Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Budget Friendly + Healthy Eats - Tilapia Taco Cups

By Emsu


Raus and I have tried to figure out ways this summer to eat more cheaply, without sacrificing a healthy(ish) lifestyle. Walking through the local grocery store (we shop at Kroger's), we are often tempted to buy several $2.99 pizzas rather than figure out ways to eat cheap AND healthy, but we try to remind ourselves of the importance of nutrition and how much nicer it is for us to make something for the both of us, from scratch. We still allow ourselves a couple instant meals a week (there's always that one $2.99 pizza in the freezer), but we save those meals for the nights we know we are going to be especially beat.

We want to start a series a posts that focus on ways to make and eat budget friendly meals, and our first installment stars some yummy fish tacos.

This recipe feeds two people :D

Ingredients
2 tilapia filets
6 corn tortillas
1 mango, diced
4 green onions, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, cut in chunks 
shredded cheddar cheese
plain yogurt
fresh cilantro (small handful), chopped

Sauce for tilapia
1/4 cup of light mayo
1/4 tsp of chili powder
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of garlic seasoning (a la Mrs. Dash)
1/2 tsp of cumin
a shake of cayenne pepper

You will also need a muffin pan (12 cups), baking sheet, cooking spray, and aluminum foil (optional, for less mess). 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit (190 degrees celsius). Lightly spray both sides of the corn tortillas with cooking spray and individually microwave each one for about 30 seconds. Once they beep, take them out right away! If you wait even 10 seconds too long they will start to harden and you won't be able to use them for the taco cups. Take your muffin tin and flip it upside down, and place the corn tortillas in the spaces, like so.

Only 3 will fit at a time, so you'll have to go through this twice!

Keep an eye on these guys - they can burn quickly! It's good to check on them after 10 minutes, and every minute after that until they are the perfect shade of brown (about 12 minutes for us). While those are warming in the oven, you can make your tilapia sauce. Mix together the mayo, chili power, black pepper, garlic seasoning, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Place the tilapia on the aluminum covered baking sheet and slather the tops with the sauce. Put them in the oven (they can join the taco cups) and let them bake for about 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.


Cilantro. I love you.

Once done, take the fish out and flake it all up in a bowl.


Sprinkle the fish into the taco cups, and then top them off with all your other ingredients. Now they're ready to be consumed!

Cute, fun, easy, and delicious!

Don't forget the plain yogurt! I forgot for the photos, but you can bet we had big spoonfuls on top of all of ours once they were ready to eat.





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