Lemon Pepper Tilapia

I was walking through Sams Club yesterday with my three little ones, and it just so happened that they had tons of samples in every aisle.  You know its going to be a good shopping trip when you walk through the door and the first sample they have happens to be your kids favorite candy (M&Ms).  The kids had a blast, and were happily occupied while mommy shopped.  When you have 3 kids 4 and under, this is quite the accomplishment. 

Anyways, one of the samples they had was fresh tilapia.  I got a sample for myself, and it was amazing.  It must have smelled pretty good because my 2yr old and my 10 month old both decide to inhale that sample.  Whenever my kids try a new food and like it, I make a point of buying it so we can expand our dinner menu at home.  I asked the lady which seasonings she used, looked over how she prepared it, and then I went home to recreate the recipe. I had the seasonings, but realized after we were home I didn't have any olive oil.  I did have some coconut oil on hand, so I decided to use that in its place.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets
1tbsp coconut oil
lemon pepper seasoning
sea salt

Lay your fillets on a cutting board or on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle some lemon pepper seasoning and sea salt on each fillet and rub it in.  Turn each fillet over, and repeat.  In a skillet on med heat, melt the coconut oil.  Cook 2 fillets at a time.  You want to avoid over crowding the pan.  It makes for more even cooking.  Cook for 3-6 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for an additional 3-6 minutes (you may need to flip again if your fillet is thicker).  The tilapia will be flaky when it is finished cooking.

Like any true child, once I prepared the fish, none of mine wanted to touch it.  As soon as I had my own plate made though, they all swarmed me and ate all my food.  In the end, mommy still got them to eat something new, so I consider this a win for me.