WooHoo!

I lost another 2#s! It's good to see that my efforts are paying off. Today's dinner will be Baked Macaroni & Cheese and Cinnamon Apples. I have my own recipe for this, but am trying a new one that I got from WW Monthly magazine. The Cinnamon Apples are a product made by Country Crock. They come in a container similar to a margarine container. I found it at my store near the meat with other "prepared side dish" things. I decided to try it because I had a $1 off coupon. A serving size is 1/2 cup at 3 pointsplus.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

3 oz whole wheat penne pasta
2 T canola oil
2 T all-purpose flour
2 c skim milk
2 1/3 c shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
14 oz Oscar Mayer Turkey Smoked Sausage

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook penne pasta according to pkg directions. Drain, then rinse under cold running water; drain.

Meanwhile, to make sauce, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; boil 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in 2 c cheddar cheese, salt and pepper until cheese is melted.

Stir pasta into sauce. Chop Smoked Sausage and add to pasta mixture. Pour into 6 individual baking dishes or 1 (2qt) shallow baking dish; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3 c cheddar cheese. Bake until lightly browned and bubble, about 15 minutes for individual baking dishes or about 25 minutes for 2qt baking dish. let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serving size: 1 1/4 c at 10 pointsplus. Note: The original recipe was made without the smoked sausage (servings size: 1 c at 7 pointsplus), but my family likes it with the smoked sausage so I added a reduced-fat version I found.