Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna

I will be posting a lot of low carb recipes in the next 6 weeks or so. My boyfriend does what he calls his "lent diet" every year at this time - he does not eat any bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, or anything made with those ingredients for the duration of Lent. This was a bit frustrating for me our first 2 Lents together but now I enjoy the challenge of finding new recipes and ways to alter existing recipes to make them low carb. We both love Italian food, which is typically very high in carbs but I've experimented with some variations so that we can still enjoy it. For example, you can replace the noodles in lasagna with thin slices of baked or grilled eggplant.
Use your favorite lasagna recipe with eggplant prepared as follows instead of noodles. Start with a large eggplant and slice it into circles as thinly as you can. Put them on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and lightly brush with them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for about 2-4 minutes (depending on how thick your slices are), then flip them over, season the other side, and bake for another 2-4 minutes. The eggplant slices should be slightly brown and soft. Layer them in your lasagna like you would noodles. You can grill the eggplant instead of baking it, which adds a hint of smokiness.

Homemade Granola Bars

I've been doing some experimenting with making granola bars at home. I love to eat them for breakfast but I don't love all the added sugar and processed ingredients that come in the store bought bars. I tried a few recipes that were delicious but had a TON of sugary ingredients like brown sugar, corn syrup, and honey. I may as well be eating a cookie! When I tried to cut back on the honey and/or sugar, the bars did not stay together well. Someone gave me the idea to use eggs, so I cut back on the sugary stuff, added some eggs and it worked well.

I use only 1/4 cup of honey and 3 tbsp real maple syrup, 2 of nature's best sweetners, in the entire recipe. The vanilla extract and cinnamon are great in this recipe because they are ingredients that add a hint a sweetness without actual sugar. These may not be quite as sweet as you are used to with the store bought stuff, but they are breakfast after all, not a cookie. You can add the eggs to the mixture last, and taste the mixture before adding the eggs. If it's not sweet enough for your taste, add another tbsp of maple syrup or a bit more honey. This recipe makes about 10-12 bars and has about 2200 total calories, which is about 183-220 calories per serving. It has fiber and protein, perfect for a breakfast on the go.

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups oats
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup dried fruit of your choice (I used cranberries and apricots - if you use a larger dried fruit like apricots, chop them up in small pieces so they do not cause the bars to fall apart)
1/4 cup flax seeds
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 egg, wisked
1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well-incorporated. Pour into a 8x12 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Bake at 350 about 25-30 minutes until slightly brown at the top. Let them sit out overnight. Remove from the dish by lifting the parchment paper and carefully cut into smaller bars.