Skinny Mac and Cheese with Apple Chicken Sausage and Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

When I was in college, I gained my freshman fifteen...and then some. Around my senior year, I couldn't stand it anymore and went into a crazy weight loss frenzy. I would have black coffee for breakfast, a spinach salad with no dressing for lunch, and a cup of brown rice with vegetables for dinner. I also spent hours every day at the gym, weight training, running, and boxing. The extreme lack of caloric intake combined with so much exercise caused me to shed tons of weight right away. I was the weight I thought I wanted to be, but the lack of food (and the blandness of the food I was eating) made me miserable. The exercise felt like a ball and chain that I would have to drag around with me for the rest of my life. I thought I would have to keep that lifestyle up forever to stay thin, and it was too overwhelming. So I stopped. I immediately gained 10 lbs, because I started actually eating again, but I ate in moderation, and maintained that weight for a bit. Until...I moved in with my boyfriend. It's fairly common knowledge that with domestic bliss comes weight gain. My clothes stopped fitting, so I bought bigger pants. It's okay, I thought, I'll just start losing weight next week (but I didn't). Then those pants got small, and so did all my cute little dresses. But I still thought, I'll just start running again (but I didn't). Other lies I told myself: I already know how to lose weight (yeah, it was an eating disorder, and made me miserable)...I don't need the help of Weight Watchers (yes I did)...besides, Weight Watchers is just for people who are really fat (no it isn't) and I'm not that fat (yes I was). Thankfully, last Spring, I recieved a much needed gift from my mom: a Weight Watchers membership. I'm so grateful for this gift, because it was honestly just what I needed. Now, 8 months later, I'm nearly 40 lbs lighter. I'm 4 dress sizes smaller. When I stepped on the scale this morning, the first two numbers were a 1 followed by a 2. The last time I was in the 120's was probably in middle school. I'm smaller now than I was when I was working out all the time in college.

So how did I do it?

Do I spend hours a day at the gym? Nope. I just walk the mile to and from work everyday.

Do I only eat a really super healthy/vegan/low carb/raw diet? Nope. I eat delicious food from all of the food groups, and haven't cut a single thing out of my diet.

Okay...really...how did I do it? I learned to cook meals I love with wholesome, healthy ingredients, and I eat them in the proper portions. It's really that simple.

The best part?

...I haven't been hungry for a second.

So here's a great comfort food recipe to try if you're like I was...struggling to start a weight loss program, and dreading health food. If someone had told me I could eat sausage-laced mac and cheese with a salad smothered in ranch dressing, I would have been thin a long time ago!

Skinny Mac and Cheese with Apple Chicken Sausage

Adapted from Al Fresco Recipes

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 9

16 oz package Al Fresco sweet apple chicken sausage

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon light butter, melted

12 oz whole wheat or high fiber pasta (I used orecchiette)

2 cups low fat shredded Cheddar cheese

1 egg white

12 oz can fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package.
• Slice chicken sausage. Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan, and cook sausage until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Combine breadcrumbs with butter, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until crispy and brown.
• When pasta is done, drain and return to pot over low heat. Stir in cheese, egg, and milk.
• Cook until cheese melts and sauce thickens. Add sausage and top with breadcrumbs.
• Serve with a salad of butter lettuce drizzled with skinny buttermilk ranch (recipe follows)

Skinny Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Serving Size: 1/3rd of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 1

1 Tablespoon ranch salad dressing seasoning mix (the powdered kind)

1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon mayo

1 Tablespoon lowfat buttermilk

Directions:

• Combine ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Drizzle over lettuce. Take a bite. You're welcome.