Mediterranean Eggplant - Cooked in the Microwave

This dish is easy to make, produces a lot and can be eaten cold. Perfect for a summer picnic lunch.

I love eggplant and try to incorporate it whenever I can. My favorite way to eat eggplant?? Fried and smothered in mozzarella and sauce. Yeah, we won’t even talk about those calories. This eggplant recipe, on the other hand, is much lighter and is a great way to add vegetables to your diet.

Is Eggplant Healthy?

Let’s talk about eggplant nutrition a bit, shall we? Eggplants contain fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and other phytonutrients. These nutrients have been associated with heart health and lowering LDL cholesterol. Eggplants’ purple color comes from its anthocyanins. One in particular, nasunin, has been associated with cancer prevention, as it fights free radicals. These free radicals may also be responsible for improving brain health by reducing inflammation. Raw eggplant has about 20 calories per cup, 5g carbohydrates and 3g fiber making them a nutrient dense food. The fiber also helps slow sugar absorption, which makes it a good food for those with diabetes.

Which Vegetables are Nightshade Vegetables?

white potatoes

tomatoes

eggplant

bell peppers

cayenne pepper

paprika

When Eggplant is Not Healthy

Frying converts this nutrient-dense food to gluttony. Eggplants’ spongy flesh and high water content help it soak up lots of oil when the two meet. This is why most recipes will call for salting eggplant first. Salting draws the water out of the eggplant, allowing less room for oil to be absorbed. There are ways to cut down on both oil and salting time as the salting can add significant time to a recipe. Pan searing and microwaving eggplant first can do the trick of releasing some water, so that the eggplant will not soak up as much oil. (I used the microwave method in this recipe, as the slightly soggy texture is great for this caponata-type dish.) You can also brush eggplant with oil right before baking, roasting or grilling. When sautéing, heat oil to a pre-smoke point before adding eggplant to the pan.

Eggplants and Nightshade Vegetables

Eggplants are a nightshade vegetable and part of the family, Solanaceae. Some species are toxic. Leaves of eggplant and potatoes should not be eaten, nor should the green stalks of potatoes. Other species are commonly cultivated and eaten by humans. Nightshade vegetables contain alkaloids, mainly solanine, which may aggravate arthritis or trigger inflammation in some people. The Arthritis Foundation says this is not true. It is more likely that people who experience an increase in arthritis pain with nightshade vegetables have a food sensitivity to the components in these vegetables.

Mediterranean Eggplant Recipe

Serve this with crusty Italian bread, or over sliced tomatoes for a beautiful garden lunch or appetizer! This assembles quickly, but will need time to marinate, about 24 hours.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons each of: fresh basil, parsley, mint

Shaved parmesan, optional

Preparation:

1. Pell and cut eggplant into ¾ inch dice. Lay between paper towels on a plate and microwave on high for 7-9 minutes, more if needed, to cook eggplant. Work in batches so the eggplant is in one layer.

2. Place eggplant in a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, herbs and olive oil and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, tossing a few times.

3. Serve over sliced beefsteak tomatoes. Top with shaved parmesan cheese.

Let me know if you try it!

References:

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2962

https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/eggplant-a-savory-fruit-with-a-juicy-past/

Lemon Ice in Lemon Shells

The only thing better than a refreshing treat is knowing that the “treat” is healthy! These lemon ices are refreshing on a hot summer day and add elegance to any party.

I love summer treats, namely ice cream. Once I studied nutrition, to cut down on my fat intake, I switched from creamy ice cream to tasty ices. Eventually, I learned that the sugar in commercial ice was just as unhealthy than the fat in ice cream. Which was a real bummer because I thought ices from the pizzeria were just fantastic (well, I still do) and I could eat them after every meal. But there’s just too much sugar in those ices! So, any chance I get, I make frozen treats at home so my kids can enjoy a healthy snack. This has been great lately as they don’t seem to be eating much in this summer heat.

Snacks are key, here, to incorporate healthy foods throughout the day to fill in gaps in their diet. I do this through homemade ice pops, smoothies, energy balls, and, of course, fruits and veggies.

I’m also a summer baby, so my mom planned my birthday parties to compliment the season. Pool parties, iced tea and ice cream cakes were the norm. For the bigger summer parties, my mom would make these homemade lemon ices. (Let me rephrase that to say, For the ADULT summer parties.) I remember that she would semi-freeze some lemony stuff in a shallow container, then take it out and scrape it with a fork. Then she’d repeat that process a few times. I’ve since realized that this process is what makes the fruit slush almost creamy in consistency.

