.
Supports a Youthful Body & Brain
This low-carb recipe also features one of the best keto veggies, asparagus, along with antioxidant-packed fruit, lemon. In their own ways, both asparagus and lemon both support your overall healthy appearance, along with optimal mental function.
The main flavorful ingredient in this recipe is fresh lemon juice, and lemons are packed with vitamin C, which helps the body form collagen – a protein necessary for youthful, healthy skin. It’s important to constantly replenish the collagen in your body, since the natural production of it slows down as you age – and you need vitamin C to complete the process. In this way, lemon helps you boost your body’s essential collagen production, and also supports optimal immune health.
Next, asparagus contains nutrients that are particularly great for keeping your brain sharp and fighting cognitive decline as you age. The most important nutrients for brain health in the veggie are folate and vitamin B12, which studies show can help to improve mental speed and flexibility. For this reason, asparagus is considered one of the best anti-aging foods!
Ready to make this simple and nutritious one-pan meal? Read on for the recipe…
One-Pan Tilapia Dinner Recipe
Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 1 lb tilapia
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Optional: 1 cup quinoa
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a baking tray.
- Place the tilapia and asparagus on the baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, making sure everything is coated well.
- Using half of the lemon, squeeze the juice over the fish and asparagus. Slice the remaining half of the lemon and place over the fish and asparagus.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake for 25 minutes until fish is cooked through and asparagus is tender.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition:
- 388 Calories
- 32 g carbs (6 g carb without quinoa)
- 27 g net carbs (3 g net carb without quinoa)
- 12 g fat
- 39 g protein
What's your favorite low-carb dinner? Let us know in the comments below!
Like this recipe? Check out other delicious 310 Nutrition recipes here!
