So one thing I don't write about on here much is food. Well, as in actually eating it, anyway.

I kind of have a complex about food, if you haven't noticed. It's that whole addiction thing.

The problem with being super fat due to food addiction is that my relationship with food is completely screwy. It's shameful to be caught with food, because *gasp* then people might realize I actually eat. The nerve I have to be this fat and still eat! Seriously, though- imagine if a guy struggling with porn addiction had to see hot, naked women every day, but keep it in moderation and not get aroused. To make it all the more fun, he has to deal with this publicly. Interestingly enough, most of society doesn't even think porn is an issue, yet fat people are ridiculed. In fact, I love my pastor- he's an amazing man of God and his ministry has completely changed my life (along with my husband). But even he finds it pretty hilarious to make fun of fat people (and a whole lot of others, to be fair) but I have never heard him poke fun at men's issues with sexual sin.

It's tough. That said, this post isn't really aimed at whining about being made fun of. The fact is, I choose to overeat and I choose to react to my wounds by hiding them in food. If people make fun of me, I give them license to determine my worth when I take their words to be what defines me. Ultimately, Jesus defines me. He defined who I am and all that I mean to Him when He became a man and allowed my sin to nail Him to the cross.

So, really, the point of this post is to talk about yummy food. I can enjoy food- it's good for me to enjoy food, so long as the relationship is healthy. Plus... well, I'm a good cook. That's part of how I got so damn fat! Now I am working on good food made healthier, if not actually bona fide healthy. For example, the dinner I made (and mentioned in my last post, I do believe) last night is eggplant lasagna. I'm simply not feeling the whole deal with posting pics and an actual recipe, so call this the scrappy lowdown on my meal creation :)

I sauteed shallots and garlic (LOTS of garlic) in olive oil, and then added a can of Trader Joe's garlic your momma sauce. Or something like that. I put some rosemary (dried... I prefer fresh, but Trader Joe's was all out. No more shopping on Mondays, so it seems) in the hot olive oil for about 20 seconds before the garlic and shallots-- DO this! It was incredible. Also, tidbit here- did you know that to get the full benefit of garlic you should let it rest for about five minutes between cutting/crushing/crunching and cooking? Something about getting the juices flowing activates the most powerful health benefits. Anyway... then I added a can of tomato paste in order to thicken the sauce.

Whilst the sauce simmered, I sliced up two eggplants into strips approximately 1/4 inch thick. It was one purple orbalorb (because that's what all not entirely orb shaped orbs are called) too many, by the way. Meh. Then I layered the lasagna as such: light coating of olive oil in 13x9 pan, eggplant, sauce, pepperoni, lowfat cottage cheese, gorgonzola, low fat shredded mozzarella, repeat. I baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes, and it was INCREDIBLE. Really.

Also, Jas helped me measure specific servings of everything so that we were controlled. I, for one, will go plumb crazy with the cheese if it's not in serving sized portions. I am telling you, our kitchen scale was literally the BEST $30 we ever spent. I'm too lazy to link it right now, but if you want more info, just ask- we got it from Amazon and we LOVE it. If it's in all caps then it must be true.

So... the dinner was delicious, and the leftovers are incredible, and it's healthy. About 450 calories per serving, and it doesn't sit all heavy in your tum the way normal lasagna does. The only issues are that the pepperoni was an experiment- I was looking for a lot of flavor with minimal meat and the flavor of the pepperoni just disappeared. It may be because it was directly on the sauce, which sounds weird but I think I'll give it one more try next time I make it, but layered between cheeses. Additionally, this gorg cheese (that's what Jas and I call it- "Hey, baby, where's the gorg?". It makes us awesome, and you know it.) was really strong and slightly took away from the amazing flavors in the sauce. Lastly, and I would love insight here, the eggplant makes it really watery, especially when it comes to reheating leftovers. One friend suggested wrapping the eggplant in paper towels and putting a heavy object on top to squeeze out some water. I've also considered putting on a little sea salt and roasting it at high oven temps for 5-10 minutes to try and dehydrate it some. Really, though, suggestions would be much appreciated.

With that said, I am tired. So I am going to bed. It's 10:56 and I broke a rule. I think I'm supposed to be in bed by 10:30. Or is it 10? See, lack of clarity led to an entire system breakdown. Whoever made these rules and is in charge of enforcing them should be punched. In the face. Five times.

Good night!