Healthy Mac & Cheese Alternative?

[tankgirl73]

DS is a picky eater. Not quite as bad as white-bread-PBJ-only, but pretty close. He does like some healthy things that most kids don't. But his repertoire is pretty limited.

We've got into kind of a rut for lunches. Hot dogs or Kraft Dinner (that's Kraft Mac & Cheese in the US), most days. He DEMANDS KD as often as possible. At least he prefers the "Sharp Cheddar" variety which does taste a bit more like 'real cheese', and I do use organic milk in it, but it's still... well, you know, Kraft Dinner!

He doesn't like any of the "natural" boxed mac and cheese we've tried. And he hasn't liked any homemade mac and cheese I've tried, either.

Anyone have a recipe which turns out REALLY SIMILAR to KD, only healthy and homemade?

Please understand I don't want your "favourite mac recipe that our whole family loves and trust me your son will love it and forget all about KD." He won't like it. LOL... I'm just wondering how to make homemade mac turn out similar to KD, as backwards as that sounds.

If I can do that, then maybe gradually I can adjust the recipe to be even healthier, bit by bit, without him noticing...

DD loves KD too. She's only 2.5, and she's got (for the most part) very healthy eating habits (we did baby-led solids and I knew sooooooo much more about introducing TASTY foods from the beginning). I'd hate for her to lose her love of good food and get addicted to this junk like the rest of us...

[flminivanmama]

what about adding the powder to your own homemade recipe and then gradually add less and less?

[fresh_veggie]

Good luck I feel like you were describing my husband sometimes, lol.

One time I tried this "vegan" mac 'n "chreese"...:Puke

Annie's is almost kraft like - maybe add some fake cheese (velveeta, kraft american) to annies and then slowly decrease how much you add each time?

[webjefita]

hmmm.... I don't know because I've got the exact same problem, except it's the Trader Joe's white shells and cheese, which may be organic or whatever but it's still powdered cheese, yk?

I've been trying different ways of using real cheese, making a cheese sauce, and even adding some of the powder back in, but he's not eating any of it

[cristeen]

Just a random thought...

Can you try introducing the cheese sauce in another form... like with veggies? Then once you find a cheese sauce he likes, you can try serving the veggies with cheese sauce with buttered pasta. From there it's a short distance to putting the veggies with cheese sauce on top of the buttered pasta to making it one dish.

Afraid I can't help with the making it taste just like it though... I started making my own years ago and got DH used to my homemade stuff - and now he can't stand the boxed stuff (and this is the guy who lived on the boxed stuff during his bachelor years).

[quest4quiet]

I swear they should call it crack & cheese. When my DS went through this phase, I started adding pureed acorn squash to the mac. I could usually get half a squash in a pot of mac without him noticing. Good luck. I feel your pain.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

i add pureed white beans, califlower, or squash to mac and cheese with good results.

[Talula Fairie]

This is a yummy non dairy version of Mac and "Cheeze" My dairy loving family snarfs it up. Some people don't like nutritional yeast, so if you don't, it won't work for you. But my family loves it.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10...nd-cheeze.html

[Mom2M]

I also added pureed beans/squash/cauliflower or carrots to boxed mac & cheese and she never noticed. You really can't taste it.
My DD was extremely picky for a while and I got this book called the sneaky chef (something like that) and it was great!

Deb

[constance.s]

I know Alton Brown did a homemade mac'n'cheese for people who like the Kraft version on his show a couple of years ago. I can't vouch for it, but search it up on foodtv.com and see if it looks promising.

[mrs joe bubby]

Yeah I was just going to suggest Alton's version. For your picky eater son you may want to halve the dry mustard and the hot sauce. We all like it just as written though.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

[tankgirl73]

Thank you! I'll try that one and see what he thinks. It's the texture as much as it is the flavour for him, and the homemade baked ones just have a completely different texture. I did find one really good one awhile ago that was nice and creamy, but he didn't like it.

I like the idea of adding the icky cheese powder to "real" mac and cheese in order to transition. I can get the stuff in bulk at the bulk food store.

