5 Day Food Challenge
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It's so easy to fall into a cooking rut. Same 5 meals night after night until spaghetti and tomato sauce feels more like a bad relationship, something you keep going back to but can no longer stomach. Well, it's time to breakup with your pasta and sauce even if it feels impossible. Despite what you may think, there ARE plenty more fish in the sea.
Haute Moms Club, it's time to try something new! This week, I challenged myself to 5 days of new recipes, kicking off with a healthy twist on an Italian Classic, Eggplant Parmesan. It popped out of the bottom oven- looking every bit Top Chef! Crispy from the panko bread crumbs, cheesy from the buffalo mozzarella and parmesian and seriously hearty, a perfect dish for fall.
If that's not enough, my hubby full on fist-bumped me to share his approval. That does not happen every night. So kuddos! I paired our eggplant with veggie meatballs from www.traderjoes.com for a little protein boost and a ridiculously deelish, fairly priced ($13) glass of white wine. (92 rating) http://www.shoppersvineyard.com/store/pc/Hermanos-Domingo-Molina-Torrontes-113p20886.htm
Ladies, I now challenge you: 5 nights of creative, new meals for you and your family. They don't have to be expensive, or time consuming, but they should be different and damn tasty! And if you, like me, have a crying baby in the background, just pause, for a small breastfeeding break. Here's the healthy, hearty, eggplant parm recipe I plucked from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/eatingwells_eggplant_parmesan.html Try it out...Lemme know what you think.
Active Time: 25 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
2 eggplants, (about 2 pounds total) 3 egg whites 3 tablespoons water 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, (1 ounce), divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce 3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, (3 ounces)
PREPARATION Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat two baking sheets and an 8-by-11 1/2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Whisk egg whites and water in a shallow dish until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, salt and pepper in another shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg-white mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. (Discard any leftover breadcrumbs and egg white.) Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the eggplant slices over, and bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer. Stir basil into tomato sauce. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Add a layer of the remaining eggplant slices and top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
NUTRITION ON HEALTHY EGGPLANT PARM
Per serving: 203 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 2 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 12 g protein; 8 g fiber; 563 mg sodium; 777 mg potassium.
VS.
NUTRITION ON TRADITIONAL EGGPLANT PARM
1,053 calories per serving, 30.4 grams saturated fat, 1,965 milligrams sodium, Deep-fried eggplant, Breadcrumbs, 4+ pounds cheese
