Week 8-late late

Sorry, this is way late, but mostly I didn't post because my weight didn't change. No ups, now downs.

Oh! And here's the recipe and picture from the Backed Mac N Cheese with Broccoli we made about three weeks ago.



2 sprays of cooking spray
12 oz of uncooked pasta, gemelli or some other twisted pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/8 tsp of salt, for pasta water cooking
10 oz. broccoli florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp butter
1/3 cups bread crumbs
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cups onions (we didn't put any in here cause frankly I don't like onions, so we kept them out and the recipe was just fine!)
1 cup low-fat shredded cheese, cheddar variety
1 tsp Dijon mustard (we used honey Dijon, much better!)
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:
1 Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees, coat a shallow 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray
2. Cook pasta in a large pot with freshly salted water. Add broccoli to water three minutes before pasta is done; drain and return to pot
3. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often until golden brown (about two minutes), Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl, stir in 1 tsp of Parmesan cheese and set aside.
4. In large saucepan (same one from above, just be sure to wipe it down), whisk together milk and flour until blended (here's where you add the onion); Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer til thickened, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper, and remaining two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss and mix to coat.
6. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle on bread crumbs evenly. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20-25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Each serving is worth 5 points.

We also added some grilled chicken, just give some protein to the mix. It was simple frozen grilled chickn strips from Target, easy and one serving is only two points, so all in all, this meal was pretty good on the points scale.

It was a hard recipe, especially with a really inferior whisk, but it turned out really awesome. I gave it an 8.5 =)