Ladders & Better than Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe

I have always been a perfectionist. If I don't have the ability to do something perfect the very first time I do it, I pretty much refuse to do it (just ask my dad how long it took me to drive a stick shift...) It's such a problem and leads to so much stress, anxiety, and fear in my life.

My dad told me something when I was little and it has always stuck with me. Life is like a box of chocolates ladder. Everyone is on their own little ladder and some people may be WAY higher than you on their ladder and others are WAY lower. But forget about them! They don't matter. All that matters is that you are going up on your ladder and improving every day. Be a better person today than you were yesterday. I seriously have to remind myself of this daily.

I see people who are amazing and talented and I feel so worthless. I don't play the piano. I don't paint. I don't dress fashionably. I don't play any sports. I don't look like a model. I don't build boats (ha! talk about feeling inadequate!) But seriously, I don't have any talents that could be in a talent show or win a trophy. It's always gotten me down.

I need to stop comparing myself to others. I do have talents that maybe aren't as noticeable. But, that's not the point of this post... Sometimes I go off on tangents (SQUIRREL!! name that movie) the purpose of this post is to talk about one way I am climbing up my ladder and becoming a better person. The big thing I am working on right now is being healthy.

For most people, eating healthy is hard. For me, it is even harder. I am THE pickiest eater you will ever meet. I am pickier than the kids I nanny. It's actually kind of ridiculous. I can name all the fruits and veggies I'll actually eat on two hands. The food I normally eat looks like this:

Processed, sugary, and full of carbs. So I always found myself saying, "I'd love to eat healthy but I don't like spinach, strawberries, bananas, avocados, pears, etc..." I seriously TRY to like these things but when I try them I gag. So annoying. But, it's not an excuse anymore! So what if I only like a few fruits and veggies? I can focus on the ones I will actually eat without puking. So now my food is looking like this:

I have been eating at least two fruits and two veggies daily. Boo-freaking-ya! (mixed in with all the processed foods pictured above... but hey, I'm working on it!)

On top of eating healthier, I have been running every other day and doing strengthening exercises on the off days. I can't even tell you how good it feels to run again! Best feeling in the world.

The last thing I've been doing is tracking what I'm eating using the My Fitness Pal app. It's amazing how fast calories, carbs, and sugars add up! What I've been learning is I can still eat the things I like, like pizza, I just need to eat smaller portions and add fruits and veggies to fill me up. Before, I didn't eat any fruits or veggies, which meant I filled up on food that was high in calories.

So I'm the biggest dork and basically five years old... To help me track my four goals (eat fruits every day, eat veggies every day, workout five times a week, and stay under calories) I made a calendar. I get a colored dot per goal I reach. It REALLY helps me to stay motivated (like a five year old with a sticker chart!)

My goal with all of this is not to be on a "diet." I just want to establish a healthier lifestyle that will stick with me forever. Sure, it would be great to lose 5-10 pounds, but if I don't that's fine too. I want to take care of this body that was given to me by Heavenly Father. I want to live until I'm 90. And not just be alive... Actually live. So hopefully I will continue to climb up my "health ladder" and be one of those sassy grandmas that runs marathons :)

Okay, so before you start thinking "wow, good job Hannah! You're so healthy!" let me share my favorite recipe with you... and it's definitely not anywhere close to healthy. So now I just eat smaller portions, but there's no way I can cut out alfredo! No siree Bob. I'm somewhat of an alfredo snob, and if you ask me, it is way better than Olive Garden's alfredo. Way way better. I originally got this recipe from Landon's cousin Melyssa and have tweaked it just a little bit.

Ingredients

1/4 C flour
1/4 C butter
1 C heavy whipping cream
1 C half and half (or you can just do 2 C half and half, it will be healthier but not as thick)
1 C water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 Parmesan cheese (or if you're like me... A little more!)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Garlic powder (to taste)
1 box of your favorite noodles (my favorite right now is Cavatappi, the big curly noodles pictured above)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Use wire whisk to stir in flour and make a paste.

2. Slowly whisk in half and half, whipping cream, water, and bouillon cubes--stirring constantly.

**this is normally about the time that I start cooking the pasta**

3. Let the sauce simmer and thicken for 10 minutes (ish)

4. Stir in Parmesan cheese and stir frequently until melted completely. If you are like me and added a lot of cheese, your sauce might be a little too thick... just add a little more half and half or whipping cream.

5. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste (I usually add a good amount of garlic. That's why this recipe has WAY more flavor than OG's)

6. Serve over cooked pasta and add cooked chicken if desired.

This meal is a staple in our house. I am obsessed. ENJOY!

This is my "I'm so excited I can hardly wait for alfredo tonight" face. I have an addiction for real.

And this is my "I promise I'm  normal and not crazy face" :)