Oooey Gooey Cheesy Yumminess - AKA The Best Mac & Cheese EVER!!!

I've been MIA for a few days.  It was a crazy week!  The Husband and I went on a wonderful date last night to one of our favorite spots - Jinja!  We love the atmosphere and the food is good too!

The Husband had the Grilled Sashimi Tuna.  I had the Caesar Salad with Black Tiger Shrimp but didn'ttake a picture.  The dressing is a creamy ginger dressing.  I really wanted to lick the plate clean! We asked for a side of the cilantro-mint sauce and it is so lovely on the shrimp.  I am going to attempt to recreate that sauce at home!!!

Before leaving to teach a few days ago, I asked The Boys what they wanted for dinner.  The Middle Schooler immediately said, "Mac & Cheese!"  The High Schooler did a little Happy Dance at the mere thought of Mac & Cheese.  It's another one of those meals that comes together in minutes. I used to make a baked Mac & Cheese but one night when were too impatient to wait, I made a simple stove top version.  It's now my go to Mac & Cheese recipe!

Mac & Cheese
1 - 1 pound package elbow macaroni
1 - 8 ounce bag shredded sharp cheddar (you could also use mild cheddar or extra sharp)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used skim)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.  Once cooked, drain the pasta.  Melt the butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta in.  Add the flour to make a roux.  Cook for about a minute to get rid of the raw flour flavor.  Add the milk slowly to avoid lumps.  Stir until smooth and slightly thickened.  Add the cheese.  Stir until melted.  Add the pasta.  Mix until all pasta is coated.  Serve with a side of steamed or sauteed broccoli. Get out of the way!  The Boys love this and may throw an elbow or two to get to it!

I've been working really hard this summer to eat better and exercise more.  I'm starting to see some results (I've lost over 8 pounds!) and don't want to slip back into old habits.  I sauteed 2 broccoli crowns  with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper while I was making the cheese sauce.  I took a few spoon-fulls of the cheese sauce and poured it over the broccoli.  I cut down on some of the carbs but got the taste of the cheese sauce.  I'm not so naive as to believe cutting out a little macaroni makes this low cal but I'm sure I cut out at least 200 calories.  I cannot eat a small bowl of this.  I had a small serving of the pasta and a heap of broccoli.  It satisfies my craving for ooey-gooey-cheesy yumminess and I don't feel the carbohydrate loaded guilt later!

Off to the gym for our Saturday Sweat Sesh!