Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

Another great recipe! I got this from Cookinglight.com (through myrecipes). I made it last night and even my three year old loved it! I used store bought bread crumbs instead of making them and did not put the red pepper flakes in.


In Step 4, the macaroni mixture is cooked over medium-low heat so the cheese won't become stringy and the sauce, grainy.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 ounces sourdough bread, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon butter, melted
12 ounces large elbow macaroni
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°. Place tomatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

While tomatoes cook, place bread in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until crumbly. Toss crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle the crumbs on a baking sheet, and bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.

Cook macaroni in boiling water 7 minutes; drain. Return macaroni to pan; place over medium-low heat. Add cheese and remaining ingredients; cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle each serving with about 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 357 (29% from fat)
Fat: 11.4g (sat 6.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.8g)
Protein: 18.1g
Carbohydrate: 45.2g
Fiber: 2g
Cholesterol: 33mg
Iron: 2.7mg
Sodium: 669mg
Calcium: 350mg

Weight Watchers Rewards program

Weight Watchers has a new rewards program for buying their products. Here is a link to the program:

http://www.wwincrediblerewards.com/

It looks like a great idea! You can turn in your credits for products from their online catalog. I have not looked through the catalog yet. However, the way to claim your credits is definitely old school! I went to the link to submit credits, expecting to enter the UPC from the package (that is how Pampers does it!). Well, you have to actually print the form, cut out the UPC and mail it in. I know, probably doesn't sound like much, but I would rather just enter the UPC and throw my package away! If I can get myself to remember to keep the packaging and cut out the UPC I might go ahead and start doing it. I do buy a lot of WW products!

Starbucks: Portobello Mushroom Piadini

Amt Per Serving
Calories 370
Fat Calories 160
Total Fat (g) 18
Saturated Fat (g) 9
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 150
Sodium (mg) 650
Total Carbohydrates (g) 39
Fiber (g) 2
Sugars (g) 4
Protein (g) 14
Vitamin A 25 %
Vitamin C 40 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 20 %

Last week I decided to try this and it was delicious! I did not check its Nutritional Value and assumed it was similar to the Spinach Feta Wrap I love so much! I had one again this morning and decided to check the Nutritional Value. Well, here it is. And it is not close to the 5 points the wrap is. This is: 9 points

I am very disappointed. I try not to go over 5 points when I splurge on breakfast. My breakfast is usually only 3 points. So I just ate half of my daily points on breakfast. AHHH~~~

Jason's progress

Okay, so I don't know what weight he started at, or what weight he is at, but I know he is working hard! But now he has another motive. He is testing for a few police departments in November. And he has to be able to run 1.5 miles. So, he is jogging on a daily basis, and doing sit ups and jumping jacks. He is working hard and I am very proud of him.

Now, for our rewards, things have changed. No more Hawaii and my camera was so cheap we couldn't resist. So, we both need new rewards. We are going to Disneyland in February. So, I am thinking I get a spa visit or he gets golf.

I would love other ideas for our rewards, share them please!!!

I think the scale is broken!!!!

Or, water and no wine makes a bigger difference then I thought it did!!

At my WW meeting on Saturday I was a little concerned. I was 132.8 last week and expected to go up more this week. Well, on Saturday I was 131.6. I really, REALLY think the scale was broken. But, oh well!! It is the same scale I used last week.

But, then I realized the changes I made last week maybe made a bigger difference then I expected. First, I have rarely had wine in the evening. Jason is not drinking wine, and is jogging (for other reasons now, more on that later) so I am not drinking either. That one or two glasses of wine in the evening makes a HUGE difference! Also, my water intake has been awesome! I have a 1.5L water bottle I am chugging out of on a regular basis!

So, even though I can't keep my hand out of my co-workers peanut M&Ms, I am still loosing!

Update

Yeah! I lost 2lbs last week! I buckled down and got back into the swing of my journaling. I never really realized what a difference it makes when you slack. I have also been trying harder to fit that walk in! I walked 40 min at lunch today with my sister!

7lbs to go until I get my camera!!

Oh, and we are not going to Hawaii now, but we are still working towards our goals! I still get the camera and we still need to decide what Jason gets.

In other news, Starbucks has some new breakfast items that sound great! And it appears they might be keeping around the Spinach Feta wrap!!

A new challenge!

I had a new challenge (or 'bet') thrown at me this weekend! I am staying perfectly at my current weight. However, I am not exercising and would not mind loosing a bit more and toning my body.

A bit of history before I get to the bet. My husband and I are hitting the beaches of Hawaii November 28 for 5 days. We are going with family, but leaving our darling daughter with grandma and grandpa. I have been on the look out for a great tankini of some sort, something I have not done in ages! I need a tankini to hide the post-baby and post-weightloss stretch marks!! And prefer to have a skirt type bottom to hide my thighs. But, if I win the bet I hope my thighs are long gone!!!

The other half of the bet is my husband. Last year he lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time by just not eating much. It was very unhealthy, but he was doing it for a deal his dad made with him. A year later he has gained it all back plus some.

THE BET
I loose 9lbs, get to 125lbs, he looses 29lbs (I won't divulge his stats here without his permission). If I get there first, I get the new camera I want before our vacation. If he gets there he gets to play a $125 round of golf in Poipu, Hawaii on our vacation. The deadline: November 20, 2008
I am holding my husband to his promise that he do it in a healthy way and it is a true lifestyle change, and if he gains it back within a year, I get something (hopefully I already have the camera by then!!)


I plan (or hope) to keep my readers up to date on our little bet. I want my camera!! I gotta get my booty moving!