Dezolutions

Gimme that kraft mac n cheeeeeeeeeeese!!

Psych….

No stuff in the blue box for me , thank you. Wow, I can’t believe I said that. I’ve been hooked on the orange powder (And NOW creamy packet of goodness) for yeeeeeeeeeears. I’ve had Mac’n'Cheese so many times, I’ve literally given my brother a complex and he can’t even HEAR the stuff being made without gagging.

I just LOVE it… and I’ll continue to love it for the rest of my life….but I can’t just sit here and pretend its good for me, even in moderation. 

So this week, I’ve been craving it big time. And I walk by the ‘Kraft Cheese cause its the Cheesiest’ aisle every week now….and I still fight the urge to buckle. But I am victorious, and haven’t picked up a box in long long time.  I’ve held my cravings over by ordering some serious decadent dishes from John Harvards (buffalo chicken mac n cheese) and Lord Hobo mac n cheese…both just sooooo yum. I’m sure its better than the chemical stuff since everything is prepared fresh…although I’m positive the fat/butter content is sky-high. But that’s been 2 times in 2 months. Thats not bad at all.

I am ready to start cooking, for real this time. I’m getting bored of the same 10-15 healthy meals I have perfected and I’m ready for the big leagues….or whatever comes out of the cookbooks that are on sale at Borders.

I got a great recommendation from my bff over at pushingthirtyy.  Hungry Girl cookbooks (unfortunately, these weren’t on sale)I picked up the 200 recipes under 200 calories. EEEEEEE!! I can’t wait to try some of these dishes! Right up my alley.  Then as I was leaving, it dawned on me. My boyfriends hates my stupid floofy girl meals.  He’s always super hungry after, leaves him unsatisfied.  Just the other day, I made us healthy BLTS and soup.

Quick side recipe:
2 slices of turkey bacon
1 tsp of mayo (*YES even REAL Mayo)
lots of lettuce
2 slices of tomato
1 sandwich thin bun

Comes out to around 300 calories. Add half a can of soup (reduced fat italian wedding, in this case)…a great girl dinner of around 450 calories!

He had two sandwiches….and a cup of soup….then went back and had a big bowl of cereal. Then more snacks. Clearly, a sign that he needed more from his dinner. But, like I said earlier in my posts….you can’t eat like your boyfriend. Apparently, your boyfriend can’t eat like you either.

Here he is cooking. A man meal of course. Breakfast burritos for dinner.

Well… on my way out the door, I saw Rocco Dispirito’s new book “Now Eat This” (and this wasn’t on sale either…).  Which offer healthy substitutes to the manliest of man meals and comfort food. I knew I had to get it, and maybe boyfriend  and I can finally eat dinner together without making 10,000 pans for cooking separate meals.

Isn’t Rocco so handsome!??? I’d buy anything with that mug on… Him and Jamie Oliver, that sly lispy englishman…”hey bruvah”.

Ba’am.  Right on the first page is that Mac n Cheese…I knew I was destined to buy this book. Fast forward: I go to the store, buy all the stuff I need. Here’s the ingredient list!

4 oz of whole grain elbow macaroni
1/2 onion/garlic puree (super easy to make!)
1/2 tsp of dry mustard (I think thats just mustard powder)
pinch of cayenne
1 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup greek yogurt
salt
1/4 whole wheat panko breadcrumbs (He recommends Ians All Natural, and thats what I got)
1/4 grated parmesan cheese.

Here’s what I did, super easy.

Step 1. Onion Garlic Puree: one whole roughly chopped. 9 cloves of garlic, chopped. 1 cup of water. Put it all in a microwave safe bowl, and put all the contents in the bowl and nuke it for 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with saran wrap or a loosely cover it. When its done, add salt and pepper and put it in a blender and puree. The end.

Step2. Boil the macaroni. Al dente

Step 3. In another sauce pan, heat, add greek yogurt, cheddar, onion/garlic puree, cayenne, and dry mustard. Feel free to add any other spices that might give it some zing. I thought about adobo, maybe next time! Put it on medium heat and stir still everything is nice and melty. Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Step 4.  Strain noodles, put noodles in with the cheese sauce & stir. Spray baking pan, put the mac n cheese into the pan and sprinkle the top with the panko bread crumbs, then add parmesan cheese.

Step 5.  Put it in the oven for about 12 minutes. Should have a nice crispy layer on top, not burned!  Serves 4, and eat!!

Took me about 30 minutes from prep to eat. And take a look at the nutritional value!!

My god, thats a 443 calorie difference, and 25.5g of fat OFF!!!!

This was seriously, some easy stuff to cook. Now… I made the mistake of forgetting the mustard powder and cayenne and used fat-free cheddar than reduced fat..so it was a bit tart, but I know what to do next time! And it was still a great meal. And i was so filling and definitely satisfied my kraft mac n cheese craving!!!!

Give it a go!!

Filed under: #27 Organic/Vegetarian Tagged: | cookbooks, healthy eating, healthy recipe, hungry girl, kraft, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, man meals, panko, rocco dispirito