Macoroini & Cheese to LIVE for!

James and I were craving a thick and delicious macaroni and cheese….at the same time….we wanted to feed our body nutritious food…. Do we have to suffer while demonstrating intense will power as we resist this temptation? Not if we bust out our creativity and enjoy macaroni and cheese to LIVE for!!

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” –La Rochefoucauld

Macaroni and cheese to LIVE for is packed with four superfoods: broccoli, red pepper, squash, and soy; complemented with whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread crumbs!

Why on earth would we want to eat macaroni & cheese filled with superfoods? Well, let’s just examine the ingredients on the popular box macaroni and cheese:

To DIE for box Ingredients: Modified food starch, sodium tripolyphosphate, buttermilk solids, sodium phosphate, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, lactic acid, yellow 5, yellow 6.

To LIVE for home made ingredients: vitamin A 32869 IU, vitamin C 100.mg, vitamin E 5.6mg, Folate 100.9mcg, protein 10g, calcium 100.mg, potassium 1582mg, Omega 3 fatty acids, 60, Omega 6 45, fiber 12g.

I don’t know about you, but I might as well suck on the tail pipe of my car while it’s running if I am going to eat the DIE for ingredients.

We baked the Macaroni on Sunday and will enjoy the dish for 3-4 dinners this week, allowing us to save mega time and mega $$!!


Macoroini & Cheese to LIVE for Recipie!

1 small butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup chicken broth

1.5 cups soy milk

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

1 lb of organic whole wheat elbow macaroni

2 Orange Pepper, diced

Fresh Broccoli, chapped into small pieces (I use four stocks of broccoli, but use the tops and only some of the stocks)

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 cup fat free ricotta cheese

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs

2 teaspoons olive oil
Combine squash, broth and milk in medium sauce pan (depending on the size of the squash, you may need to add more broth and soy milk in order to cover the squash). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender (about 20-25 minutes). Remove from heat. Blend squash mixture in a blender until liquefied, add cayenne, salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil and add noddles. Cook al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, transfer to large bowl, stir in squash mixture, pepper, broccoli, cheddar, ricotta and two tablespoons of Parmesan.
Lightly coat 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In small bowl combine breadcrumbs , the remaining Parmesan and oil. sprinkle over noddle mixture.

Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tops is lightly brown. ENJOY!