Stacked Eggplant Tomato Bake

Once again without a camera. Oh well, procrastinating on buying one because the idea of forking out $300 isn't looking to favorable. ...Maybe go cheaper?

Last week I broke my diet. Ate pizza, sweet stuff, cereal! Satisfied my rebellious side and really, really became convinced that I feel better and prefer my grain/processed dairy-free diet. I, the prodigal eater, return to GAPS more steadfast and humble.

The problem arose because I would allow myself to get too hungry. Ravenously looking in the fridge and not having any healthy QUICK options I attacked old food choices. Having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich may not seem like a big crime, but its a gateway food.

I probably wasn't drinking enough water and my cravings took over. So now, I have to start over pretty much to regain the healing I had achieved. Warning to those starting a health diet - be very aware of the strength of cravings and the amount of rebellion and "i don't care I want normal food" that it can spark. It was a revealing experience.

Also healing is going to start from the inside. Focus on that instead of being frustrated by slow or non visible results with skin or whatever. Once I broke the diet I then realized how many small symptoms that had disappeared while on the GAPS diet that I hadn't even noticed were gone! My digestion and mental clarity had improved but because I was focused on wanting results with clearer skin I completely overlooked those major improvements.

Moral of the story: pay attention to all little health gains, have a meal plan and always have healthy food available to grab.

A lot of variety is good, because sometimes you just don't want another glass of broth. But mostly try to drink a lot of water and good homemade meat broth or fresh vegetable juice.

Alright! Today's recipe:

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 medium eggplant peeled, cut in half and 1/2" thick slices (precook to speed up bake time)
1-2 large heirloom brandywine tomatoes
1 banana pepper deseeded and sliced
opt 1 hot banana pepper deseeded and sliced
3-5 garlic cloves quartered
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt (liberal) and veggie pepper

In a 9"x9" glass dish drizzle olive oil, one layer sliced eggplant, half banana pepper, half of thick slices of tomato, half garlic cloves, sprinkle with salt and pepper, lightly drizzle with olive oil. Repeat to create second layer and to use up remaining ingredients.

Cover with foil and bake til eggplant is tender about 45 minutes. The tomatoes produce so much juice you could add chicken broth and create a soup or don't add anything and just blend (strain out seeds)

Enjoy!

Little animals are excessively entertaining. Kittens and baby chicks, contrary to assumptions based on size, are very durable.