Moderation and good choices

I am trying my hardest to make better choices in life.  In all aspects, whether it be food (a biggie for me!), how I spend my time, how I spend my money, etc.  Along with those better choices comes moderation.  So I spend WAY too much on a new bag, my spending is curtailed for awhile, I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Or I am really craving some 5 Guys burgers and their bucket of fries... when's the last time I had that... 6 months ago??? Ok, go for it and then get on that elliptical!  Meeting a friend for dinner?  Choose a place close to me and walk.  Which is exactly what I'm going to do tonight!  Life does not need to be as hard as we make it.  All the stresses and the money issues and commuting and long work hours, yeah, it sucks.  But when I look back to the issues that women had 40 or 50 years ago compared to now... we women totally rock right now!

So going with my biggest battle... FOOD!  This recipe is the perfect example of choices and moderation.  I don't know about you, but mac and cheese is one of my all time favorites.  Rachel Ray had a great recipe for mac and cheese on her show today.  And it's all about better choices and moderation.  So I love mac and cheese, so what?!  I can eat it and not want to put a gun to my head when I'm finished and feel totally guilty. Check it out...

Mac 'n' Cheese with Parsnips and Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, halved
• About 1/3 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Fontina or Gruyère cheese
• 1 pound ziti or Italian-style, straight-cut macaroni

Yields: 4-6

Preparation

Heat oven to 400°F.

In a small pot, combine garlic and oil, heat over low flame and gently cook until garlic is light golden in color and very fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and reserve.

Pile cauliflower on baking sheet and dress with lemon juice, about 3-4 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread florets out in a single layer. Roast to brown at edges and tender, 20-25 minutes. Cover with Parmigiano-Reggiano and roast 5 minutes more. Turn oven off.

Meanwhile, boil parsnips in salted water to tender, 10-15 minutes. Purée in a food processor with the garlic cloves.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

In a saucepot, combine remaining garlic oil and butter over medium heat. When butter foams, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute; add stock and milk, and thicken. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; combine sauce with parsnip purée and melt in cheese.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain pasta and toss with sauce. Arrange in a serving dish topped with crispy cauliflower florets on top.


Looks pretty good, right?!  I'm on the fence about the parsnips though!  And to cut back even more, I'd use 2% milk and whole grain pasta.  I think it might be what's for dinner one night this week or next!