Every time you semi-freeze, whip, and freeze again, air is being incorporated into the mixture and it creates that lick-able icy texture. Lemons lack fiber and pectin so the resulting low viscosity makes it hard to get rid of those ice crystals. The sugar you need to add to cut down on the tartness of the lemons helps produce a creamier consistency.

Let’s talk about sherbet vs. sorbet for a minute. The difference lies in the incorporation of dairy. Sherbet’s base is fruit and includes dairy to make it a bit creamier (milk or cream). Remember rainbow sherbet in those plastic tubs? That was definitely was a part of my childhood summers. Sorbet, on the other hand, is lighter and made of fruit, ice and sugar. It’s meant to be a palate cleanser. Making sorbets at home is a great way to use up fruit (in my house, any fruit that’s too ripen and won’t get eaten, gets chopped up and put in the freezer) and I do not normally add any sugar.

So, how do you make lemon ice?

A few quick tips:

If you’d like to present your ice in the shell, pick nice looking lemons. I served 8 lemon shells, but you’ll need to purchase ~3 extra for zest. Try to choose larger sized and heavy lemons with thick skin and without any blemishes.

For the simple syrup – you could infuse mint or basil in it which would really put this lemon ice on the next level. I’m definitely going to do that next time.

I would suggest preparing the sorbet at least a day in advance as it can take hours for the freezing and re-freezing process, which makes this perfect for party prepping. I made these for my daughter’s Communion and left a little too much of this process for the last minute, which was not a good idea.

Lemon Ice in Lemon Shells

Ingredients:

11 lemons (8 for the shells; 3 for the zest) 1/3 cup lemon zest (from the extra 3 lemons) 1 cup strained fresh-squeezed lemons Juice (from lemons used for cups) 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups water

For the Shells

I first washed my lemons and then cut off ~1/2 inch of one end of the lemon. I suggest cutting the end that’s more knobby, as this will be its top. Then cut just a scant ¼ inch off the bottom, so the lemon will stand on it’s own. It’s better to be conservative here, as you just want to cut through the skin, not into the flesh.

Freeze the shells at least one hour or overnight. The frozen shell will prevent the sorbet from melting too quickly when you serve it.

Then, scoop out the juice and flesh. Use a grapefruit knife or small serrated knife to cut out the flesh, leaving the shell intact. You can then use a melon baller (or small spoon) to scoop out anything else. Reserve the juice and flesh; you can put this in a juicer, or blender, and then strain the mixture.

For the Lemon Sorbet

Make simple syrup: boil 1 ½ cups water with 1 ½ cups sugar.

To infuse herbs in your syrup, add ¼ - 1 cup herbs to the mixture. (I think mint or basil would be perfect here.)

Over medium heat, stir until sugar is combined. Add zest of 3 lemons and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add reserved lemon juice (about 1 cup). Cool and strain. Pour into a shallow container and freeze until semi-frozen. Then, remove from freezer and mash it up with a fork and freeze again (or throw it in a food processor). Do this a few more times as the more you do it, the smoother your sorbet will be.

If you have an ice cream maker: Freeze mixture, then transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Fill your shells, place the top back on and enjoy your refreshing, tasty treat!

Did you try them? Let me know what you think!

How to Eat Healthy Even When You’re Busy

Hi friends, my name is Stephanie, Theresa invited me to post here on her blog to share some tips with you all, but first a little about me! I’m the author of www.Mealprepwithme.com which is a blog I started after I lost 90 lbs. Once people were able to see my weight loss, I was constantly being asked about how I did it. I’d tell them that I count calories by meal prepping, and people would all react similar: “Meal prep? Oh, I don’t have time for that!” and they would mostly become disinterested or ask if I’d heard of some fad diet, they were thinking about trying.

Over time, I had many friends ask me for my recipes whenever I shared what I was eating on social media. Eventually I decided I should blog about it so that everyone could have access to my recipes! I post new recipes weekly and share tips on meal prepping and bulk meals.

Over the course of my weight loss and maintenance I have learned lots of great tricks to make my meal prep easier and less time consuming. I’m going to share with you a great list of tricks to help you prepare yourself to eat healthy all week long. Whether you want to meal prep or not these tricks can help you stay on track and remove the stress of eating healthy.

Plan Ahead

This is the big one. It’s common sense, and I’m sure you’re thinking “well, yeah, obviously!”. If you want to eat healthy but you find yourself falling apart halfway through the week and end up eating take out because there’s “nothing to eat in this house!” What you need to do, is make it easy for yourself to make god choices when it would be so much easier to just pick something up!

I recommend that you schedule a day at the end of each week to plan out what you will eat next week and plan your grocery shopping for that. If you don’t think you can eat the same things all week and you’d rather cook throughout the week that’s completely fine, but you still need to plan for it! For example, Let’s say, this week I want to have chicken salads for 3 of my lunches to bring to work, snack boxes for the other 2. I want to have a soup for dinner 2 nights this week and maybe 2 nights I’ll have BBQ chicken breast with roasted sweet potato and asparagus and 1 night I have plans to have dinner with a friend.

