First off, it's time for a day in the life of Campy.....
Focused and deep in thought......
10 minutes later, Campy has a new record. Another doggy stuffed animal in need of surgery and re-stuffing. Noted - the tag is still on.
I've been sharing lots of yummy creations on my Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition Facebook page so if you need a little inspiration as to what to create for breakfast, lunch of dinner, be sure to LIKE my page. I also share lots of articles, quotes and motivating results from my Trimarni coaching and nutrition athletes so I highly recommend checking out my page as my goal is to help others find balance between diet and exercise. (Thanks if you already LIKE the page!)
Eggplant and squash casserole
I shared this pic on Facebook last week and I promise, it tastes as good as it looks. This would be a great dish for the kiddos to help with and this makes great leftovers (combine a handful of spinach w/ leftovers and heat the next day at work). There are layers of flavors, filled with wonderful nutrients. One of the best parts about having a balanced lifestyle is having the time to prepare wholesome meals at home, which enhance our lifestyle. I believe to achieve balance in life, you need to sit down and stop thinking about what others are doing but rather, think about your own life and how much time you can devote to training/exercise without it affecting other areas in your life. When I think about my days during the week, I'm conscious of the time needed for meal prep (I always bring my lunch to work) as well as how much time I need per night to have a restful night of sleep. This is in addition to time spent at work at the hospital and with my business, my time spent on recovery (Ex. nutrition, stretching, etc. to keep me consistent w/ my training and healthy w/ activities of daily living) as well as any other time during during the week that helps me achieve balance. Even though this meal takes 45 minutes to cook, I wasn't sitting around starving and waiting for my dinner meal.
I always recommend having a pre-dinner snack such as a few nuts, a side salad, a little protein or a small piece of fruit or veggies - all depending on what you have for your meal. Let your snacks compliment your meals.
Secondly, multi-task. I like to use my oven when I'm really busy so I can stick the meal in the oven and forget about it as I do things around the house, do emails, etc. Just don't forget to start pre-heating the oven as soon as you can so when you finish your meal prep, your oven will be ready for cooking.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (sliced)1 large yellow squash (sliced)
1/2 container firm tofu (crumbled)
1/2 large onion (Sliced)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
Mushrooms (1 container)
Yellow sweet peppers
1 can Hunts no-salt added stewed whole tomatoes
Leftover rice or grains (I used basmati rice)
Olive oil
Seasonings: Basil, parsley, marjoram, chili flakes, pepper
Farmers Cheese (or ricotta)
**Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
1. Lightly spray bottom of glass casserole dish w/ non stick spray. Layer eggplant on bottom, don't overlap.
2. Crumble tofu on eggplant, then layer w/ squash.
3. Spread onions (allow a few for the top layer), mushrooms and yellow pepper and a handful rice/whole grains on squash and then crumble a little farmers cheese on top of each squash.
4. Lightly spread tomatoes on squash/onions. Sprinkle w/ seasonings (listed above or your choice - a pinch of each evenly all over)
5. Finish w/ layer of eggplant and a few onions. Drizzle w/ olive oil.
6. Bake for around 40-50 minutes or until eggplant begins to brown on top.
ENJOY!!!