Eggplant Parmesan

Growing plants you can eat, in your own garden, can be so rewarding. I particularly like doing this with kids. They can help pick out the plants, help plant them, water them and care for them and see them grow into something edible right before their eyes. This year, in addition to our usual herb garden, we picked eggplant, tomato, and strawberries to grow.

When it was time to harvest the eggplant, I wanted to make my favourite eggplant dish - the classic eggplant parmesan. I ended up making it on the BBQ because we’ve been in a heatwave, but this can also be prepared in the oven.

Transforming a homegrown plant into a dish the whole family can enjoy can be very rewarding, and may even have more of an impact on getting that less adventurous eating to even take part. Our kids took a whole slice of this dish and ate every last bite! Give this one a try and I hope your family loves it as much as mine.

Eggplant parmesan

Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD

Recipe Type: Entrees

Serving: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large eggplants, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 cup panko

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• olive oil for drizzling, about 1 tablespoon

• 1 jar marinara sauce

• 6-8 slices of mozzarella (either from a fresh mozzarella or a mozzarella ball)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven or BBQ to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare the eggplant by slicing into 1/4 inch thick rounds, salt on both sides and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Rinse off then allow to dry for another 5-10 minutes. This step should not be skipped - it helps to draw out moisture and helps to create a more creamy, less bitter and less oily eggplant.

3. Prepare the dredge. In one bowl, beat the egg and set aside. In another bowl, add the panko, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and mix. Take each eggplant round and dip into the egg then dip into the panko mixture. Set on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all eggplant rounds have been coated.

4. Drizzle olive oil over the eggplant and place in the oven or on the BBQ at a 400 degree temperature. Cook both sides for approximately 10 minutes per side, until slightly golden brown.

5. Next, to a casserole dish (I ended up using a pie dish which works well, too!) add about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom then evenly layer all the eggplant (you will likely need to stack the eggplant into two layers).

6. Top the layered eggplant with the remaining marinara then layer with mozzeralla.

7. Return the dish to the oven or BBQ at 400 degrees and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling.

Protein Requirements for Children

What is protein?

Protein is an important macronutrient that helps repair cells and make new ones in the body. It’s particularly important throughout childhood because of the role it plays in their growth and development. Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. 20 amino acids exist; of these 20, the body can make 11 but the remaining 9 amino acids are considered to be essential, because they need to be obtained from food.

Protein (and the amino acids) can be found in animal-sources and plant-sources. Animal-based proteins are all complete proteins, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids. Plant-based proteins, however, do not always contain all nine essential amino acids. If you or your child eat a plant-based diet, you may need to combine different foods at a given meal, to ensure all essential amino acids - the building blocks for protein synthesis - are consumed. For example, if you are offering a meal where the main protein source is legumes (beans, lentils etc.) the limiting amino acid is methionine. By adding a grain (which are limited in the amino acid lysine) that contains methionine, such as rice or pasta, the meal now contains all essential amino acids.

How much protein is needed?

The current protein guidelines for children is based on eating “good quality” protein meaning protein sources that provide all amino acids. Most children will eat a variety of protein sources each day - some to be complete proteins and others which are incomplete, Consuming a balanced diet that includes animal- and plant-based protein sources should be sufficient to supply the essential amino acids to prevent deficiency and ensure proper growth and development.

Children need about 20% of their energy intake to be provided by protein. The guidelines that are established are based on their age and weight.

Infants ages 0-6 months: 1.52 g/kg

Infants ages 7-12 months: 1.2 g/kg

Children ages 1-3 years: 1.05 g/kg

Children ages 4-13 years: 0.95 g/kg

Children ages 14-18 years: 0.85 g/kg

Where can I find protein?

What about protein supplements?

Protein supplements are a great way to get more protein in the diet, however the majority of children who are eating a balanced diet just don’t need it. If you have concerns about your child’s specific protein intake, reach out for a consultation for a nutrition assessment with tailored advice for your child.

How to Help Support your Immune System

First post of 2024! This one feels pretty timely with all the colds, coughs, runny noses, and never ending viral illnesses that seem to be going around. It doesn’t seem like many days go by before we finish an illness and are on to the next one. If this sounds familiar, then this post is for you. I put this post together to summarize some of my go-to strategies to help support your immune to fight these bugs!

eat a varied and balanced diet

Variety is key. Variety helps ensure that you are fueling your body with the right balance of micronutrients that your body needs, especially during viral season. If you find yourself with a pickier eater on your hands, worry less about getting that vegetable into them, and add a fruit as well. Many kids have a preference for fruits over veggies and they both provide great sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a vitamin that helps with cell repair in the body, helps with wound healing, and assists the body in produce collagen (a protein). Vitamin C is an antioxidant which reduce the damage from free radicals in the body and reduces inflammation in the body, and helps to support your immune system.

Protein is another nutrient to focus on and should be included at all meals. Think dairy products, meats, fish, eggs, and plant-based sources like tofu, legumes, seeds, and quinoa. The building blocks of proteins are called amino acids. Amino acids help the key players in the immune system (T-cells, B-cells) fight the germs as they enter your body, before they can cause harm and start making you feel sick.

be physically active

Help keep your body in prime shape by staying physically active. Children, teens, and adults should move each day and try to meet (or exceed) their requirements for vigorous physical activity. Below are the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for children.

Toddlers (ages 1-2) should have at least 180 minutes of activity scattered throughout the day.

Preschoolers (ages 3-4) should have at least 180 minutes of activity scattered throughout the day with at least 60 minutes of more energetic play.

Children (ages 5-17) should have high levels of of physical activity balanced with low levels of sedentary activity (no more than 2 hours) with at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and include muscle and bone strengthening activities at least 3x per week.

sleep

Don’t forget to sleep! Ensure kids have appropriate sleep hygiene for their ages. The body needs this time to rest and repair and to fight and illness. Younger children require 10-14 hours of sleep (naps plus uninterrupted nighttime sleep) and older children and teens require 9-11 hours and 8-10 hours, respectively.

immune boosters

If you feel like you already do all of the above, and the germs are still wreaking havoc in your household, consider adding in some additional immune supports.

If you or your child are not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids through diet along, consider adding in a supplement.

Regardless of age or diet restrictions, the majority of us do not get enough vitamin D through diet and should take a supplement of vitamin D with 400-1000 IU per day, either in a multivitamin or a single vitamin D supplement.

Lastly, using foods to help support the immune system may also help, and lately I’ve been enjoying homemade ginger-lemon-honey shots and have added this to my daily routine.

immune booster shot

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups filtered water

juice of 2 lemons

8-10 inch piece of ginger (washed thoroughly)

2 Tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS

add all ingredients to a blender

start blender on low, and gradually increase speed, blending for approximately 60 seconds

pour into a fine mesh sieve, pressing the pulp through the sieve

divide the filtered mixture into small containers and store in the fridge for 5-7 days

Note: These are spicy (from the ginger) and are intended for use in teens and adults. Adding a small amount of these boosters diluted with some water may be more palatable for younger children.