"Hibachi" Tilapia & Asparagus

Well, today is my first official day of dieting. Mark is on a low-calorie diet to lose a few pounds, and (sadly) he talked me into it, as well. Actually, it was totally my choice, but we mulled it over and I decided, why not...I could lose a few pounds, too. I've been trying really hard to gain weight for so long, but with football season over and my more inactive lifestyle taking over, I have noticed some "collection" (if you will) of chunkiness in some not-so-desirable areas on my body. By losing a few pounds, I can be more lean...and have the "aesthetic muscle tone" that you'd expect to see on a personal fitness trainer.

Having made this decision, this cooking blog is about to take a turn in the "low calorie recipes" direction. But know that I am still a sucker for red meat and carbohydrates (and must still consume a good portion of both protein and carbs to maintain energy and to build muscle), so I work extra hard during the day to burn calories just so I can consume them at dinnertime!

(And, yes, I run an extra 60 minutes at least one day every two weeks in order to make a trip to Coldstone for a delightful ice cream treat. In a waffle bowl. And there's usually a good amount of cookie dough in there somewhere, too.)

Tonight's menu is easy: fish and a veggie. We had some fresh tilapia leftover from last week that we froze, so all we needed to pick up was a bunch of fresh asparagus. I added some salt, crushed black pepper, and ginger and garlic to the fish, then pan-seared the tilapia fillets on medium-high heat (four minutes on one side, 2-3 minutes on other). I did the same for the asparagus to achieve a hibachi-style flavor and texture; however, I skipped the salt and added one tablespoon of soy sauce to the pan.

The result was quite fabulous...and delicious. And all less than 200 calories. I think I'm going to like this diet thing. ;-)