Vegetarian Paleo "Lasagna"

The countdown is officially on! Less than 24 hours until my whirlwind holiday travels begin. The next two weeks will be overflowing with loved ones, parties, celebrations, and fireplaces. I am bursting at the seams with holiday spirit and joy - almost certainly setting a personal record this year. I hope everyone else is taking part in the holiday cheer and spending as much time as possible with friends and family over the next few weeks.

Tonight's recipe was created during Mal's visit - I made her my best attempt at Italian food. This isn't exactlyyy lasagna, but it definitely had a lasagna flair, and the spices and flavor were spot on. I would not recommend this recipe if you have an undying craving for lasagna (there is no pasta or cheese in this people!), but it really made a fantastic side dish. You could serve it with an almond-flour "breaded" chicken cutlet or your favorite grass-fed steak. The actual instructions and veggies in this are not that important - feel free to switch things up and just get it all layered in your pan. The house will smell like an Italian feast, and you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant, sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 32oz. can organic tomato puree
- Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)
- Black pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat
3. Saute onions and garlic for 10 minutes until golden
4. Meanwhile, pour a little sauce in the bottom of your 9x12 casserole/lasagna dish
5. Put a layer of eggplant (using 1/2 of the eggplant), a layer of zucchini (slices of 1 zucchini), and a layer of fresh tomato slices
6. When onions and garlic are done, add half of the mixture on top of your fresh tomatoes
7. Put a layer of spinach and then half of the can of the tomato puree. 
8. Top generously with Italian seasonings and pepper.
9. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions/garlic, spinach, tomato puree, and another layer of spices
10. Bake (covered with foil) for 45 minutes and then uncovered for another 10 minutes.
11. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving

  

  

Eggplant Chips

There was a big change in the McLagan Boston office (aka my home office) today when I converted my desk into a standing workstation. I have been thinking about this for a couple of months since I heard a great lecture at my first paleo meetup about the benefits of standing at work. I hate sitting all day, and I have a huge problem with body parts or entire sections of my body falling asleep from sitting in weird positions or not moving for a long time (sexy? I thought so...). My desk happened to have adjustable legs (thanks Ikea!), so I had no reason not to try it out. It was a bit of a disaster taking everything off the desk and maneuvering it, but it ended up well. My body definitely feels different from standing all day, and it reminds me of the feeling after a long day cooking in the kitchen on my feet. I wore sneakers all day for a little extra padding/support, and I am curious to see how it goes. Luckily tomorrow is Friday, so it is only a two-day standing work week this week! According to the following article (http://ergonomics.about.com/od/office/a/Benefits-of-a-Standing-Desk.htm), my new standing desk should improve my ergonomics, health, focus, mood, and productivity.  I would be ok with any or all of those things!

Today I also attempted round 2 with my dehydrator, and it proved to be much more successful! I attempted to use my mandolin which failed miserably, but I will give that another try next time. I made eggplant chips this time since the slices are so much larger and wouldn't disappear into thin air like the zucchini. The eggplant pieces definitely shrank, but nothing compared to last time. These were a delicious snack, but I am happy and shocked to announce that I didn't eat the whole batch!

Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, & paprika

Instructions:
1. Arrange the eggplant slices on the dehydrator trays
2. Season with spices listed above (or any other spices/herbs you want to try)
3. Dehydrate @ 125 degrees for 4-5 hours until desired crispiness is reached

  

So easy, healthy, and delicious! (and Paleo of course...)