The Hungry Swimmer: Kale & Tilapia Power Salad

I find that the easiest way to stay consistent with healthy eating throughout the week is by getting ahead—either through meal prepping or just by preparing some ready-made versatile ingredients that you can mix, match and heat up throughout the week.

This kale and tilapia power salad is full of flavor and the key nutrients you need to stay powered up through your day (carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, fiber and more). I like to prep these meals at the start of my week to ensure I have a ready-made, nutritious dinner waiting for me at the end of a long day.

Pro-Tip: Roast some extra sweet potatoes, peppers and onions and keep them in your fridge. Toss these in a skillet in the morning with a handful of leftover kale. Let the potatoes, peppers and onions warm up, let the kale wilt, then top it off with a fried egg. Garnish with some cilantro and chopped green onion and you’ve got a knock-out delicious and nutritious breakfast in less than 10 minutes!

Ingredients

Yields 6 portions.

• 1 large bunch of kale (chopped; about 6 cups)
• 3 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion (sliced)
• 2 medium-sized green bell peppers (sliced)
• 6 tilapia filets
• 3 avocados
• 1 15-ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
• Cilantro (roughly chopped)
• Paprika
• Season salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prep and season the tilapia.
   1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and very lightly coat with olive oil or spritz with cooking spray. Lay down your tilapia filets.
   2. Season both sides of each filet with paprika, season salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Use approximately ½  teaspoon of paprika and ¼ teaspoon of season salt, garlic powder and onion powder on each side of the filet.
   3. Cover with plastic wrap and set this tray of seasoned tilapia filets in your fridge to marinate while you roast the vegetables.
3. Roast the potatoes, peppers and onions.
   1. Line 2 baking trays with aluminum foil or a light drizzle of olive oil.
   2. One one tray, evenly spread the cubed sweet potatoes. On the other, spread your peppers and onions in an even layer.
   3. Lightly drizzle all the ingredients with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use tongs or a spatula to stir the ingredients so that all are evenly coated with oil and seasoning.
   4. Place both trays in your preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes OR until the sweet potatoes have softened and there is a touch of char forming on the edges of the potatoes and onions.
4. While your vegetables are roasting, it’s a good time to chop your green onions and cilantro, drain/rinse the black beans, and pit the avocados if you haven’t already.
5. After your vegetables are fully cooked, remove the trays from your oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Once the oven has cooled to 350, place your tilapia in the oven and cook for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the fish is white and flakes easily with a fork. Remove the tilapia from the oven.
6. Assemble your salad!
   1. On a plate, lay down one cup of chopped kale and top with a portion of the warm sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. The steam from these ingredients will soften up the kale.
   2. Sprinkle on a handful of black beans.
   3. Top with the tilapia filet and half of an avocado. (*Tip: If you are meal prepping this, don’t add the avocado until you’re ready to eat it so that the avocado stays fresh)
   4. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro and green onions, and add a final sprinkle of salt and pepper.
7. Dig in and enjoy!