Always Macaroni

When you ask Cole what he wants for dinner, it's always macaroni and cheese. Whenever he asks what we are having for dinner, I will tell him, and then he says, "Macaroni and cheese?"

He also told me this morning that he was playing dress-up. He was buck naked, holding 3 chop sticks and putting on his boots...... (I refrained from taking pictures, as I fear I have already plastered that nakey boy on here more than I should...but know that it was a really hilarious sight!) 

You have to take a lot of what he says with a grain of salt....however, not with his mac and cheese addiction, when he says that's what he wants---that's what he wants.

He doesn't get terribly excited about anything other than those noodles and cheese. So, I actually serve it often. Only, I try to avoid the box when possible....and sneak in veggies when I can.  So far these have been some top contenders on the loveable scale.

The Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese......it's the Pioneer Woman for goodness sake, of course it's good. And of course it doesn't skimp on the butter, cream and cheese...but it is sooooo good! This is usually the recipe I bring to friend's after a baby is born (especially if they have other children) because it is a recipe that will be demolished by all. However, it is a bit labor intensive, which is why I usually skip this for a simple weeknight meal.Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to make a good roux, without burning while simultaneously breaking up lego scuffles, convincing one child to share with other child, and wiping snot and tears every 5 seconds.....dinner prep time usually turns into war zone....

So then I found this recipe, and it solved all my problems.  You can even make it ahead of time (aka during nap time) and pop it in the oven for dinner. Plus, it includes some hidden broccoli--perfect!

Skinny Baked Macaroni and Cheese: I have yet to try a recipe on Skinnytaste that isn't great, and they are all nutrition packed meals. Both boys gobbled this one up.

But then, we tried this recipe last week. And it was a different take on stove top mac and cheese. And if you are looking for something that is just as quick and convenient as the boxed variety....this is for you! It's a little different tasting one, but was a nice change of pace for this mama. And the boys seemed to think it was pretty good.

Cole even asked me to take a picture of his after he dug in.....

I'm telling you, he has a future in food styling. :)

Here is the recipe I used ( Creamy Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese), the only thing I did differently was I threw in some Parmesan and little extra cheese to please the cheese eaters, oh, and I forgot to grab some spinach so I chopped up some kale super fine (to which Cole quickly proclaimed that he didn't ask for salad....to which I said, it's not. And then threw it in all stealth like.) While boiling the pasta,  I quickly mixed up the rest of the ingredients so that I just had to dump it all in at the end, and mix just like you would with any boxed kind. See, soooo easy! 

I hope this helps those of you who are like me and get requests for mac n cheese and ONLY mac n cheese day in and day out. Makes it interesting, a little more healthy, and the kiddos satisfied.

Win-win.