Mmmmm...Lasagna...

I have recently been inspired by many of my clients, not just by their tenacious adherence to their workout plans, but also by their food diaries.

One particular client is Italian, is a chef, and really enjoys entertaining and cooking for friends.

Hmmmm lets see... what is usually on the menu?

Bruscetta on toasted bread, pasta, Alfredo sauce, some meat/ protein in there somewhere, more bread, wine (of course!), and who can forget about dessert?

All of that sound really yummy, but what if you're trying to "be good" and eat less "bad" things and make better choices?

When you love food and live to eat, can you still eat low (starchy) carb , dairy, and fat without feeling guilty or deprived? Is it possible to eat yummy tasty foods and still lose fat and have the energy to work out?

Can all this be done without resorting to boiled chicken breast and kale salad day in and day out?

I think so, you just need to have a little imagination and a great cooking teacher like my mom.

Tonight, with this client in mind, I wanted to make something fast, delicious, low carb (no grain products, noodles, or bread) , low GI, and for there to be enough left over for lunches...

What about lasagna? Yeah sure, but what about the noodles?

EASY! Replace them with large slices or roasted eggplant.

What you'll need:

9" X 13" Baking dish or lasagna pan

1 lb extra lean ground beef*

1 jar organic tomato sauce (make sure it has no added sugar or crap in it)

2-3 cloves garlic

1 big eggplant

1 container light ricotta cheese

2 cans of spinach or 1 pack of frozen spinach (I used canned...easier)

olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

100g light mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven at 375°

Peel your eggplant (you don't have to, but I prefer it) and slice it lengthwise (top to bottom) into 1/4" thick slices, place on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 8 minutes each side.

While those are cooking brush olive oil in the bottom and sides of your baking dish, pour about 4 Tbsp worth of your sauce in the bottom (prevents other stuff from sticking to the pan)

Drain spinach and press out all excess liquid (stick it in a fine sieve and press water out) , set aside.

Cook ground beef in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and the crushed garlic. Drain out excess liquid.

Now you're ready to assemble it!

Place a layer of eggplant at the bottom followed by ground beef and a bit of the sauce.

Separate the spinach and evenly space it out...it's OK if you don't have "wall-to-wall" spinach.

Glop out the ricotta and spread it evenly over the spinach, add pepper if you want.

Add another layer of eggplant making sure you cover as much as you can, add the last of the tomato sauce, and top with mozzarella cheese.

Pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°, then let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

YUM.