What You Eat Impacts Your Health
The food we eat has a major effect on our overall health.
Our bodies are designed to take nutrients from food and convert into energy that allows us to use our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual being.
Did you know that plant based foods are loaded with phytonutrients?
If you eat processed or fast foods you may be suffering from nutrient deficiency.
If you owned a brand new car, would you put fuel into the fuel tank that you know would cause the car to run poorly? I know I would not.
Eating Healthy Is Not Expensive
I know what you are thinking. The appearance of eggplant and the mushrooms, onions, and spinach does not look very appetizing. Take one bite and you will be amazed at how good this healthy meal tastes. Read the powerful nutrition facts below and then the fact that this meal has only 107 calories should convince you that plant based meals are worth the effort. I have not even mentioned a word about losing weight. Eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and then a salad for lunch and this dish for supper and you will start dropping weight fast. Add some exercise like a daily 30 minute walk and in a week you will notice a surge in energy and will have lost some weight.
The cost of the Eggplant Lasagna I made is very reasonable. One large eggplant from Trader Joe’s was $1.39. A one pound bag of frozen organic spinach cost $1.99. A can of organic marinara sauce cost me $2.29. An organic onion was 80 cents. The spices were already in my spice rack so I am going to say I used 25 cents worth of spices. So I am rounding up for the total of $8 and I have 6 servings. So for less than a $1.50, I made a really healthy meal. I have dinner ready every evening now for the rest of the week. I don’t own a microwave so I just warm things up on the stove top or in the oven.
Tender slices of eggplant take the place of pasta in this lasagna making it quite high in fiber. This recipe includes many flavorful and healthful herbs and spices, including oregano—a powerful source of antioxidants. This dish can be assembled ahead of time and baked just before serving. Serve with polenta or sourdough bread and a green salad.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
1 large eggplant
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 3/4 pound)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or 4 pounds fresh spinach, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
1 25-ounce jar commercial marinara
Spray of vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cut eggplant into 1/4-inch slices (there should be about 12 slices). Arrange in a single layer on a lightly vegetable oil sprayed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for 15 minutes. Eggplant should be tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 F.
Spread half the marinara in a large casserole dish and top with half the eggplant slices.
Heat 1/2 cup water in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and cook over high heat, stirring often until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 1/4 cup water and stir to loosen any stuck bits of onion, then continue cooking and stirring until all the liquid evaporates again. Repeat this process twice more. Reduce heat to medium and add spinach, basil, oregano, garlic powder, nutmeg, and salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until spinach is hot, and then stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Spread half the spinach evenly over the eggplant slices.
Heat remaining 1/4 cup water and soy sauce, if using, in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, thyme, and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned. Spread in casserole dish over spinach.
Top mushrooms with remaining eggplant slices, remaining spinach, and remaining marinara.
Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes until heated through.
Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, leftover Eggplant Lasagna will keep for up to 3 days.
Per serving (1/8 recipe): 107 calories; 1 g fat; 0.2 g saturated fat; 8% calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 5.4 g protein; 23.6 g carbohydrates; 8.5 g sugar; 6.8 g fiber; 715 mg sodium; 110 mg calcium; 3.1 mg iron; 11.8 mg vitamin C; 3645 mcg beta-carotene; 4.2 mg vitamin E
Recipe from The Survivor’s Handbook: Eating Right for Cancer Survival by Neal D. Barnard, M.D. and Jennifer Reilly, R.D.
I have many healthy recipes like this on my blog you can access below:
Healthy Recipes
Be aware that I am not a licensed medical provider and my FDA disclaimer is found on the bottom right of all my websites pages. I have had excellent results with fitness & wellness and promote products & services that I believe in. By taking effective action and using common sense, I am prescription free and living an abundant life of wellness.
Your Partner in Success!
Daniel Parsons
This recipe looks delicious, I think I might have to try it out tonight. I haven’t been eating healthy enough overall, and definitely eating too many processed foods. I’m a big fan of lasagne, but I’ve never had eggplant lasagne. We’ll see how it goes.
Hello Will,
It only takes an hour to make and you will have supper for about 6 days. I was amazed at how tasty it is. Enjoy!
Sounds absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to make it. The more natural nutrients you put in your body helps lower the chance of having to put toxic chemical medications into our bodies as we age. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Barbara,
Well said! Since 1999, I have learned that my life will be much healthier if I eat foods that don’t have a nutrition label. Daily 30 minute walks and drinking pure water also keeps me from having to get on prescription drugs that have side effects. Putting toxic chemicals in my body is not what my Creator envisioned for me so I avoid drugs and seek the Hippocrates approach to health. If I am not mistaken, he is the Father of the Real Medicine!
Thanks for sharing.It sounds absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to make it.