So, you know what you want to eat, and you know how much food you’ll need. Now you can find some recipes and then build your shopping list!

What to Eat

My final tip is don’t feel like you must eat things you don’t like just because they’re healthy. If you don’t like salads, and they feel too much like diet food, don’t eat them! Find foods you enjoy and find a way to make a healthy version. Are there any special meals you love at your favorite restaurant? Get on the google-machine and see if you can find a healthy version of that thing! My favorite is Chipotle copycat recipes for their chicken or Olive Garden copycat recipes for their soups. There is no shortage of healthified copycat recipes on Pinterest!

LINK: http://www.pinterest.com

Stock the Pantry

Keeping your pantry (fridge and freezer) full of essentials is another important step to eating healthy. It ensures you always have plenty of options available as well as herbs and spices on hand whenever you need them. If you’re busy or just more likely to take the easier option of eating fast food, knowing you have everything you need to make a lot of your favorite dishes already in your home will help keep you from running out to a restaurant.

What you need:

· Spices

· Dried herbs

· Cooking oils

· Rice

· Pasta

· Frozen chicken

· Frozen Ground beef

· Frozen or canned vegetables for soups

· Salad dressings

· Marinades, sauces

· Frozen Fruit

You might like my Pantry Essentials List found here: https://mailchi.mp/55fa92f0f03a/meal-prep-essentials-printable

Prep Vegetables

After you do your grocery shopping, I recommend that you prep all your vegetables right away. Wash and dry everything and trim and slice all your vegetables and store them in containers lined with paper towel. When you want to throw together a salad it’s already cut you just have to toss the ingredients in a bowl and add dressing! You can do the same for a stir fry, soup or when you want a snack.

Prep Protein

To speed things up, you may like to cook your proteins ahead of time. Too keep meats versatile throughout the week I recommend cooking with light seasonings like salt and pepper and keep it in the fridge to add to dishes throughout the week and adding more flavor at serving (there where your stocked pantry comes in handy!) For example, you can cook chicken breasts and cube or shred it to add to pasta dishes, soups, stir-fry’s, or salads. Toss your cubed chicken in some teriyaki and serve with some rice and steamed broccoli.

If you prefer not eating meat you may still prep your vegetarian/vegan proteins ahead of time as well. I love roasted chickpeas, baked cubed tofu, or lentil curry for easy pepped ahead meatless options. You might even like my chickpea curry recipe:

https://www.mealprepwithme.com/chickpea-curry-recipe/

Prep Starches

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, couscous or pasta are all great options. Select 1 or 2 each week to cook and keep in the fridge to build your meals. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are great roasted and eaten at any meal. Serve it with a couple eggs for breakfast, or some of your prepped ahead protein and a side salad from your prepped raw veggies.

Storage Tips

When storing your cooked food ensure that everything is cool before adding lids to prevent your food from becoming soggy or steaming itself further. Add paper towel under and on top of chopped leafy vegetables and keep any vegetables the have a lot of water in them like tomatoes whole or they will become wilted. Consume everything within 3-5 days for the best quality.

Depending on how you like to eat you may choose one of two options or a combination of both:

1. Prepare your ingredients and store them separately in large containers to create a variety of meals throughout the week.

2. Prepare your ingredients and portion them into single serving meal containers (this is the better option if you eat out of the house i.e. work lunches)

I like to do a combination of both options. Usually, I’ll make a soup or other single pot meal for taking to work and then I’ll prepare something like salad ingredients and grill some chicken to store in the fridge for dinners for the week.

Meal Prep Tools

Tools that you will use the most are probably all things you already have on hand such as:

· Sharp knives

· Large cutting boards

· Rimmed baking sheets

· Silicone baking mats (or parchment paper)

· Large mixing bowls

· Kitchen scale

· Wooden spoons

· Spatulas

· Large frying pan

· Large pot

· A blender or stick blender

· Meal size containers

· Bulk size containers

You don’t need any fancy tools to eat healthy! I’d just recommend investing in some good knives and a knife sharpener! In my mind, nothing is more miserable than chopping veggies with dull knives!

I hope with these tips you will feel armed with a plan and empowered to eat healthy while enjoying what you’re eating! Do you have any special tricks or tips that you use in your life to keep you eating healthy? We would love to hear about them in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Stephanie

If you’d like to see more from me, here’s where you can find me:

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/mealprepwithme

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephmealprepwithme

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mealprep.withme

Twitter: www.twitter.com/stephmpwm