Easy Mac’n’Cheese

Wednesday is over – that means we’re one day closer to the weekend  :)

Since I only ended up eating half of my soup, I went looking for a snack in the vending machine this afternoon.

I actually found a pretty good snack!

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Nestled in among the Hot Fries and Snickers were these 100 calorie packs of chocolate covered cranberries!

I was very surprised to see this in there – I didn’t even know Nestle made raisinets with cranberries. It was a good little snack to hold me over until we got home.

I didn’t really plan on running today, but the weather was really nice so we went on a quick 3 mile run. We figured we better enjoy this weather while we have it!

I’ve been looking through some new magazines I got this week for meal ideas, including the new Cooking Light to look through/review. Thanks again Miranda!

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I already have a lot of recipes tagged to make soon  ;)  Especially that one on the cover! It looks like the perfect fall meal.

Funny enough, my dinner tonight actually came out of last month’s Cooking Light!

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I had tagged this Bacon Mac recipe when I first got this magazine last month from Miranda and have been waiting to make it since.

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I love the new layout of the magazine – you still get the great recipes, but it’s so clean now and a bit easier to read.

I also love Cooking Light because every recipe I’ve tried has rocked.

This mac’n’cheese recipe was so creamy and cheesy, you would never know it didn’t have any butter or heavy cream.

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The only changes I made were out of necessity:

  • I used 3 different shapes of whole wheat pasta to make up the 12 oz it called for.
  • I used 1 cup of fat free evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water (instead of 1.5 cups skim) since I was out of regular skim. It worked perfect!

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Nick went back for seconds, so I’d call that a success! I’m also happy we have leftovers ;)

I’ve got some fun stuff, like fold laundry…better get to it!

 

What’s your favorite mac’n’cheese? Velveeta? Kraft? Homemade?

No judgment here ;)  I’ve made plenty of boxed macaroni. In fact, a few summers when we were home, I remember making velveeta shells and cheese for me and my little sister almost everyday for lunch!

 

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24 comments

  1. I saw those cranberry Raisinets the other day and almost got some. They look so good!

    I love homemade mac and cheese. Mine is ok… my mom makes an awesome one.

  2. OMGosh I’ve never seen those cranberries! I can’t wait to find them now!!!

  3. I was definitely a blue box kid — loved the spongebob shapes :)

  4. First of all – raisinets were my movie choice back in the day. Also back in the day, hot fries were amazing!

    I was a Kraft kid through and through! I even topped mine with Tabasco and pepper because that’s how my dad ate it :)

  5. Looks great! I love mixing boxes of macaroni. It makes the meal much more fun.

  6. total yum!

    It was super nice here today too, so i made sure to get outside while i can! :)

    http://saladdiva.wordpress.com

  7. ohhh..i can’t wait to get home and read my cooking light mags that are piling up!!!

    and i always loved my mom’s homemade mac and cheese…too bad i’m lactose intolerant now. boohiss!

  8. Shouldn’t they be called Craisinettes? They look great though :-)

    I used to love velveeta shells in college with hotdogs added in. Quick and easy and I could eat the whole box.

    Now I if I make mac and cheese its definitely homemade. I haven’t tried Annies but I heard that’s good for a pinch.

  9. We had our fair share of Kraft growing up, and every time I made it, I always left out the milk because I didn’t really like milk when I was younger. Every once in a while, my mom would make this great homemade mac n cheese, which I still can’t replicate. So, if I had to choose, it would be homemade.

  10. That mac and cheese looks awesome! I don’t discriminate when it comes to macaroni and cheese, I love it all!

  11. Ummm can your vending machine company PLEASE come stock up our machines haha yum!!! That issue of Cooking Light has some great recipes-looks like your mac n’ cheese turned out fantastically!!! :) I made the chicken w/ tomatoes & olives, so good too ;)

  12. I love homemade, but there is a huge part of me that loves the one with the foil packet of cheese. It is SO good!

    P.S. I am doing a Glo Bar giveaway! :)

  13. mmm i love mac and cheese! i was just looking at that recipe in cooking light!
    but seriously, there are days where nothing beats the blue box…

  14. I am addicted to Amy’s Organic Mac N Cheese in the oven. I add a bunch of broccoli, mushrooms and whatever other random veggies the last ten minutes and it’s super creamy, delicious and the perfect sized meal.

    However, I would probably take yours if given the option. :)

  15. i’m not a huge mac and cheese person but i do like annie’s shells and cheese (one of the only foods i knew how to “make” in college)

  16. Too funny – I just posted about how I love getting Cooking Light but have never made anything from it! I’m challenging myself to make one recipe from it at least once a month, so I’m looking forward to that.

    As for mac n’ cheese, I absolutely love my mom’s homemade version. She doesn’t use a recipe, and it’s fabulous. I really need to get her to teach me how to make it!

  17. Homemade mac and cheese, all the way! With bacon and kabocha, preferably! And at least 3 kinds of cheeses….ooh lalala~

  18. Those cranberries sound FAB! I never ever have heard of them, but I need to go hunt some down!

  19. Oh my, I forgot about Velveeta until this moment. That was a staple in my mom’s house for a long time.

  20. Yum that looks great! Velveeta is definitely delish. Cooking Light is awesome!

  21. That looks really good! :)
    Well, I never really had mac n’ cheese. ahaha It’s definitely not something we eat here. I mean, I’ve eaten dishes with pasta and cheese but I don’t think it’s the same thing.

  22. The trader joe whole wheat individual mac and cheeses are portable and very convenient, not to mention delicious

  23. I’m obviously a Kraft girl through and through but I do love my grandma’s homemade mac-n-cheese. And I usually add peas just like the old days!

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