Breaded Tilapia

I'm sure you've all seen this bumper sticker before!

I just got back from a great bike ride with our adopted collie named Colby. He stays right beside me and is a great workout buddy. We road out to a nearby field to try our hand at some fetch. Key word: "try". No luck today, but it was fun anyway.

With Jon being away so much with work and with his upcoming deployments, we thought it would be a perfect idea to get me a companion. We searched high and low for a dog while we were in Annapolis. Adopting a puppy seemed impossible! One of our biggest obstacles was breed. Unfortunately, many housing establishments don't allow American bulldog, American pittbull, and the list goes on. What Jon and I started to realize was that most of the dogs at the SPCA were mixes, usually with a restricted breed.

We were at a loss. Having visited over 5 shelters and calling 7 others, we were about to call it quits. It just wasn't meant to be. There was one shelter left on the list. It was an hour drive away . We said a little prayer, "Lord, if you want us to have a dog, we will find him at this last shelter. If you don't want us to have a dog, we wont find him and we will put it to rest." And we were off.

We drove into the shelter parking lot with only fumes of gas left in the tank. Jon seems to enjoy the thrill he gets when he is past empty and only seconds away from breaking down. I don't get it. We walked though the shelter doors with only 20 minutes left until visiting hours were over.

We decided to take out Milo, a female black lab puppy. She was cute and full of energy, but was she the one? The dog we would be with for 12+ years. The dog that would be there when our future babies grew up? Ohhh geez! I don't know! I turned to Jon and said "let's look at one more if there's time". He looked at me and responded "let's take Buddy out". So the shelter worker brought Milo back to her cage and brought out Buddy. He was a manly dog, yet only a year old. He had been living in the shelter for 6 months. When he got out, he scurried around the fenced in area and then came to lay down right between Jon and I. A lot of thoughts crossed our minds in the 10 minutes we were out playing with him. The man gently reminded us that visiting hours were soon ending and that if our decision was to adopt Buddy, we would have to go to the front and fill out the application. We would have Buddy in one week after his vet visit.

Woooowzers. I knew I liked the dog, but goodness! This was a big decision. Being a terrible decision maker, I was in a panic. Jon, on the other hand, was sure this one was the one. "Honey, do you want to adopt him" Jon asked. I responded, yes. While he signed all the paper work, I paced around the office, hoping this was the right decision.

Two months later, I can tell you it was the greatest decision we could have made. Colby, as we decided to name him, has been a blessing and he is such a sweetheart. He is the third member of our family and we love him. He is a great companion in so many ways! He really does keep me company while Jon is gone and he even gets me out to exercise everyday!

What's for dinner?

Breaded Tilapia

What you will need:

• Tilapia filets
• Japanese style bread crumbs (Panko)
• Olive oil
• Mrs. Dash (garlic and herb seasoning blend)
• 2 eggs
• Milk

1. In a bowl, scramble eggs and add a dash of milk.
2. In another bowl, mix Japanese style bread crumbs and Mrs. Dash seasoning.
3. In a fry pan, cover the bottom with olive oil and turn onto medium heat.
4. Take 1 tilapia filet, cover with egg mixture then cover with bread mixture.
5. Place breaded tilapia in fry pan, cooking each side for a couple minutes until breading is golden.
6. Repeat with other tilapia filets.
7. Place in the oven on a baking dish at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until fish is white and flaky.

I served it here with rice and yellow summer squash.

Make healthy choices!

-Kimmie