Eggplant Lasagna

• 1 lg. eggplant, cut in 1/4 inch slices
  
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp. Garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of garlic powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 8 oz. part-skim Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. Bring large pot of water to boiling; remove from heat. Drop in eggplant slices; let stand 5 minutes. Drain slices; blot dry with a paper towel. 
2. Heat oil in non-stick skillet; brown eggplant on both sides. 
3. Combine Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano in a small bowl. 
4. Spread a little tomato sauce over bottom of a 9-inch square shallow baking dish.
5.  Arrange eggplant in layers going eggplant, mozzarella, then Parmesan mixture. 
6. Pour remaining sauce over top then add a healthy dose of grated Parmesan cheese. 
7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 6 servings at around 200 calories each.

Health, Family, and Props

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It has been a hectic few weeks. It started with a trip to my fathers that was really quite pleasant. My father has been a work-a-holic for his entire life. Regrettably he has been sick for quite sometime which has forced him into an early retirement. A silver lining from this though is he now has much more time to spend with his family so the girls and I packed up the SUV and headed down for a week full of zoo trips, park playing, and couch snuggles with Pa Pa and their Uncle. Once we returned home is when the trouble started. Bronchitis swept through our home like Hurricane Katrina placing everyone on bed-rest one after the other. Although we are still fitted with an incredibly unhealthy cough we are all starting to feel much better and it is time to get back to the dealings of everyday life.

I want to thank Veronica Lee from http://ofmiceandramen.blogspot.com/ for making the first comment on my blog and pushing my behind back into gear. She has a very attractive blog full of interesting art, cute crafts, recipes, and family antics. She is definitely someone to keep on your watch-list.

So lets get back to the beginning of my blog. I mentioned in my posting a “slight hinting” (lol) of having a weight problem. Now I wouldn't say I am obese but I am definitely far from healthy. Evenings of Totino's pizza and Mac and Cheese, although delicious and easy to make, are not in our families best interest. It is amazing how we let things that we know are not healthy into our lives and how they quickly become the norm. So now its time to put an end to it. No more will I allow myself to fall to pieces. With horrible food and little exercise I have become tired, sick, and a lot of times quite surly.

Although it is unquestionably not the “focus” of this blog my families health is quickly becoming of the utmost importance to me. Watching my father become more and more sick and requiring a kidney transplant at such an early age I need to reverse the damage done to my body and prevent my children from continuing bad habits in health care. Once a week starting next week I will be making a post on food records and exercise records for our entire family titled “Fitness Friday's”. I will be living proof that despite hectic schedules and kids, health can be a priority and weight loss is possible.

So now it is time to be honest. I am a 24 year old, 5'4 mother of two who weighs in at a hefty 180 lbs and fits into size 18. My goal to begin with is 160 lbs and I hope to eventually sit at 130 lbs and fit into a single digit sized clothing. I plan for 20 minuets of exercise a day to start with and my large goal today is to drink my recommended 8 glasses of water, make a meal plan for after payday, and take an inventory of our pantry to remove all junk food to a high shelf (lets be realistic) to be eaten only for special treats.

Photograph provided by http://blogs.bgsu.edu/dballar/2012/10/06/should-bgsu-incorporate-more-healthy-food-choices-for-diners/