It’s not really fair to call it a mystery fish, but we’d never eaten tilapia before this. I had to look it up.
Here’s something interesting from Wikipedia (bolding is mine):
Tilapia have very low levels of mercury as they are fast-growing and short-lived with a primarily vegetarian diet, and thus do not accumulate mercury found in prey. Tilapia is a low saturated fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and low sodium protein source. It is a source of phosphorus, niacin, selenium, vitamin B12 and potassium.
However, farm raised tilapia (the least expensive and most popular) has a high fat content (though low in saturated fats). According to research published in July 2008, farm raised tilapia may be worse for the heart than eating bacon or a hamburger. The research suggests the nutritional value of farm raised tilapia may be compromised by the amount of corn included in the feed. The corn contains short chain omega-6s that contribute to the buildup of these materials in the fish. “Ratios of long-chain omega-6 to long-chain omega-3, AA to EPA respectively, in tilapia averaged about 11:1, compared to much less than 1:1 (indicating more EPA than AA) in both salmon and trout.” Wide spread publicity encouraging people to eat more fish has seen tilapia being purchased by those with lower incomes who are trying to eat a well balanced diet. The lower amounts of omega-3 and the higher ratios of omega-6 compounds in US farmed tilapia raise questions of the health benefits of consuming this fish.
Interesting about the corn eh?
We’re not big fish eaters here at Casa Fishbowl. I am on the fence about fish. I know it’s healthy – chock full of omegas etc. – but things like mercury, overfishing/factory trawls, wild vs. farmed fish, clouds everything for me quite a bit and I just avoid it. Also, for some reason, white fish has always seemed kind of boring to me. Go figure.
Anyway, in an effort to reduce the amount of meat we’re eating I want to start eating more fish. And this is the recipe I started with: Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce, Thyme Mashed Potatoes, and Sugar Snap Peas. I liked the fact that this recipe gave me a main and two sides. No deep planning required!
Here it is:
If you have non-fish eaters at home I think this may be The Gateway Fish.
- Everyone – ALL FOUR – loved the fish. The butter sauce is outstanding. There may be an alarming amount of butter involved, but do not skip it. The fish part of this recipe is incredibly quick to prepare and it’s very very mild and non-fishy.
- I knew going into this one that the girls wouldn’t eat the mashed potatoes but I made them anyway (but using milk instead of cream). They were delicious. Tell me, what kind of kid doesn’t eat mashed potatoes?? Crazy. We had leftover mashed potatoes and I used them to make potato pancakes for my lunch the next day. DIVINE.
- The sugar snap peas were the perfect side vegetable.
Yay! I’m so glad this one worked out. It’s my new favourite fish dish.
So what’s your tilapia recipe? A bunch of you alluded to this wonderful fish in my last “will they eat it” post and I need to know!
Saunders Farm has been inviting guests to play, learn and grow on their 100-acre farm for over 30 years. Visiting Saunders is a big tradition in our family. We’ve been going every year since Sarah was a tiny baby. There is something there for kids of all ages (and grownups too). It really is a great place to visit.
We like to go in the summer and during haunting season. Both are equally fun.
Saunders is a Fishbowl patron, and has given us tickets to visit this year too. We’re all very excited about it. The girls can’t wait.
I’m not sure which I like best, the mazes (there are 11!):
… or the haunted hayride …
… or the other things that make this such a great little trip for Ottawa families:
There are some great new things this year too:
- There are new scenes on the Haunted Hayride, and the Barn of Terror is bigger, longer and un-CUT and there are new Ghost Town stage shows too
- Animals from Big Sky Ranch Animal Sanctuary will be at Saunders Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-4pm all month
- Pumpkin patch tour wagon ride: take a hayride around the farm and tour the pumpkin patch. Pick your perfect pumpkin from the field and pay in the Farm Shop on your way home.
- NEW Kids Corn Maze
- Check out Angela’s Farm Fresh Bakery for fresh cinnamon buns, homemade pies, scones and other delicious baked goods as well as espresso, lattes and cappuccinos. Fuel for families!
- Hit up the Pig Trough @ the Crossroads for pulled pork sandwiches, roasted corn on the cob and more.
- The Pumpkin and the Skeleton Pub is open October 8-31st; ; Friday nights from 6pm-10pm and Saturdays from 4pm-10pm and Halloween from 4pm-10pm. Beau’s beer is on tap as well as Ontario wine. The Pumpkin and the Skeleton Pub is a fundraiser for Music and Beyond Festival.
- Scaring is Caring – ask about the charity “scare button”- a new scare controlled by YOU in the Barn of Terror
Woot!
Fishbowl patron Saunders Farm has given me the green light to give away four tickets to one lucky family in the Ottawa area.
The tickets cover admission for a daytime visit (read: less scary, best for younger kids) or a night-time visit (recommended for kids 10 and over).
Here’s what you need to do:
- Have you been to Saunders? Share a favourite Saunders memory or tell us what you love most about it in the comments. Haven’t been? Check out the website and let us know what you are looking forward to about Saunders. Maybe it’s losing your husband in a maze? Watching one of the live shows with the kids? The caramel apples? I want to know!
- Halloweek is fast approaching, so the turnaround for this one is going to be quick. I’ll use Random.org to do the draw at noon on Friday October 22, 2010. You have until then to get your entries in!
- Tickets will be held at the box office for the winner.
Good luck!
p.s. Did you know that Saunders Farm is on Facebook? Check it out. It’s an easy way to keep tabs on special events and deals too.
It’s Monday, laundry day. It means I’m sorting and washing and drying and heaping everything into giant technicolour mountains on our bed for the girls to sort and put away tonight.
There’s a lot to be said about the clothes we wear. When I was in high school my friends and I would take the bus to downtown Toronto for all-day shopping excursions to cute secondhand shops along Queen Street and Kensington Market. I’m sure my parents were appalled that I was, heaven forbid, WEARING SOMEONE ELSE’S CLOTHING. I mean GOD, someone could HAVE DIED IN THOSE JEANS.
When the girls were younger they had little choice over what they wore. We laid out their clothes together before bed and that’s what they wore the next day. (This also prevented commonly reoccurring seasonal issues i.e. one girl wants to wear a summer dress when it’s twenty below.) It made for smoother mornings as there was no arguing over what to wear.
Of course, now that the kids are older they are dressing themselves without my help. When we’re shopping for clothes they have more input. I do, however, retain veto power. Sometimes they put together combinations that surprise me, like this:
… it makes me happy that they are finding their own styles, whatever they are. (Can you believe I caved and bought cream-coloured boots?)
Mothers differ over what is and what is not appropriate clothing for school-age girls. For example, I don’t have a problem with short shorts or two-piece bikinis at the beach. I do, however, have a problem when those short shorts are paired with knee-high boots and an off-the shoulder crop top that has SKANKY HO written across the chest. Five year olds shouldn’t dress like that.
When parents express disdain, that’s when kids dig in their spurs and fight even harder to wear what they want to wear. So at some point I predict that I’m going to lose some leverage and this whole issue is going to get more interesting. :)
How are you finding the issue of dressing your kids? Is it a battlezone, or do you let your kids express themselves through their clothing in their own ways? And where do you draw the line?
