New Year: Low(er) Fat Macaroni and Cheese

Friday, December 31, 2010

The New Year's always brings along those resolutions....and I'm a resolution girl. I think there is only one year in the recent....or distant past that losing weight wasn't on my list, and that was only because I was ALREADY on a diet with the New Year began. It'll be there again. I have been pretending to TRY to eat healthier/lose weight for awhile now...and when I say "awhile"...I mean 18 or 19 years. Ha....oh well....goals are good. In recent days :cough years cough: one of my friends and I have been hanging out at some meetings with that as the end goal, that organization includes access to some recipe favorites that are lower caloried. I'd say names, but I think you can fill in the blanks, and I know 'they' aren't so happy about you sharing stuff other people have to pay for, but...I need to get my money's worth somehow, so I'll share one of the recipes I essentially BOUGHT...and it would probably be working too if I didn't insist on following up said recipe with cupcakes, cookies, and a general lack of self control from 8 am....well....'til about 7 am.
The whole point of this recipe is that you can still have your favorites things, just lighten them up a bit so you (and by 'you' I mean my alter ego) can still stay within a reasonable calorie range. The other point I'd like to make, you should ignore everything I say at all points, except this-this is a pretty good 'diet' recipe, without the weird diet after taste. I'll probably add a few more seasonings next time....more salts, maybe season all?... or something.
This recipe cuts the normal calories for this indulgent dish almost in half. And when I say 'normal'....I'm from the south where butter is a food group. 
Baked Macaroni Instructions
Boil 12 oz of elbow noodles as instructed on the box. Drain.
Mix noodles and 1/2 c. fat free sour cream.
Heat 12 oz can of non-fat evaporated milk in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. When small bubbles begin to form along the edges of the saucepan, add 8 ounces of low-fat cheddar cheese (watch in closely or the bottom with burn if it boils without your attention). Stir until melted, and then whisk an additional 2 minutes with a whisk on low.
To the cheese mix add:
Add 1 T Dijon Mustard, 1/4 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, 1/8 t. nutmeg.
Pour cheese mix over noodles, and stir.
Place macaroni mix into a casserole dish.
Mix 2 T of bread crumbs, and 2 T. shredded Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni dish.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
*I used Italian bread crumbs, b/c it's what I had on hand, but it added some different flavors with the seasoning, and I really liked the saltiness the Parmesan cheese brought to the dish.
Linking To:  Sugar Bananas

3 comments

Erin said...

Christy - what are these words you speak "low fat"??? Perhaps foreign words because my brain can't quite understand them.

I'm horrible. For some reason my taste buds say whoo hoo to fatty foods. But this mac and cheese (one of my favorite meals) sounds pretty darn tasty.

Happy New Year! I hope it's a great one!

Sarah @ Sugar Bananas said...

I'm cracking up reading this... hubby and I started the South Beach Diet last year. He lost about 40 lbs in about 10 minutes. I, however, sloooowly lost about 20. Why? I happen to also love all of the goodies. (cupcakes especially!) Thanks for posting this lower fat version - AND for linking up with Sweets This Week! Happy New Year to you!

~Sarah

Melissa said...

My favorite meal in the whole world is Mac and Cheese! I make some pretty amazing Macaroni and Cheese..... I'll make us some and we can have a lunch date at school this week. yummmmmy.