Broc and Cheese Macaroni

We were away for the holiday weekend in Memphis, TN! It was wonderful and warm and hopefully I will get around to making a food post documenting all the yummy and fatning things I ate!

But anyways Tuesday was my first day back and I was super tired after getting home at 12:30 am the night before but I powered through ( I almost didn't make it to yoga but I did it!)

Breakfast:
Coffee
Nature Valley Bar

Lunch:
1/2 personal eggplant pizza ( I really wish I took a picture of this as it was glorious)
1 tuna avocado roll

Snack
3 Musketeers (to boost my energy before yoga.. I know must keep some healthier options on hand!)

Vinyasa Yoga for 1 hour.. I am getting a bit better at this.. I almost got to Crow pose for more than a second!

Dinner:
Broccoli Mac and Cheese!
I haven't gone grocery shopping yet so the only veggie in my house last night happened to be broccoli and I knew I had to make this recipe that my sister in law sent me last week. Below is her recipe with my adaptations in parenthesis:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

Pasta

10 oz broccoli, either chopped or small florets (or more if you like a lot)

1 tsp butter or margarine 

1/3 c. fresh breadcrumbs (store-bought is also ok, but combo of plain and seasoned so it’s not too seasoned)

3 T grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 ½ c. skim milk

1/3 c. flour

1 medium onion, diced

1 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

·         Preheat oven to 350.

·         Cook pasta according to directions on box, adding some salt to the cooking water.  About 4 minutes before the cooking time is up, add the broccoli to the pasta pot.  Drain.

·         In skillet, melt margarine and add the breadcrumbs until lightly browned.  Take off the heat, transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 T. parmesan cheese. (I didn't do this.. I don't need anymore margarine in my life. I just threw some Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs on at the end)

·         In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together milk, flour, and chopped onion. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Once mixture boils, simmer the mixture for 2 minutes on low heat until thickened.  Take off of heat.

·         To the milk flour mixture: add shredded cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard.  Pour over pasta and broccoli and mix to incorporate.

·         Pour pasta into casserole dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, and bake uncovered until it’s bubbly around the edges, ~ 25 minutes

YUM

My only issue was that the onions weren't cooked through.. next time maybe I will either saute them first or cook the milk mixture for longer.