Spicy Baked Catfish

Even though I recently have quit my job, I feel like eating healthy is still something I can do on a budget. Tip one: eat less portion sizes. Tip two: buy and cook only what you NEED for dinners instead of anticipating leftovers. I will have many more shopping/coupon-cutting/money-saving advice in the coming entries. This was the first grocery trip for me being on a budget and I spent $65 at Whole Foods (seriously, is that even possible?) for two people for a weeks worth of food! I didn't get milk and a handful of other items (probably totaling $10-20) only because I'm not spending three times as much money for the exact same product. Now that I will have more time and less money, I think I will be shopping around several stores for what is on sale and not ignoring those ads that flood my mailbox each week.

As for the catfish, it is no longer allowed in our house unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, I love catfish .. a lot .. but we found out after I ate this that I am mildly allergic to catfish. Hopefully it's not all seafood, but we'll test that out another time when my throat recovers. Speaking of budgets, I got four filets of this catfish at Whole Foods for a mere $7. Absolutely amazing! Despite my unfortunate incident with this recipe, my husband absolutely devoured and enjoyed every bit of it. I will miss you catfish!!

Edit: I found out I was actually getting strep throat so no allergy worries with catfish!! YAY!

Spicy Baked Catfish

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original

4 thin, boneless catfish filets

1/4 cup Jamaican Jerk rub*

4 tbsp Italian salad dressing

1.5 tsp lemon pepper

Place catfish filets in 8x8 glass baking dish and slather on half of the jerk rub and dressing. Flip filets over and spread the remaining sauces on top, coating evenly. Then, sprinkle the lemon pepper on and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until catfish is white and flaky (cooked thoroughly).

* You can purchase this at Williams-Sonoma in the store. Otherwise you can substitute for any similar Jamaican sauce you can find at your local grocery.