[zinemama]

I think you are better off trying to sneak things in as pp have mentioned than trying a new recipe. Short of your very own home chemistry lab, there is nothing you can do that is going to mimic the taste of Kraft. Because it's not real food. At least, not in the Michael Pollan sense (i.e. Would your great-grandmother recognize it as food?)

Not saying this to condemn you for serving it! Lord knows I have been there with a picky eater. But replicating the taste of Kraft healthily is not going to happen.

[Pepper44]

Have you ever tried making a cream sauce to put over noodles instead of baking mac and cheese? All you have to do is melt a few TB of butter, add a TB or so of flour, and add a cup of milk...more or less of everything until the texture is right. (Add more flour or arrow root to thicken, more milk to thin it.) Then slowly stir in shredded cheese of your choice until it melts into a sauce. Add plenty of salt to taste like processed kraft. Mix in noodles. Voila!

If he likes that you can probably start sneaking in pureed veggies to the sauce at some point...

[_betsy_]

Have you tried having him help you make the homemade mac and cheese? Maybe if he has some ownership of it, he'll like it better?

I dunno. I've got a 33-month-old Trader Joe's Shells and White Cheddar addict, myself

[i0lanthe]

I have a homemade instant mac and cheese recipe that a preschooler can make (mostly)
- cooked elbow mac
- cottage cheese
- grated cheddar cheese
combine in a serving-size bowl, microwave until melty, stir, let cool a little.

I never liked Kraft mac'n'cheese (so gross) and haven't eaten/bought any in the past couple decades so I'm not sure how it compares to Kraft flavor.

[webjefita]

Originally Posted by Pepper44

Have you ever tried making a cream sauce to put over noodles instead of baking mac and cheese? All you have to do is melt a few TB of butter, add a TB or so of flour, and add a cup of milk...more or less of everything until the texture is right. (Add more flour or arrow root to thicken, more milk to thin it.) Then slowly stir in shredded cheese of your choice until it melts into a sauce. Add plenty of salt to taste like processed kraft. Mix in noodles. Voila!

If he likes that you can probably start sneaking in pureed veggies to the sauce at some point...

This is what I do when I make it from scratch. I've been varying the cheeses used, from colby jack to extra sharp cheddar.

Today I finally learned what it is he doesn't like: the texture! The sauce is thick and gooey, and he doesn't like it (which is actually what I love about homemade mac-n-cheese). The boxed stuff is very, you know, uniform and smooth.

I'm definitely going to add those pureed vegetables, though, and see how much I can sneak in.

[Ruthla]

Would he eat pasta with plain butter? It's similar in texture to crap mac n cheese although a different flavor. Maybe he'd do better keeping the familar texture but aquiring a taste for a more natural flavor, rather than trying to do it the other way around.

[lil_earthmomma]

So I think I figured out why homemade mac and cheese just doesn't cut it with the littles. It isn't sweet! I added a little maple syrup and it was a hit at the potluck I took it to. Picky picky kids were scarfing it down, and every mama wanted the recipe!

My mac and cheese recipe:
1 package macaroni noodles (I actually used cavatappi)
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup cream
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste (skip the pepper for your little)
2 1/2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese
(for the grown up version I added some smoked gouda, and about 1 1/2 tbsp dijon as well as green onion)

Cook pasta and drain.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Whisk in flour until smooth and allow to brown. Add cream and milk and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese. Whisk until smooth. Add back to reduced heat and add the other cup of cheese. Don't be afraid to add a little extra milk if it's looking too thick, but you do want it nice and thick. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Add drizzle of maple syrup until it tastes just a teeny bit sweet and kraft dinner ish. At this point add your grown up ingredients if you like.

Toss the pasta and the sauce into an oven safe dish and cover in the last 1/2 cup of cheese. Stick oven at 375, for 20 min.

To make it more uniform and not gooey, skip the baking step and drizzle a little extra cream and butter as you mix your pasta into your sauce. This will thin it out a bit and coat the noodles in more of a kraft dinner sort of way.

It's worth a shot... give it a try!!!

Allow to stand for a couple min and then devour!!!

The nice thing about this recipe is it has possibility for infinite variations!

[Ashtony]

Thanks for the information guys, Off to a better for you mac and cheese.