Lighter Eggplant Parmesan
Happy Weekend All!!! Today’s Guest Posters is one of my absolute FAVORITE Cooks Around ~ Gina from Skinnytaste.com…why you ask?! Well, because she makes drool worthy Weight Watcher Recipes to show us all that eating healthier and lighter doesn’t mean you have to give up flavor and taste. Oh and did I mention, I cannot go to her site without drooling and completely wanting to change what I am making for dinner to what she posted about that day 
Here is just one example of her AMAZING talents in the kitchen ~ Be sure to stop by SkinnyTaste.com to find even more recipes like this!
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This is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. Traditionally eggplant parmesan is breaded and fried before baking. I made this lighter by roasting the eggplant in the oven instead, using reduced fat mozzarella and fat free ricotta which reduces the fat and calories significantly. Always use a good parmesan or romano cheese like Locatelli or Reggiano any time a recipe calls for grated cheese for the best results.
Lighter Eggplant Parmesan
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 servings • Time: 60 minutes • Points: 6 ww points
Calories: 265.3 • Fat: 12.4 g • Protein: 14.1 g • Carb: 35.4 g • Fiber: 4.4 g
- 1 large eggplant (2 lbs)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz fat free ricotta
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 medium egg
- 2 cups reduced fat mozzarella (I used Sargento)
- 3 cups homemade tomato sauce
- salt
Start by making the sauce if you don’t have any already made. While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and put in a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 hour. Lay on paper towels to soak up any extra moisture.
Preheat oven to 450°. Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through until eggplant is golden brown.
In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
In a 9×12 baking dish, put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce until everything is used up. Top with sauce and the mozzarella cheese and the remaining grated cheese.
Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes at 400°. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
Thanks again Gina for guest posting for me! I am pretty sure this is going on the menu as soon as we get home!
My Life in Numbers
Today’s guest post is from one of my favorite “chefs” out there ~ Biz from the Biggest Diabetic Loser. She is one of the most creative in the kitchen people I know and I often want to try at least one thing she makes every day she posts. I LOVE that she is sharing her story with you all and how it has help guide her to a healthy lifestyle.
Thanks again Biz for guest posting for me! Be sure to stop by her site, but, be prepared to drool over some delicious eats!
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Hi all! This is Biz from Biggest Diabetic Loser.
My life is controlled by numbers. Because I am an insulin dependent diabetic, I need to figure out how many carbs I am eating to ensure I am giving myself enough insulin. I have to take a shot each and every time I eat something, and then another shot at the end of the night.
Because I am a strict diabetic, that means I test my blood sugar up to 8 times a day. I have to check it when I get up, before I exercise, after I exercise – and some days I wake up and want to shout “I just want to eat whatever the hell I want!” and not have to worry.
But I don’t want to repeat what my Dad did. He became diabetic in his early 20′s and was immediately put on insulin. However, he used the insulin as a crutch to eat whatever he wanted – Dunkin Donuts apple fritters were a staple in our house!
When I was on oral medication, I watched everything I ate like a hawk, and in the process went from my all time high of 210 down to a respectable 138 within a year! Fast forward to three years ago, the oral medication wasn’t working, so I was put on insulin exclusively. All of a sudden I could eat whatever I wanted! You mean I can have bacon and cheddar cheese on my fries for just .99 cents extra – yes please!
So in the last three years I’ve gained 30 pounds back. Completely my own fault, but have now decided that I need to walk the walk and not talk about losing weight anymore.
I know a lot of Danica’s readers are younger, but would you do me a favor? Next time you have your annual physical, ask to have your blood sugar taken. Roughly 16 million people are walking around with diabetes and don’t even know it! And once diabetes starts doing damage, its usually too late to fix it.
Thanks Danica for letting me talk about diabetes!
How I Finally Lost Those Pesky Last 10 Pounds
Happy Tuesday all! Today’s guest post is someone who inspires me every day to be better to the environment and better to me ~ Shane of Environmental Booty. I think it’s so cool that she is offering up some fantastic tips for you all as her guest post today.