Love eggplant. For vegetarians its meatiness is a nice replacement for the real thing. Great texture, great taste.
Hello Elena,
I must admit I didn’t particularly like eggplant until I used it in this recipe. After eating plant based foods for many years now, I no longer crave or miss eating animal products. No worries about animal diseases or getting nutrition from a second hand source. When we eat plants, we get nutrients directly from the source. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Hi Daniel,
It’s a great advice to use food as a medicine. Sometimes foods are the main reason of our illnesses therefore it is good to know how we use food to cure ourselves. The recipe is very simple and can easily be tried at home.
Hello Syeda,
The body is amazing. Our body knows how to heal itself. The body needs nutrition so it can repair itself. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Daniel, this is a nice post, I really love to have this in my meal. Thanks for sharing this beautiful ideas.
Eating nutritious food surely helps in being healthy. if we don’t take good diet or our eating habits are not good, it severely affects our health. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looks great.
Hello Richa,
The cost of eating a healthy diet is not that much more than eating junk food or a diet of animal products. The long term health benefits of eating healthy result in less trips to the Doctor. I know I do not want to have to take prescription medications that would make me even more unhealthy just because I put junk food in my mouth.
I like your motto “What You Eat Impacts Your Health”. It is certainly absolutely right and if we eat fresh foods such as vegetables and fruit, then our body will be fresh and healthy always.
Hello Erwin,
We only have one body. I will not eat unhealthy food because I am interested in staying healthy. We actually save money in the long run eating healthy because we will not experience as much illness or disease.
Hey Daniel, thanks for sharing what more I can do with this favourite vegetable of mine. Will surely include this recipe in my diet plan.
Hello Fatima,
I am buying one eggplant every week now. It is fun to create new healthy meals. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey Daniel,
A good diet is indeed the key for healthy living. What we eat surely has a great impact on our thinking and health. A good set of eating habits can bring in a positive change in the overall personality of the individual. The recipes mentioned are great. Thanks for sharing this valuable post.
Hello Aayna,
I know I feel much more energy by eating beans, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and whole grains. I always was sleepy in the afternoon when I used to eat animal products. Thanks for stopping by!
We all owe our bodies and ourselves for that matter the opportunity to be healthier and live longer. Thanks for sharing your valuable insights, I’m seriously considering buying more greens over meat and processed food products that are so widely available today.
Hello Kristine,
You will notice a difference very quickly! It has been over 7 years since I have had any meat or processed food. I feel great. My weight is right near where it should be. I have plenty of energy all day with our Caldera Greens product. The greens are powerful and people also earn referral income by sharing them with other people.
Organic Caldera Greens
Hi Daniel! I just started eating healthy and jumped into the best bandwagon ever! It’s great to know that people are getting into health and wellness programs which shows of their awareness that this is indeed important! Thank you for the tips that you have shared. I can’t wait to try them out! I love eggplant! 🙂 More power to you and I hope you keep on inspiring people to make smart and healthy choices in life! Kudos to you!
Hello Joy!
You will feel more energy, never struggle with weight and have very few trips to the doctor by eating a diet of beans, fresh fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and whole grains. Why get your nutrition from a secondary source when you can get it straight from plants?
Hello Daniel,
Appreciate your efforts in posting this. Truly said that some of the healthiest things are also the most inexpensive. Vegetarian diet, for example, is cheap as well as healthy. Might not be full of proteins, but there are always beans to turn to:-))! Nice recipe and tips…Thanks for sharing!
Hello Dipa,
I also believe in the complete protein of brown rice and beans.
Weight Loss Tips
Hello Daniel,
This recipe helps me preparing my eggplant with a new taste and twist. Thank you for this recipe.
Hello Jelly,
I was just at a vegan potluck last Saturday and someone had brought some fresh green Kale and had a nice lemon dressing on it. People are artists when it comes to making healthy meals.
Sounds delicious. I love what you say about eating fast food and being nutritionally challenged. Great post Daniel.
Hello Neil,
It is fun to create healthy recipes at home. I am blessed to work from home so I use the time that folks who commute to jobs to make 3 healthy meals a day.
Eggplant is a great replacement for meat, that won’t give you as much of the weighed down feeling that you’d normally get from a steak. Also given that there are many people that choose not to eat meat, eggplant and portabello mushrooms have to be on top of the list of replacements.
Hello Kevin,
There are many phytonutrients in vegetables. Just saw some fresh Eggplant in the local Trader Joes store this morning when shopping for beans, fruits, nuts, seeds vegetables and whole grains. The purple skin is loaded with all kinds of nutrients. The first time someone explained to me that eating meat means getting nutrition from a second hand source sold me on becoming a vegetarian. Thanks for stopping by!