Not Going Overboard

Guess what?! Last night marked the end of my first full week on SparkPeople. Like I explained last week, SparkPeople is an awesome online community that helps people easily log calories and exercise.

Let’s see how I did my first week:

 

 

I’m really excited that I was able to stay within my calorie limit of 2200 every day except for one (especially because 98 calories isn’t really much!). When I first started calorie-counting, I was really intimidated. 2200 sounded like a lot, but it didn’t feel like it when it was in my belly!

But I’m so glad that I didn’t quit. The first few days were torture, but now I’m only a week in and I’m easily able to stay within my limit (and even have some Ben&Jerry’s frozen yogurt, too!). So if you’re thinking of trying out calorie-counting, don’t give up after the first day or two – it will get easier, I promise.

I think that I did really good on my exercise too. I normally wouldn’t take three days of rest right in a row (thanks a lot, PMS!), but four days a week at the gym is what I’m loosely aiming for.

 

 

A normal day of eats for me lately is…

• huge bowl of oatmeal for breakfast (using my new delicious recipe!)
• salad for lunch filled with beans and some kind of meat (like chicken salad or tuna)
• fruits and veggies or a smoothie for an afternoon snack
• regular meal for dinner
• (optional) snack or dessert, like frozen yogurt or a bowl of cereal

 

I made this baked mac & cheese recipe the other day that was so delicious! Some people might not think they’d be able to have something like that while counting calories, but it’s totally doable if you don’t go overboard the rest of the day.

 

Baked Mac&Cheese

(original recipe)

Ingredients (serves two hungry people)

3/4lb mini rigatoni pasta

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

4 oz. reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese

4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, sauté garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan.

Add butter to pan and melt.

Whisk in whole wheat flour and cook for 2 more minutes (forming a roux).

Pour in the milk, whisk continuously for 2 more minutes.

Stir in ricotta, cheddar, swiss, and parmesan cheeses.

Remove pan from heat and stir cheese 1 minute more, until the sauce becomes thick.

Add pasta to a baking dish greased with cooking spray.

Pour cheese sauce over pasta.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!