“What’s for dinner?” The most important question of the day is typically asked over morning coffee in our house. We keep a variety of proteins in our freezer – meat, pork, chicken, and fish, and shop almost daily for fresh produce and fruit. One of us will survey the freezer and shout out possibilities while the other contemplates the cooking requirements – grill, stove, oven, one-pot meal. After a back and forth of “What do you feel like eating,” and “What do you feel like cooking,” we eventually make a decision. Malcolm gets stuck wins the cooking detail most evenings, with me serving as sous chef and clean-up crew. Almost every evening meal includes protein, starch, veggies, a small dessert, and a glass (or 2) of wine. At least that is how it goes for most of the year.
When the new year rolls around, it’s a different story. January and February are typically the months when we attempt the big D&D – ‘defluff’ and detox – our motivational words for shedding the ill-gained pounds from the previous months by cutting calories and alcohol. As the self-proclaimed low-cal chef in our family, I take over most of the cooking until we decide we are done, or until too much of a good thing leaves us in need of a hefty piece of chocolate cake and a bottle of wine.
What’s On Our Plate
This recipe from The Chunky Chef is simple, tasty, and low-calorie when served with a side of steamed zucchini noodles. The sauce (soy sauce, siracha, honey, lemon juice, lots of garlic, a pat of butter (or not), and a little olive oil) is prepared on the stovetop, then the fish is added to the pan for a few minutes and finished under the broiler. Easy, peasy, Yum!
I have modified the following eggplant stack recipe many times over the years and I think this is the leanest version yet. Process: Slice eggplant rounds to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and place in a bowl. Salt generously and let sit for approximately one-half hour. Rinse and pat the pieces dry, place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a dash of dried oregano, (or Italian seasoning) salt, and pepper. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about twenty minutes. In the meantime, slice a large tomato into 1/4 to 1/2-inch rounds. Set aside. Wilt two generous handfuls of fresh spinach in a saucepan, seasoned to taste, and set aside. Remove eggplant from the oven when it is tender, but not completely done. With the eggplant still sitting on the baking sheet, add a slice of tomato, some wilted spinach, a teaspoon of ricotta cheese (optional), and a thin slice of mozzarella cheese. Repeat to create a double stack. Secure with a sprig of rosemary. Return the stacks to the oven for about ten to fifteen minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tomato is slightly cooked, but not mushy. To plate the stack, use your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce, or warmed, seasoned crushed tomatoes. Add the eggplant stack and top with more sauce.
Variations: Add a thin slice of potato as the base (pre-bake these with the eggplant slices). Top with grilled asparagus spears. Add some protein (a slice of prosciutto or a thinly sliced meatball. For a higher calorie and richer tasting version, dip the eggplant slices in egg, and cote with Italian bread crumbs before baking.
I have previously shared this salad, but it is a favorite worth repeating. Besides being flavorful and colorful, it is packed with good nutrition. Use your favorite salad greens on the bottom of the bowl (I use iceberg lettuce) add black beans and corn (from a can, drained, and rinsed), chopped red onion, steamed edamame beans, and a little chopped cilantro. I top this salad with a mixture of lime juice and olive oil, but if you Google Cilantro, lime, and yogurt dressing you’ll find lots of healthy alternatives.
What Isn’t On Our Plate – or in our glass
Besides cutting portion sizes and eliminating starches, sugar, fried foods, and snack foods, we are limiting (not eliminating) our alcohol consumption for an extended period. It’s kinda like taking a ‘blogging break’, but with alcohol. Also worth mentioning, we are six weeks into kicking our diet soda habit. Trust me, that’s big.
In addition to wanting to shed the holiday pounds, we are also motivated by an upcoming cruise. Once again, we will sail away from the Port of Miami with the friends who we cruised with last March. Ports of call include Honduras, Belize, and Mexico. My fitness goal while onboard is to NOT gain weight. There will be no defluffing or detoxing for those seven glorious days. But, everything in moderation should do the trick. Of course, it will…..wink, wink. So, what’s On Your Plate?
To join the party, click here for Donna and here for Deb – our hostesses extraordinaire. They are always serving up something special and will be anticipating your visit.
Picture Retirement 
Hi Suzanne – what you have on your plate looks pretty yummy for a de-fluff and detox. Cutting your carbs, sugar, and alcohol for a period of time is sure to make a difference too. I’ve been having a try of intermittent fasting, but I can’t see it making much of a difference – other than feeling hungry a lot more than I usually do….
