Giveaway

You know it’s getting cooler when you look back at your day of eats and realize that it involves a variety of comfort foods. Smile

As always, go check out Jenn’s blog to get in on the fun!

Breakfast:

Ah, hello old friend. Glad to have you back.

(That would be peanut butter and banana on whole-wheat toast, for those who don’t know my former breakfast obsession. I’ve also thrown in a glass of milk these days, since the baby evidently needs calcium. Or so my mother keeps telling me.)

Snack:

Have I mentioned how much I love these things? They taste like a Snickers bar. Can’t beat that!

Lunch:

A leftover pulled pork sandwich (recipe to come another day!) on a whole-wheat bun with a salad (not pictured) and pineapple.

Dinner:

My new favorite mac & cheese. See below for this yummy recipe!

Dessert:

I baked chocolate chip cookies for my church community group, and of course, I had to sample them myself. You know, just to make sure they were acceptable to hand out to other people.

(I didn’t actually eat three, though. Only two. So much better, right? Winking smile )

This recipe will also come another day soon. These are my go-to chocolate chip cookies. They rock.

——–

So I took this mac & cheese recipe from Gina’s Skinny Recipes website. But then, being the rebel that I am, I made it slightly less “skinny.”

But overall, I still think it’s healthier than many traditional macaroni and cheese recipes, but just as delicious. I’m pretty sure I could eat this pasta every night for a week and be quite content!

(Kinda) Skinny Baked Macaroni and Cheese

(Modified from this recipe)

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

12 oz. high-fiber elbow macaroni
12 oz. bag of fresh broccoli florets
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
half of a small yellow onion, minced
2 cups milk (I used 1%, but you could also use skim)
1 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
salt and pepper
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (but you could use other seasoned breadcrumbs, if you have them)
cooking spray

Directions:

I recommend prepping all of your ingredients first. Have your broccoli ready, your onion minced, your milk and chicken broth measured out, cheese grated, flour measured, etc.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Prepare your pasta according to the box directions, but undercook it by just a couple of minutes. With a minute left in cooking time, add the fresh broccoli. When finished cooking, drain the mixture and then dump everything into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet. Over medium-low heat, sauté the onion for about 2 minutes. Then add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring continuously.
Next, add the milk and chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, and whisk continuously. Eventually, the mixture will start boiling. Keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken, about another 5 minutes after it starts boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste (don’t be stingy … you want the flavor!).
Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheddar cheese. Whisk the mixture until nice and smooth. Then add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Top the mixture with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
Bake for about 15 minutes, then broil for another minute or so.
Enjoy!