Beach Day

Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 10:59am Beach day. A little cold with the wind blowing. Rain seems to be staying away so far. Here's to a relaxing day even so. Shared with Memoires for Android http://market.android.com/details?id=net.nakvic.dromoris http://sites.google.com/site/drodiary/

Returning to the Gym: The Good, the Bad, The Ugly

This morning I returned to the gym for the first time in 187 (a half a year, six months, etc). I know this because Leslie, the woman who checks me in told me so. It was a pretty humorous experience to say the least. I'm going to end with the good though, since I should end on a positive note, right?
The Bad
- Having to get up at 5:30AM... Not so bad on a normal day, but I woke up at 2:45AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Eek!
- Doing the walk of shame into the gym. I'm friends with the above mentioned Leslie, who was in shock at my return.
The Ugly
- I packed my gym bag the night before and managed to forget a towel and one other thing that I will not mention. Luckily, I realized this before I stepped into the shower and was able to purchase two little hand towels from the front desk.
- Forgot my iPod so I was stuck listening to their overhead music. Which is not too bad, but I would have preferred my workout mix.
The Good
- I got to see my friend Leslie again for the first time in six months. Woohoo!
- I made it to work by 8AM with the visit to the gym.
- No traffic at 6:30AM on the way to the gym.
- It felt good to workout again.
- No wheezing!
- Starting February, I'll be reimbursed by my health insurance for 12 visits a month to the gym. Woot!
So the good far outweighs the bad and the ugly. I think I'll do it again Friday.

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

The starting point.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe I found in Healthy Cooking for Two (or Just You) by Frances Price, RD. I've tweaked it a bit and it serves about 8 people by the time I'm done with it. I basically took the recipe, substituted some quicker parts and added mushrooms to make it a little heartier. It makes really great leftovers.

Ingredients
2 large eggplants
1 package sliced baby portobello mushrooms
8 oz. bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar pasta sauce (I use the garden or veggie type)
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Trim both ends from each eggplant and slice them crosswise into circles of equal thickness. About 3/8" to 1/4". Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, arrange the slices on it in a single layer and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the slices are browned on top and tender in the center.
Rinse mushrooms.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°.
Brush a 9" x13" pan with oil and arrange a single layer of eggplant slices in the bottom of the pan. Spoon marinara sauce over the eggplant. Cover with a layer of sliced mushrooms and half the mozzarella. Repeat all layers.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is browned. Serve immediately.

So in my recipe, I've replaced the fresh mozzarella with shredded, since I had a hard time slicing the chuck of cheese and I needed to cut the time down.

The final masterpiece.