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Hi Leanne, a friend suggested intermittent fasting, but I couldn’t see that working for me. I don’t like the feeling of being hungry. By eating the way we do, I am having something (fruit mostly) in between meals to satisfy my hunger. It is like taking a slow boat to China, but ultimately it will pay off.
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I admire your discipline, but perhaps it helps to tackle this regime together 🙂 I have the (mis-)fortune to be married to a man who stays obstinately thin and fit no matter how much he eats and drinks, so he would never agree to a shared programme!
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Malcolm gains weight by looking at food, and I worry about his heart health, so I am happy that he willingly submits to the plan. He is a good accountability partner and keeps me away from the corkscrew with just one look!
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Those eggplant stacks look soooooo good, Suzanne! I’m always looking for new ways to use eggplant so thanks for sharing this. Good luck with your defluff and detox…I’m looking forward to reading about your cruise!
Deb
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Deb, it is quick, easy, and healthy – my kind of dish. Try it. Yep, will give a full report on the cruise. I’m still waiting to hear about your recent trip. I followed on Insta, but you didn’t post a lot. I’m sure there is more to tell…
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I’m still licking my wounds from this cursed trip. There is a lot to tell…
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I thought so.
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All your pictures show delicious meals. The eggplant calls to me and reminds me it’s been a long time since I made anything like it. Congrats on kicking your diet soda habit, that stuff will mess with your stomach in weird ways. At least for me it does.
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Ally, that is exactly why we decided to give it up. Didn’t like the way the carbonation made me feel. That eggplant is a ‘go-to’ meal for us. Even when we are not dieting.
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Diet soda is a really hard habit to quit – congrats! I alternate between making a healthy meal from scratch and cheating with pizzas and tacos.
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Jan, it was hard, so I permitted myself two cheats these past 6 weeks and was satisfied. I’m sure I will do that from time to time when I really, really, want something fizzy. I like your healthy meal alternating with pizza and tacos plan. Unfortunately, all those carbs don’t like me.
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Suzanne, I love your defluffing and detoxing plan. The eggplant recipe looks absolutely delicious. Brian and I are doing dry January and February with the aim to shed a few pounds and detox. We have also cut down on all the sweets and treats we were having during the end of year holidays. It is definitely paying off. Perseverance is key 😀
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Gilda, neither Malcolm nor I have the willpower to go “dry” but cutting back has made a positive difference. We have been so busy settling his mom’s estate and planning our next move that it has honestly been a blessing to cook simple meals and not fret over what’s for dinner. You guys always look healthy, and I can’t imagine you need to loose weight, but the detoxing, I totally get. Best wishes.
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From my years of dieting experiences which I never do now, is eliminating foods never works long term. Cutting down and increasing the exercise is more effective. Gave up alcohol a while ago as Les can’t drink. We were never regular drinkers so no biggie. Carbs are important in your diet. A small portion of all works, well it has for me though I still carry a few added kilos in case I need them. I also do plenty of exercise, group sport low impact basketball, pilates, walking and cycling.
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Suzanne, it sounds like you have discovered a healthy combination of diet and exercise that works for you. I’m pretty much the same way most of the year, but I do love a good splurge. As far as wine goes, nah, not gonna happen. It is my one vice and I see no compelling reason to deny myself my little glass of happiness. Thanks for stopping by.
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Exactly my point, Suzanne. Life is far too short to reprieve ourselves of enjoyment 🙂
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Suzanne, I admire you for sticking to your goals! Your recipes all sound delicious, especially the eggplant stack. Have a wonderful time on your cruise!
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Hi Beth, thanks. The cruise is still a month away but I am excited to get on that ship!
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Hi Suzanne I love the term ‘Defluff and Detox’! I love an Eggplant Stack and make it often. Mike has Diabetes Type 2 so we try to maintain a fairly healthy diet most of the time with the occasional indulgences. Thanks for the recipes. Enjoy your upcoming cruise you will certainly need time to relax after the last few months. Take care x
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Sue, we are looking forward to time away, even though we still have much to do when we return. A break will help us face the few remaining tasks. You are welcome to the recipes. I’m sure you will enjoy them all.
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What a fun phrase ‘defluffing and detoxing’ is Suzanne. I admire your accountability and togetherness on this. My husband is skinny no mater what he eats and everyone is constantly asking if he’s OK – he is!
I feel like the couple from the nursery rhyme –
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.
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Ha, ha, love it. Neither of us has the skinny gene. That must be wonderful. Malcolm is a great accountability partner and keeps me on the straight and narrow. Come to think of it, that extends well beyond food.
