fit eggplant parm
/
same concept when you apply it to your body, aka, your temple. put great stuff in, get great results right on out!
yesterday i had vanilla oat bran with banana slices, Walden Farms syrup, and Trader Joes cinnamon sugar,
and this morning it was rolled oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, pure vanilla extract, and some cinnamon and granulated stevia stirred in. some days i flip a coin! they are both great starts to the day. this bowl was sooooo creamy. i topped it with one strawberry cause that's all i needed since they are so dang GIANT this season. and a small tsp of Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter. so, so good.
today's eggs weren't pretty at ALL so i didn't take a pic. these were from yesterday and were topped with some alfalfa sprouts and pineapple salsa from Sprouts. i love getting a little bit of charr mixed in with my eggs from the skillet- gives them extra flavor.
who's got some core exercises for you? I DO! did'em this morning after teaching my total conditioning class!
i'm sure you're familiar with the basic high plank on your palms and toes. right? yeah you can do that one in your sleep.
but when you mount up on a medicine ball (any solid ball will work really) then you really put that core to work. this is one of those exercises that looks uuuuber easy until you do it yourself. so, grab yoself a medicine ball and do these semi-advanced core exercises that promote core strength and stability!
★1st things 1st- engage your core by sucking your belly button to your spine, but DON'T hold your breath!★
- high plank (top pic) - start on your knees. grip the ball on either side and press your palms into it as you elevate your body up into a straight high plank balancing on your toes. maintain a neutral spine while keeping your head and chest lifted. even if you don't add the variations, you are still working to balance yourself without even moving! you'll see! hold for 30-60 secs or for as long as you can take it. ***you can also go down a level and perform this on your knees keeping your body flat and pushing your hips and glutes towards the floor***
****
- high plank + leg lift (bottom pic) - keep your hips square, squeeze the heck outta your glute, and lift that leg up off the ground and hold it for 30-60 secs. repeat on the opp side.
****
- high plank + pendulum leg lifts - while that one leg is in the air, take it out to the side from right to left in a controlled swinging motion going no wider than shoulder width. repeat on either side for 30-60 seconds or until burnout.
what a :shock: BURN :shock: !
this exercise works glutes, core, and your shoulders & back definitely feel the wrath of supporting your bodyweight the entire time. try'em at the gym or at home during commercial breaks.
well hello there, fit eggplant parm. i whipped up a crazy good fit chicken parm that will be going into the you-know-what! for now, enjoy this healthier classic, fit foodie le style.
fit egg plant parm
the stuff:
- 1 large raw eggplant, sliced into 1/2 in rounds (you can peel them if you'd like- i kept the skin on)
- 2 egg whites
- 3 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
- 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
- 1 cup Lissanati almond cheese, shredded
- 3/4 - 1 cup homemade breadcrumbs*
- 28 oz Sprouts all natural low sodium crushed tomatoes with basil & garlic
- 1 tsp basil, dried
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp thyme, dried
- 1/2 tsp parsely
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
- 5 baby portabella mushrooms (optional!)
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
*homemade breadcrumbs: toast 4 slices of Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful Whole Wheat with Honey bread until crispy, and toss them in your food processor. pulse until breadcrumb-like consistency.*
do this: * important S/N* this can totally be dairy-free if you use only almond cheese, (or rice cheese, or your fave vegan cheese) throughout the recipe. but then you'd have to call it fit eggplant almond. or whatever. you know me- i needed some nutty, creamy parmesan in my dish cause cheese is my thing, so i added it. just a little. and you can too. if you want. also if you don't have the same brands i'm using and naming, no big deal!
1. lay the eggplant slices flat in a shallow baking dish and pour the liquid aminos all over them. let it soak in real good, about 10-15 minutes or so.
2. in a shallow dish, combine the egg whites and unsweetened almond milk; mix.
3. grab another shallow dish and pour in your breadcrumbs. add: the finely grated parmesan cheese, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley; mix.
4. dip each eggplant slice into your egg mixture with one hand, then immediately drop it into your breadcrumb mixture. i only coated one side with breadcrumbs cause i was lazy and didn't want to have to flip them halfway through. lol. spray a flat baking pan with the olive oil spray and bake your slices for about 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
5. when the eggplant is almost done, go ahead and start the first layer of the dish by spooning some of the crushed tomatoes in the bottom of your olive oil coated baking pan. eyeball it.
6. when the eggplant is ready and cool enough to handle (surprise, i didn't wait), create the second layer. i know mushrooms are untraditional in this recipe, but so am i! and come on- melted cheese and mushrooms just go together. so i added a few sliced baby bellas for the 3rd layer,
7. top with 1/4 of the almond cheese. or more. way more.
8. and finally, top that with more sauce and repeat until you run outta ingredients. the last layer should be CHEESE! and lots of it. now don't put those fresh basil leaves on there yet cause you will torch them in the oven. i put them there cause it looked pretty.
9. back into the oven on 400 degrees for about 20 more minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty and brown and stuff.
this made about 6 servings; stats are for 1:
we killed the pan but there are certainly a couple things i'll be doing differently from here on: take note!
- NOT burning the breadcrumbs in the toaster smh - it made the eggplant darker and harder on the eyes. i didn't want to waste it and used it anyway
- using the small side of the grater for the parmesan cheese cause the large shreds don't stick to the eggplant as easily
- pan frying the egg plant instead of baking (however i'm not sure the cheese in the breadcrumb mixture would hold up in the hot skillet...i'll just have to see)
- OR, roast the eggplant solo first, assemble the dish, and save the breadcrumb mixture for the topping only. <------i really like that idea!!!!! if you try it this way, upload a pic to the Fan Page or tag me on IG (#fitfoodiele #fitclean2013). i'd LOVE to see your creations.
cooking is ALL about having fun and trial & error for me. get in there and make your own masterpiece!
i'd like to give a big THANK YOU to Bragg for sending me a few samples of their seasonings recently! i'll be testing the nutritional yeast, the sea kelp delight seasoning, and the 24 herbs and spices seasoning this week.
ooooh the joys, blessings, and lessons of good ol' parenthood :lol: it was just one of those days.
thank God for electronic devices!!!!!
le
p.s., if you haven't entered to win some FREE FOOD, then click there and go see what's up! contest ends this saturday.
