Cooking For Kids

The Family Table: Macaroni & Cheese Night Makeover

A family meal gets real: EatingWell helps busy families get a healthy meal on the table—fast.

The Kropfs are a busy family of four. Our goal: to revamp one of their favorite meals: mac and cheese. Our team (a nutritionist and a cook from our Test Kitchen) tripled the fiber and increased the nutrients in this family favorite and, most important, the meal is a snap to make.
:)

The menu

From: Eating Well.com

No-Bake Macaroni & Cheese
Orange-Glazed Shredded Carrots
OR...
Creamy Green Beans
Romaine tossed salad
Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits
Lemon Zinger Cider

Goal #1: Boost vegetables and whole grains
Meal makeover

Bagging the boxed mac-and-cheese and upgrading to whole-wheat pasta triples the fiber and adds magnesium and selenium.

Cooking frozen broccoli with the pasta adds a stealth serving of vegetables to boost folate and vitamins A and C.

Switching sides from frozen corn to Orange-Glazed Shredded Carrots or Creamy Green Beans dramatically increases the vitamin content.

Upgrading salad from iceberg to romaine lettuce pumps up the vitamin A and ups the folate by nearly 500%. For even faster prep, use prewashed romaine lettuce. Toss in grape tomatoes, mandarin oranges or other fruit or vegetables you have on hand for a quick, kid-friendly bowlful. Use your favorite vinaigrette dressing or try our Basic Vinaigrette.

Serving up Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits for dessert doubles the calcium and halves the saturated fat, while adding fiber, vitamins A and C and antioxidants.

Goal #2: Keep prep time around 45 minutes
Family meal timeline

Make Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits; cover and chill.
Put water on to boil for No-Bake Macaroni & Cheese.
Trim and cut green beans, if serving.
Combine sauce ingredients for Orange-Glazed Shredded Carrots or Creamy Green Beans.
Prepare salad.
Prepare the carrots or green beans.
Prepare the mac & cheese.
Shopping list for this meal:
(not including regular pantry items)

Fruits & vegetables
Broccoli, frozen chopped, 10-ounce box
Pre-shredded carrots, two 10-ounce bags
Green beans, 1 pound
Romaine lettuce, prewashed, 1 bag
Salad veggies and/or fruit
Raspberries, 1⁄2 pint
Pineapple chunks, fresh, frozen or canned, 11⁄2 cups

Refrigerated aisle
Extra-sharp shredded Cheddar cheese, 8-ounce bag
Shredded Parmesan cheese, 1 small container
Nonfat peach yogurt, two 8-ounce containers
Orange juice, 1 pint

Dry goods
Whole-wheat elbow noodles, 1 package
Dijon mustard
Reduced-fat mayonnaise
Reduced-sodium chicken broth, 14-ounce can
Salad dressing (family favorite)
Cornstarch
Garlic powder
White pepper


Enjoy! :D