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Hi, Suzanne – I enjoyed reading about your regular meal planning routine, and your January D & D meal planning edition. Like you, I shop for fresh produce almost daily. For me, this is a habit from living in Beijing, as well as the belief of ‘the fresher the better’. Otherwise, our kitchen rolls are reversed, I do the meal planning and cooking, Richard assists where required and does the cleanup. Unlike you, I don’t share with Richard what I am making for dinner until I am actually making it. Good luck with the rest of your D & D. Please keep us posted.
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I love that Malcolm enjoys cooking, but his idea of ‘diet’ food is very different from mine. Hence the job takeover during our D&D. Both of us are always interested in ‘what’s for dinner’ and I can’t imagine a morning without the topic coming up. Either Richard doesn’t make food a priority, or he loves everything you cook. I’m guessing the latter.
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It’s actually Door #3. Richard had to make so many decisions in his career as a lawyer he is happy to make as few decisions as possible in retirement — especially ones that he can outsource to me! 😀
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That all looks yummy, Suzanne! Coincidently, we made eggplant Parmesan last night, which is a multiple- hour endeavor in our little kitchen and tiny oven. But, it is so tasty and we only make this dish twice a year or so, when we are motivated and in a lovely place. There are leftovers. 🙂
I find that eating less does the trick for me to get back to my “ideal weight”. Enjoy your cruise!!
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Liesbet, Malcolm always says that the best diet in the world is ‘eat less, move more.’ Easier said than done for both of us. When I really enjoy something like eggplant parm, it’s hard to stop eating, which is the main reason I came up with a skinny version.
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Fun post! I love reading about food! We always discuss “What’s for dinner?” at breakfast, too. And our daily dinner menu sounds much like yours. If I try to impose any kind of restrictions on my eating I rebel, haha!! I tell myself that since we eat relatively low-carb, low-sugar, no soft drinks, no fried foods, and exercise every day, we’re okay. 😂 I must say, your detox recipes look delicious!
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Laurel, fried foods were a staple when growing up and that is a weakness that I can’t overcome. Fried shrimp…french fries – my favorite indulgence. But, I have learned to offset my indulgences with periods of de-fluff. Otherwise, our daily plan is similar to yours. I noticed that you didn’t mention wine…
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What great ideas to detox from the holiday eating merry-go-round, Suzanne! Like yours, my hubby does much of the main dish cooking (grilling) and I add a low-cal side and clean up. Your salad looks perfect, but this time of year, I tend to be a hot veggie person–in which I end up steaming or preparing. Of course, hubby doesn’t like veggies too much unless they are fried or swimming in oil. He needs to eat better! And yes, I love french fries so I don’t order any. That doesn’t mean I won’t pick a few off of hubby’s plate. Great post, enjoy your upcoming cruise!
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Terri, the boys aren’t likely to change at this point, so the best we can do is hope their bad habits don’t rub off on us. I sneak fries off Malcolm’s plate too. It’s when I start ordering my own that I get worried. P.S. I woke up to a sugar-free cheesecake baking in the oven! He does try.
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Tell Malcom to try the non-alcohol beer by Athletic. 45 calories and no alcohol. It is helping me with the detox. However our cooking outside always includes a little bourbon or wine in the recipe
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John, that makes sense. If the taste is satisfying, why not? Good luck with your detox.
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Suzanne,
It sounds like you’ve made a sensible plan and are determined to make it work. A cruise is the perfect incentive and reward. My problem is that at 6’4″, I was a scarecrow until my 60s and could eat anything. The 70s hit me hard, and I finally gave Nutrisystem a try. It worked (26 lbs), but exercise helped. I love my wine and daily Cherry Coke Zero, but the day will come when both have to go. Defluff away and enjoy that cruise…can’t wait to see the pictures. Joe
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Joe, I hear you. It gets harder every year. We just booked another cruise for July, so I guess we will have to add an in-between de-fluff and detox period before that one.
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We will just be getting off the new Regent Grandeur from what sounds like a similar cruise when you start yours. Hope you have a wonderful time. Both versions of the eggplant stack sound terrific.
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Karen, have fun, maybe we will see your ship in passing…
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Your typical process for deciding what’s for dinner sounds a lot like ours, Suzanne. And while we are probably less intentional about it than you are, we also find ourselves cutting back after the holidays, so I appreciate you sharing these lighter recipes. Your upcoming cruise sounds like a lot of fun. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone on a cruise, but we have been talking about booking one in the not-too-distant future.
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Hi Christie, an upcoming vacation is always good motivation for me to cut back. The clothes I pack need to fit from the first day to the last. 🙂 I hope your Grand Canyon tour is coming together nicely. If only a cruise ship went there…..
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Nice and healthy!
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