Eggplant & Spaghetti

Today I am thankful for mornings. The funny part is that it took me sleeping through one this morning to realize this. I'm normally an early riser, sleeping in means that its approaching 9 on the clock before I get out of bed. Today though, pretty much broke a record. It felt like any other morning. Expecting to see something like, 8:27 on the clock. Nope. Try 10:36. Really self?! No idea why I was/am so tired today. Getting back on track. I'm thankful for mornings because they are like this fresh start every 24 hours. Ya get to step out of bed and have all your firsts for the day. First good stretch. First glass of water. First pet of the puppy. First bite of breakfast. First chance to start everything off right and spend time with the Lord. First thoughts of all the things you can do that day. And when you miss a morning...it all just gets thrown off.

Life around the Reich household has been out of whack lately. Al is gone all the time and it just throws me off my game. Which has a ripple affect that works its way to our dinner time. AKA it doesn't really happen like to used to. So this is a meal from a few weeks back. The spaghetti, just boiled pasta and sauce from a jar. I've recently fallen in love with this sauce...more specifically the Chunky Garden, Garden Combo sauce. Its jam packed with veggies and has stellar flavor. Not to mention they go on sale all the time at the grocery store and sometimes there are coupons and you can pick up a jar for only $.99 which makes my day. The eggplant I made to add a bit to the spaghetti was a fairly simple breaded deal. We loved it. Here's the specs on this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced about 1/3 inch thick
(the breading is all based on the size
of your eggplant, so these are the things
I used, play around with the portions)
cooking spray
salt
pepper
basil
thyme
parsley
garlic powder
breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
3 teas garbonzo bean flour
whole wheat spaghetti
marinara sauce

*Heat oven to 400.
*Place eggplant on a cooling rack on a baking sheet in a single layer. Spray with the cooking spray and season with s&p and basil. Turn over and repeat.
*Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, eggplant needs to be done.
*Dissolve the bean flour in water in a bowl big enough to dredge the eggplant.
*In another bowl big enough to dredge, combine the thyme, parsley, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs. Set bowls next to each other.
*Dredge the eggplant in the flour water mix on both sides and then the breadcrumbs making sure it is well covered in crumbs. Put back on the rack in a single layer.
*Put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
*Serve with spaghetti and sauce.