She has led such an amazing life, so be sure to check out her story and all the different ways you can be green over at Environmental Booty. Thanks again, Shane for guest posting for me and providing some tips I can’t wait to put to use!
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Nice to meet you! I am Danica’s blogger buddy, Shane  |
Wanna know how I finally lost those pesky last 10 pounds? Well before I expose the secret to how I finally did it, let’s get introduced first. My name is Shane Shirley Smith and I am totally into living a green lifestyle…except for those guilt ridden moments when I’m not. I am a 42 year old mommy, wife and business owner but in my younger days I was a cheerleader, on the Homecoming Court (that beautiful interloper Karen Scott won queen though!), Valedictorian, an MSU Spartan and an all around nice girl who married my true love on the rebound even though my other true love (hey I’m fickle, what can I say?) begged me not to. Oh did I mention the ex true love has morphed into a great guy who is a millionaire many times over now from implementing an idea, based in part, on an idea that I gave him and my husband and I have recently lost just about all of the wealth we spent 20 years acquiring? Whew, that was a mouthful! Are you still with me?
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| Me on my wedding day 17 years ago and 20 pounds heavier than I am now |
So what was I saying? Okay back to introducing me to you…I also have three beautiful girls (13, 10 and 4 – God spaced them out that way not me…an entirely different post) who absolutely drive me bananas and who I completely enjoy torturing daily through forcing them to live little, green lives by rarely letting them eat anything with HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), partially hydrogenated fats, lots of sugar (open your eyes and meet your sugar) or artificial anything…including chewing gum which is a huge no no unless it is free of artificial sweeteners or they are hanging out with their daddy who rarely cares what they eat, drink or otherwise ingest.
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| How can I torture these sweeties with a forced, healthy eating, Eco-lifestyle? For their own good, that’s how! |
Whew! So that is who I am in a nutshell and now on to sharing how I finally lost those pesky last 10 pounds. Wait! First please let me say that I am really happy that your fearless leader, Danica, asked me to write a guest post for Danica’s Daily. I have had this How I Finally Lost Those Peasky Last 10 Pounds idea for a post brewing in my mind for a while now but I just wasn’t sure my Environmental Booty community would be into it. Since I have been following Danica’s Daily for a while now, I feel like you guys might be able to relate to trying to lose those last 10 pounds so I am gonna lay it on you (do people still say that?) in hopes that you will find the information helpful. Although I certainly will try, I must say that I am not certain I will be able to offer as many interesting pictures as Danica gives you guys most days. My girls are always like, "OMG, I cannot believe Miss Danica takes sooo many pictures. Is she like always taking pictures and eating?"
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| My three gillies at Disney last weekend…sharing a frozen lemonade and hangin’ in Minnie’s house |
Okay so now for the big reveal to the answer as to how I finally lost those pesky last 10 pounds…
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| Me last summer hiding my pesky 10 pounds under my Juicy Couture cover up…my 13 year old stole that this summer! |
Well you guys it was sooo easy. You see I had always been skinny. I mean like super skinny. Currently I am 5 feet 8 inches tall and my weight fluctuates (depending on what time of the month it is) between 124 and 128 pounds. But when I was in college I was only 118 pounds and at times when I was partying a bit too hard or super depressed over a boyfriend (like the ex true love which happened a lot) , I would find my weight down to 108 pounds. I used to eat like total crap constantly too! Even though my mama raised me better, I lived on McDonalds and Burger King. I am surprised I survived my college years as a regular meal for me was a fish sandwich, a cheeseburger, a large fry, a chocolate shake and a hot fudge sundae! No kidding, I am totally serious. I would eat like that for lunch and dinner and NEVER GAIN A POUND but after I got engaged and spent my time hanging out with my true love, sweetie pie Ron eating cookie dough ice cream, I gained over 20 pounds. I didn’t even realize I had gained so much weight until after I opened all of my wedding gifts and received a scale. When I hopped on I almost had a heart attack when I read the weight on the scale. I had NEVER seen numbers like that!!
