meatless mondays and lightening up family favorites

Some of you may have heard "Meatless Mondays" mentioned before.  It's an increasingly common suggestion made by all kinds of public health and healthcare professionals - especially dietitians!  The idea is, perhaps not surprisingly, to forgo the use of meat one day a week.  The intention is to promote increased consumption of plant sources of protein (beans/legumes/nuts/grains -- like quinoa) as well as fruits and vegetables.  It's an easy enough challenge to accept (I'm sure more than a few of you have thought to yourself, "one day? no meat? why not?!").  Then it is my responsibility to, #1, encourage you, and #2, provide you with some helpful hints and tips, right?  One of the easiest ways to fill up on loads of non-meat options is the meatless smorgasbord:

 (photo courtesy of my friend Megan)

The concept is simple enough - slice up some fruits and veggies (here we had grapes, strawberries, carrots, and broccoli), plate them along with some yummy cheeses (we had gouda, cheddar, and goat cheese) and dips (we went healthy with yogurt Ranch dip and hummus), and toss in some crackers (my favorites were the Almond Nut Thins).  The idea of making fruits, vegetables, crackers, and cheese your dinner might sound a bit underwhelming to some of you - and we even heard from our husbands that night that it just couldn't be called dinner - but by the end of the Bachelorette (our reason for regular Monday get-togethers), we were all full to bursting!  

Another great aspect of this approach is the potential for great variety.  Regular trips to your local farmer's market will provide a changing inventory as the seasons change and you can also use this as an opportunity to try different variations of hummus and yogurt-based dips, as well as new varieties of cheese.  And, if you're anything like me, this is a wonderful way to avoid cooking anything and heating up the kitchen on these hot summer nights!

I repeated the meatless exercise tonight, but with a decidedly heartier entry.  I had pulled out my aunt's macaroni and cheese recipe this weekend as part of the meal I was providing for my cousin (new baby, yay!).  We usually have it at family Thanksgivings, so of course it is delicious in it's full-fat glory, but I felt the need to lighten it up as much as possible.  The recipe as I made it is included at the bottom of this post.  Fortunately for me, I ended up with extra of all the necessary components and made some mac and cheese for the husband, a friend, and myself tonight.  

Another photo courtesy of Megan.

Today I also enjoyed a salad made with endive and hearts of palm, and a few roasted Brussels sprouts (it was my first attempt at this recipe and I failed to notice the cautionary reviews, so I burnt all but 5 beyond edibility).  

Endive and hearts of palm with a ginger dressing - very crunchy and very satisfying!

Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts.

Season the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.

Brussels sprouts, all ready for roasting. 

It all made for a very filling Meatless Monday!  Of course, even the lightened macaroni and cheese is still a very heavy dish and falls under the "Sometimes Food" heading -- but as long as you watch the portion size (aim for 1 cup or less) and pair it with lean foods (like steamed or roasted veggies), there's no harm in enjoying it occasionally!  If any of you try and enjoy this lightened version, I hope you will remember it the next time you make a heart family favorite.  There are often many opportunities to lighten these dishes - choose reduced fat or skim dairy products, substitute fat free (and high protein!) Greek yogurt for mayo or sour cream, or just use less of the high fat components (like cheese!).  Small changes are better than no changes at all, but I would encourage y'all to find ways to cut back or lighten up wherever possible.

I'll post again soon and will also share the delicious dishes I come across (and sometimes even make myself!) in an effort to help you all with your own Meatless Mondays.

Hope you're all well and thanks to all of y'all for reading.  As always - please contact me with any questions/concerns!   --KYI

Recipes:

Roasted Brussels sprouts ( 193 calories per serving )-- I'm trying this again immediately because even the burnt ones were delicious!!  I'll be making it with the largest sprouts I can find and will reduce the time and temperature (400°F for 20 minutes, or 350°F for 25-30 minutes).

Endive and Hearts of Palm Salad (about 160 calories for a large salad):

Endive and hearts of palm are so easy to prepare - just start slicing! (There are some woody bits at the core toward the endive's base that will need to be removed)

Aunt Susan's Macaroni and Cheese (lightened by Yeogoe)

serves 6 (527 calories/serving) to 8 (395 calories/serving)

Ingredients:

8-ounce package of large elbow macaroni

1/2 cup butter (I prefer to cook with butter and use Smart Balance in my regular intake -- on toast, etc.  I might have a go at this recipe using Smart Balance one day - I'll update this post if it is an adequate substitution)

1/2 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

3 cups skim milk (the original recipe called for the use of half & half or a combination of half & half with milk)

4-ounces 2% Velveeta (I am reluctant to use processed cheese, but it melts so well - I'll update this post if I sort out a good substitution)

8-12 ounces grated Cheddar (I used 4 ounces of medium Cheddar and 4 ounces reduced fat mild Cheddar)

The changes and substitutions made to this recipe were well-received, so don't hesitate to use them!

Directions:

Cook macaroni according to the package's directions.  Leave in water until sauce is ready.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth.  Add milk a little at a time, and stir until smooth.  Once all the milk has been added to the sauce, return it to heat/turn stove on again.  Bring the sauce to a boil - stir constantly, don't neglect the sauce as it will scorch.  When sauce just starts to thicken, reduce heat to low.  Continue to stir until sauce thickens.  Cube Velveeta and add to warm sauce.  

Once the Velveeta has melted, drain the macaroni, add it to sauce, and stir well.  Pour the noodles and sauce into a shallow 9x13-inch pan that has been greased/sprayed with Pam.  Sprinkle the macaroni and cheese with the grated Cheddar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F, or until melted and bubbly.