Mac and Cheese Guilt

Mac and Cheese Guilt = The feeling you get every time you see your kids eating store bought macaroni and cheese from a box, even if it is the ‘healthier’ Annie’s kind.

I suffer from it.  

But what is a mom to do?  My kids LIVE for that stuff!  They can eat it every day and never get bored – it’s cray cray!

And dare I say it is SO EASY.   Once per week without fail my kids’ dinner consists of mac and cheese, broccoli (thank goodness they like it – helps counteract the guilt), and a protein, be it edamame, scrambled eggs, or some type of baked chicken.

Now in actuality that is not really a horrible dinner.  They’ve got protein and veggies, after all, even if they are accompanied by some store bought mac.  I would give myself a ‘B’ rating for nutrition.

But I’m a geek (seriously, the library was my second home in college) and I like getting A’s. So I am not just happy – I am BEYOND EXCITED – to let you know that I have FINALLY cracked the code on mac and cheese that is TRULY healthier!!  

And last week, for the first time, instead of a B rating on mac and cheese night, I not only got an A, but an A+!!!

You ready for it?

It’s called Banza pasta.  It is made from chickpeas.   Pure protein!  I’ve tried other replacement pastas (lentil pasta and pasta made from other beans) and they don’t compare to Banza.

A friend of mine told me that HER friend swore by it, so I decided to give it a shot.  I was definitely taking a risk because I didn’t find it in any supermarkets and had to buy it from Amazon and pay for 6 boxes!*

When the Banza pasta arrived, I decided to see if there were any recipes on their site and low and behold, there were a ton!  I scrolled through and found one for mac and cheese and decided to go for it.

First of all, it is probably the easiest mac and cheese recipe ever.

Second of all, when I tried it, I couldn’t believe how  FREAKING DELICIOUS it was!

Third of all, when my son tried it, he LOVED it! My son tends to enjoy healthier food, so him loving it was definitely a great sign but not the true test.  

The true test was my daughter…and she LIKED it!  (I’ll take it!)  She was perfectly OK having it for mac and cheese night. BOOM!!!

So without further ado, the mac and cheese recipe that has finally allowed me to rid myself of Mac and Cheese Guilt:

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Banza Elbows (or any type you want)
  • 1 four ounce can of evaporated milk.  (I used almond milk since that is what I had on hand, and it worked perfectly, so I’m sure any type of milk would be fine.)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pan.
  2. Whisk the milk, egg yolk, salt and Dijon mustard together.
  3. Add butter and milk mixture to pasta noodles.
  4. Once butter melts, add in cheese.
  5. Stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*I just came home from Whole Foods and saw that they are now selling Banza pasta!!

If you enjoyed this article and want to get great tips like these delivered right to your inbox, please click here and enter your email to begin receiving weekly updates from Instill Health. Also, be sure to like us on facebook because you will find amazing recipes there that are not posted on the Instill Health website.  

MacandCheeseGuilt