Day 17

AHHHHH!! Today the cravings for meat came down on me pretty hard. I could smell the rotisserie chickens cooking away at the grocery store after work and I could literally TASTE the chicken. I even stopped to look at the chickens, considered buying one...even thought to myself that no one would know if I just did it one time. Then I stopped and said to myself that one time would turn into more than one time and then the whole thing would be thrown off. I've been doing so good and I wouldn't ruin it for a piece of chicken. I'm proud that I walked right past the chicken and bought the makings for the lovely veggie pizza I originally went to the store for, which is baking as we speak.

While I am waiting, I present to you another plate of deliciousness. I admit...I am just too lazy to bust out with the nice camera to take pictures of my food. One of these days I just might. This was smoked macaroni and cheese. It was so good. I have really been working hard on portion control and this is only one cup of pasta. I have been finding I've been fuller on less food, and another weird thing. I've really been appreciating the true flavors of foods like raw veggies. Vegetables are tasting even more delicious to me now than they ever have. I am finding I don't have to load things with as much salt as I did before, which is big for me. But back to the mac...
I started with a basic roux, seasoned it with a bit of fresh garlic, salt and cayenne pepper, then whisked in some milk. Brought it to a simmer until it thickened, added some smoked gouda and havarti cheeses until they were melted, and then poured the sauce over some ziti. Then I topped it with some seasoned panko breadcrumbs and baked the whole thing until it was bubbly and brown. I served it with a lovely salad that I tossed with some sunburst tomatoes, cucumbers, toasted almonds and a little champagne dressing.

Ooo! Pizza's done. Off to eat dinner now.