This week I wanted a hearty meal and thought of how much I love eggplant parmesan. I wanted to find a lighter, better for me version and I did. It meets the Simply Yum standard and I must say…not my prettiest final version but SO good. Also found a really tasty and super simple treat – chocolate chip banana bread oatmeal bar – also super simple and really yummy.
I used today as a frig fest too. Had a bit of fruit and veggies on their way out and made up my smoothie to take care of that and used the rest in my salad. Both turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.
It is fun to get notes and pictures from you about the recipes you try. Keep them coming and feel free to share your recipes with me. I do hope you have fun with food and allow it to be the tasty fuel it is meant to me.
ENJOY each day – Keep yourself and your well-being on the top of your to do list! Try something new and keep it all Simply Yum!
This week’s menu:
- Breakfast: Frig Fest Smoothie
- Lunch: Green Frig Fest Salad
- Dinner: Light Eggplant Parmesan
- Dessert: Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars
Frig Fest Smoothie: This smoothie has a mix of spinach and kale; 3 cups of almond milk, a good size piece of ginger and one of turmeric and a half tablespoon of almond butter and a few left over dates. I added some almost done strawberries and blueberries and a small beet. Blending these up in phases has worked for me adding the frozen fruit last. I added frozen pineapple and pears at the end and it turned out great (I cut up the pineapple and pears and put them in the freezer overnight).
Green Frig Fest Salad: Had everything but the romaine lettuce already. I chopped up the roaming and added carrots, half a red pepper, half of a yellow and half of a green pepper chopped (left over from a previous recipe). Included kalamata olives – always have those in my frig, and a cucumber of the edge of ripeness. Poof – yummy salad.
Light Eggplant Parmesan: Found a great recipe from www.skinnytaste.com Simple recipe that removes the regular breading and frying of the eggplant and instead, roasts it and uses it almost like lasagna noodles. I made a few changes to an already tasty recipe by using Italian parsley added a lot more garlic, and a bit of hot pepper. [SIDE NOTE: I always used to think of parsley as a garnish, not an ingredient. It has a lot of health benefits I never realized before….give it a look.]. Low fat cheese and a good sauce and you are good to go. The full recipe can be found here: www.skinnytaste.com/lighter-eggplant-parmesan-5-pts/. I made a basic, but yummy tomato sauce my mother-in-law taught me many years ago. I amped it up a bit by adding red pepper flakes, mushrooms and peppers. The base is just onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, a bit of water and a little bit of tomato paste. I used fresh oregano and basil and an herb mixture of various other Italian spices. I let it simmer for a long time and saved a bit for when I warm up the meal later.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars: This recipe makes me happy as a sweet treat with healthy ingredients….yea. Found the recipe at https://rachlmansfield.com. It is simple using bananas, nut butter – I used almond butter, oat flour, oatmeal, oat milk cinnamon and dark chocolate chips. YUMM! I used less cinnamon than called for, a few more chocolate chips and added chopped almonds to add some additional texture. Find the full recipe here: https://rachlmansfield.com/healthy-chocolate-chip-banana-bread-oatmeal-bars-vegan-gluten-free/
Water: Well of course there is water. This batch has lemon, lime, half a left-over grapefruit, apple slices and a few mint and basil leaves. It is the first thing I consume each morning and I drink it throughout the day.
#StrongisBeautiful #SweatisSexy #HealthisHappy
KINDNESS is FREE!
