Tilapia with Zucchini and Rice

What do I think is the best part about leaving the baby phase behind and entering the crazy world of toddlerhood? CHOW TIME! But of course.

No longer does the boy need to eat mish-mush that has to be carefully cooked until it's squishy goo and then pureed to oblivion. No, now he just walks right up to me and points at whatever's in my hand demanding a bite! Although I do not want Fry to get in the habit of begging like a bad dog, I do appreciate the fact that he can enjoy the same things that I am. Talk about a time saver too!

So today's meal idea is based around just that: Saving time in the kitchen by creating meals that the whole family can eat!

Dinner last night consisted of grilled tilapia with garlic zucchini and steamed white rice.

Let's pause for a minute so that I may explain my cooking style a little bit.
I.
LOVE.
GARLIC.
A lot. My husband has had to take on a love of garlic as well, and now it's the boy's turn. Nearly anything I ever cook has garlic involved. Fresh garlic, garlic powder, often times both... I. Love. Garlic.

That being said, I did have to use one extra pot for this meal so that I could tone down the garlic levels in Fry's meal as compared to what Mom and Dad were having. Plus, I put a ton of pepper on the zucchini, and a decent amount of salt on the fish, neither of which I feel Fry needs to be having so much of. So alas, one extra pot weaseled it's way onto the stovetop and into my dishes. Uuusually though, the goal here is to not add to your work level whatsoever. But... let's get cooking!

It's all about timing.
Before beginning any meal that requires some effort, take a moment to consider what needs to be done. What needs the most attention? What can be left in the background? You want everything to come together at the same time without overwhelming yourself, burning food, or leaving items to wait and get cold.

How this meal was timed:
The rice can steam in the background and even when it finishes the rice cooker will keep it warm. Thus, making the rice is the first step. Set it and forget it, right? While that's happening, the tilapia comes straight from the freezer and into a sink of hot water to thaw. And while that's happening, I can gather up supplies and prep for the rest of the meal.

What do I need? A pot to cook the zucchini, a pan to cook the fish, and a small pot to prepare Fry's portion. Also the cutting board, a paring knife, colander, cooking spoon, and spatula. Food? Fresh garlic, zucchini, canola oil, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Got everything all over the counters? Good. (Quick tip: Gathering everything before hand will save you time while cooking. To save time AFTER your meal i.e. clean-up, put things away as soon as you finish with them. Any extra time I have, I use to put spices back or get no longer needed dishes into the dishwasher. It can be a hard habit to get in to, but it really pays off. I don't know about you, but I hate having to clean after I've just cooked and eaten a nice big meal.)

The pan for the fish is set medium-low heat to warm up, with canola oil to keep the tilapia from sticking. The pots are left to start boiling water for the zucchini. While the stove is going, veggie prep time! Wash and cut zucchini, then dice a portion of it into bite sizes for the boy. Roughly chop about 3 cloves of garlic to cook with Mom and Dad's tilapia, and mince another clove for the zucchini. Fish thawed? Water boiling by now? It's cook time!

Popping the fish in the heated pan gives it a good crisp without burning it. I season it while it cooks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on one side. The zucchini goes into the boiling water for a quick blanch, and the diced zucchini goes in the smaller pot to blanch as well. A few minutes later, the zucchini can be drained and the fish flipped.

When I turn the tilapia, I add a nice sized pat of butter to the pan along with the chopped garlic. (Did I mention how much I love garlic?) I don't start with the butter in there because it burns somewhat fast, so adding it later lets the fish soak up some buttery goodness without burning. The other side gets another light dusting of salt and pepper, along with a hit of paprika. For the zucchini, that is currently waiting in the colander in the sink while the tilapia gets it's final seasoning, I start by melting some butter in the same pot it was in, and add the minced garlic to cook. Once you smell the garlic well, toss the zucchini back in with a bit of salt and lots of pepper.

For Fry's portion, his zucchini is done after blanching. I set that aside in his plate with some rice (which has long since finished in the background) so that it can cool down. In his little pot, I now cook his piece of tilapia. This one only gets some canola oil in the pan and a bit of garlic powder and paprika. No salt, no pepper, nice and simple but flavorful. His piece is nice and small, so in the time it takes to cook both sides, Mom and Dad's zucchini and tilapia have just finished cooking.

And it's done!

Everything finished at the same time, only one more small pot used than if I was cooking only for my husband and I, and everything nice and hot. Success!

Ellis approves of this meal. Greatly! So much so, that he nearly inhaled his food and ended up tapping into mine. He was shoveling food into his mouth so fast, that there was an epic amount of rice casualties all over the floor within a 4 foot radius of his chair. Let me assure you, I had a date with my vacuum after this. But hey, that's my amazing little eater!