Blue Box Blues

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kerryannk
kerryannk Posts: 148
in Health and Weight Loss
My guilty pleasure is Kraft Mac n Cheese. And apparently I must eat the entire box. Well, not today little orange dinosaur.

I've been trying to find alternatives to my mac love. Today I decided to make a cheese sauce with skim milk, flour, cheddar, some paprika and cayenne and added it to whole wheat rotini. It was pretty good, definitely not the blue box, but you know, not bad.

BLUE BOX (1 container) Calories: 870 Protein: 27 Fat: 18 Sat. Fat: 11 Carbs: 150 Sugar: 0 Sodium: 1,740

By adding tuna to my mac, I could only eat 1 serving because I was so full! (I even tried to go back for seconds, like I do with blue box... you know for experimental purposes... :) )
My mac for 1 serving:

Calories: 399 Protein: 22 Fat: 15 Sat. Fat: 9 Carbs: 47 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 370

So all in all, I'm going to say success!



Does anyone have any guilty pleasures that you found you were able to replace with a healthy alternative? Please share!

Replies

  • mckenzie330
    mckenzie330 Posts: 15 Member
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    wow, awesome- I loveee mac and cheese - it's my guilty pleasure, and I'm definitely about to try out your recipe!!

    My other guilty pleasure is mashed potatoes- which we all know can be pretty caloric without much nutrition! My substitute suggestion is mashed cauliflower- with the right ingredients, it tastes just as good and is way better for you in all aspects!

    Simple way to make it (I don't even use the small amount of normal, instant mashed potatoes they suggest- it makes little difference, and is not worth the calories! ):

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsidedishes/r/cauliflowermash.htm
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Oh my gosh, everything! i like to cook so experiment a fair bit and have revamped all our favorite recipes for healthier ingredients.

    I make a 'boneless chicken wings" recipe with boneless skinless chickn thighs that is to die for, have made cinnamon buns with the refined whole wheat flour (acts like white flour in baking kind) and brown sugar splenda with vegan Becel (im also lactose intolerant), sub'ed ground turkey and brown rice in my cabbage rolls . . . you name the recipe and I can guarantee I can make a much healthier way to cook it and have it taste as good, or better than the original.

    Im still surprised sometimes at how much things taste better using fresh herbs and spices and better ingredients than just fat and sodium for flavor.
  • utes09
    utes09 Posts: 561 Member
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    Congrats to you!! Sadly I give in to my "blue box blues" but not that much. The hubby is allergic to dairy and soy cheese doesn't melt well to do a homemade version so we just use lactose free milk when making Kraft.

    The way I've made that healthier is omit the butter, up the milk to 1/3 cup and then add fresh veggies!! Tomatoes and cauliflower are delicious added!! We're going to try tomatoes and mushrooms this week actually! :) Also we divide the box servings into three so per serving it's not too bad.
  • kerryannk
    kerryannk Posts: 148
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    wow, awesome- I loveee mac and cheese - it's my guilty pleasure, and I'm definitely about to try out your recipe!!

    My other guilty pleasure is mashed potatoes- which we all know can be pretty caloric without much nutrition! My substitute suggestion is mashed cauliflower- with the right ingredients, it tastes just as good and is way better for you in all aspects!

    Simple way to make it (I don't even use the small amount of normal, instant mashed potatoes they suggest- it makes little difference, and is not worth the calories! ):

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsidedishes/r/cauliflowermash.htm

    i've heard about cauliflower and its versatility! have you heard that you can make alfredo sauce from it as well? i saw it on dr. oz once, but i dont have the recipe off hand.

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