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| Funny how the mirror can lie but a scale is sooo honest huh? |
So I set about the business of losing 20 pounds and it was tough. Do you know what I mean? Can I get an Amen? I lost all of that weight and guess what? Between having three kids, living a busy lifestyle, loving to eat and being a choco-holic ("Hi my name is Shane and I am a choco-holic.", "Hi Shane."), it seems like there are always 10 pesky pounds that just keep hanging out on my hips, arms and face!
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| Last March in St. Augustine those 10 pounds were back! |
SO I finally decided to lose those 10 pounds for good and do you finally want to know how I did it? I lost those pesky 10 pounds by not eating for days, by taking chromium picolinate with meals, by working out twice a day each and every single day, by eating only carbs, by eating only protein, by standing on my head for a half hour before every meal, by…Lord people are you getting it yet? There is no easy solution for each of us to stay in our predetermined "goal" weight zone.
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| Last weekend at Disney Hayden couldn’t take her eyes off of the Electric Light Parade, Lexie was mad b/c I pulled her out of her perfect parade watching spot, Reece was just happy which was perfection for a 13 year old and me well…I was at my goal weight and just happy to have made it through another day. |
Accepting that staying in your "goal" weight zone is a part of everyday life, makes living a little more fun. If I east a bit too much today, I will eat a little less tomorrow. If I miss a workout today or three days, I get back to it as soon as I can. As Danica knows, once you have lost a lot of weight, and you truly desire to live healthy, you realize there are no simple and easy answers to keeping those pesky 10 pounds off or losing 20 pounds, 30 pounds or even more. For me, maintaining my goal weight and keeping off those pesky last 10 pounds is about an overall healthy, illness free lifestyle which includes using the following 10 little everyday tricks that I hope help you out too:
- Take in fewer calories than what you put out and be honest about the number of calories you are taking in – this is the biggest one to master!! Watch those Weight Watcher points and do not eat too much! To make it really easy, download a Weight Watcher mobile app or a calorie counter app for your phone like the free Calorie Counter by Fat Secret for your BlackBerry or get the iPhone or iPod touch versions.
- Make healthy, whole food choices.
- As much as possible, stay away from sugar, alcohol and HFCS.
- Find a workout program that works for you and exercise as much as you can. I shoot for 30-45 minutes about 5-6 days a week. I have been a Firm Believer for years and love the way that their workouts combine aerobics and strength training. According to Dr. Oz, we lose an average of 5 percent of our muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 35—if we don’t do anything about it. So, it’s very important to increase muscle mass with weight bearing exercise. Even at rest, muscle burns more calories than fat; muscle tissue burns about seven to 10 calories per pound per day, compared to the two to three calories per pound per day burned with fat.
- Drink more water or green tea sweetened with Stevia Plus than sugary fruit juices and HFCS infested sodas.
- Floss and brush your teeth right after dinner so you won’t snack all night.
- Take the stairs or your bike if you are up for it and find little ways throughout the day to burn those calories. Every little bit helps.
- If you make or order something that is not all that you hoped it would be, do not eat it! Never feel guilty for not eating food that just is not appealing to you. Wrap it up for your hubby, roomie or kids. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean someone else might not love it.
- Keep an eye on your actual weight with a good old scale if your clothes start to feel tight.
- When you have those 10 extra pounds to lose but really want that brownie (five points), remind yourself that just because you shouldn’t eat it today, that certainly doesn’t mean you can’t have one next week.
So if you find at least a couple of these tips helpful, please let us know and feel free to share your tips for keeping those pesky 10 pounds at bay below. Most importantly, though, I hope that you will always and forever love your body at whatever weight it decides to settle into each and every single day. Thanks for sticking around until the end and do me a favor if you would, please leave Danica a comment below to tell her how much you loved my guest post so she will know I took good care of her friends! TWYL Peace, Love and Eco-Shane
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| Just one more picture…thought I should include a photo which had my one true love in it <3 |
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