Tuesday marked the return of the normal Two A Day Tuesday – yay!

For those of you who don’t know about Two a Day Tuesday at the Oak Square YMCA, it’s a double session that consists of Kix with Liz followed by my Circuit Training class.  It’s a great combo, a killer workout, and a lot of fun!  Plus my friends Bridget and Ashley came to both classes this week, and I always like having my friends in class.  Stay tuned, I’ll be posting the workout and new playlist soon!

I often go to Tim’s after Two A Day Tuesday.  This week after class, I was RAVENOUS when I got to his apartment.  To my delight, he had dinner ready (almost) and waiting when I arrived!  Major boyfriend points.  Add some bonus points for making eggplant parm, but the healthy version.  You know what?  Add even more bonus points on top of that for taking pictures of each step in the meal so I’d have them for a blog post!

Thanks to the boyfriend, here you go!

Healthy Eggplant Parm

Ingredients

• 3 eggs for egg whites —> Egg whites are a healthier option than coating the eggplant with regular egg yolks, as it reduces the fat content.  The egg whites also help the oats stick to the eggplant!
• 2 eggplants —> Tim says he probably could have used just 1 eggplant.  He needed a second cooking dish for this, but at least now we have leftovers!
• 1.5 cups of Quaker Quick Oats —> Oats are a healthier option than using bread crumbs.
  
• Spices to taste:  Italian seasoning, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Ground Black Pepper —> Do your best on estimating quantity, Tim didn’t measure.  He hates when I measure ingredients out precisely!
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 jar tomato sauce
• 1 cup low-fat part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks in a bowl.
3. In a plate, season oats with Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, rosemary, and ground black pepper.
4. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch pieces.
5. Coat the eggplant with egg whites
6. Top the eggplant with oats and the seasoning mix.
7. Heat olive oil in a skillet, and sauté eggplant on medium heat until brown on one side.  Flip, and cook until brown on the other side as well.
8. Spray 13 x 9 inch cooking dish with cooking spray, or line with aluminum foil.
9. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the dish.  Then place the eggplants on top of the sauce, top with more sauce, and add mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. —> Sauteing and baking are a healthier option than frying!

And for the finished product:

Amazingly delicious eggplant parm, with a nice little salad on the side instead of pasta.  This was a great post-workout meal.  I also loved that Tim’s roommate Brett and his girlfriend Jamie also made a healthy eggplant dinner on Tuesday.  Eggplants were clearly on sale this week!

How do you like to make your typical “parms” lighter?  Any other tips for me?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the chance to win a free beauty product from NYR!  Just click over to this post and follow the directions at the end.  I’m announcing the winner Friday morning!

Have a great Thursday!