When you are married to someone in the military, you realize how important a home cooked meal is for your spouse.  My husband is like a growing child, he is always hungry. When he comes back from the field, I know he is ready to enjoy real food after eating MRE’s for days, weeks, and sometimes months.

In this section of the blog, I will be sharing with you some of my husband’s favorite meals that are easy on your budget, healthy and balanced, as well as simple to prepare.  Due to my new-found love of using fresh herbs in everything I cook, I will also include a section in each post describing the health benefits of the herbs used.

This week’s recipe is perfect for hot weather.  Typically, when my husband is out in the heat, he doesn’t want a heavy meal when he gets home.  This meal is light, healthy, and inspired by my love for Latin cuisine.

This recipe calls for fresh Thyme, Parsley, and Cilantro.  Thyme is healthy for your body in many ways. It boosts your immune system, reduces stress, protects against heart diseases, and has been used to treat chronic coughs and respiratory diseases.  Parsley is good for you in many ways. Most people are familiar with parsley as a garnish on a plate of food, or for the benefit of good breath.  The health benefits of parsley are numerous. It can be used to control diabetes, helps reduce inflammation in the joints, boosts your immune system, and aids in fighting osteoporosis due to the calcium content in this magical herb. Cilantro is not only one of the tastiest herbs, but it also has many important benefits.  First, it is can help detoxify your body from exposure to metals because of its bonding properties. Next, Cilantro contains Vitamin K, which is great for bone health. Also, this herb contains properties that help with inflammation, protects the skin against sun damage, and can help to fight cancer.

Ingredients:

Grilled Fish

2-fillets of flounder (you can substitute this and use whatever type of fish you like)

½ tsp fresh thyme

½ tsp fresh parsley

½ lemon

Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, old bay blackened seasoning

2 sheets of tin foil

Flour tortillas

Avocado-Kale Salsa

¼ cup cilantro-chopped fine

½ lime

1-package of cherry tomatoes

1-avocado (semi-ripe)

1-jalapeño (for spicier salsa, you may want to use an extra jalapeño)

1-large kale leaf

1-large clove of garlic

2-tomatillos

¼  tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:

To prepare salsa:

1-Finely dice the whole package of cherry tomatoes.

2-Chop cilantro finely and add to mixture.

3-Dice the garlic clove and add to mixture.

4-Squeeze the juice from the ½ lime into the bowl.

5-Dice the tomatillos finely and add to the mixture.

6-Cut avocado in half and scoop each avocado out, chop into small pieces, and add to bowl.

7-Chop the jalapeño into small pieces and add it to mixture.

8-Pull off the crinkled parts of the kale leaf and separate into small pieces before adding to the bowl.

9-Mix together and refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving.

To prepare fish:

1-Lay out two sheets of tinfoil.

2-Put one piece of fish on each piece of tin foil.

3-Squeeze the juice of the half lemon evenly onto each piece of fish.

4-Chop the parsley and thyme and sprinkle evenly onto each piece of fish.

5-Sprinkle each piece of fish with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (be careful as this is super spicy), and Old Bay Blackened seasoning.

6-Wrap up the fish in the tin foil and place on grill for 20-30 minutes at 300 degrees.

To Serve:

1-Heat tortillas up on a plate in the microwave for 30 seconds.

2-Add half of the fish to each tortilla, then top with avocado-kale salsa.

This meal costs approximately $15.00 and serves 2.

*Grilled Flounder and avocado-kale salsa pairs nicely with corn on the cobb or as a non-taco meal you can serve the grilled fish topped with avocado-kale salsa, served with sautéed spinach, and a side of rice.

© Strength 4 Spouses, LLC 2018.