Love Mac and Cheese? Check this healthy version out

Love mac and cheese but can’t fit in into your calories? Here’s a delicious recipe with a great balance of carbs, fats, and protein!

Ingredients:

2 boxes Kraft mac and cheese

1 lb 93% ground turkey meat

1 bundle green onions diced

~1/2 cup milk (2% or lower)

~1/2 cup margarine or butter substitute

Your favorite vegetable - depending on what kind (I like broccoli or peas) will depend on how much you will need - but try to aim for 1 serving of vegetable per serving of macaroni

Additional cheddar cheese if you like it extra cheesy!

Salt and pepper as needed

Instructions:

1. Follow instructions of the Mac and Cheese.

2. Brown your ground turkey - add seasonings of your choosing, I normally add a taco meat seasoning or just salt and pepper.

3. Once your noodles and meat are cooked, combine in a large pot. Stir in the packets of seasoning, diced green onion, milk, margarine or butter substitute, vegetable and additional cheese if desired.

I divided this up into about 8 servings for under 350 calories each counting the macaroni mix (noodles, margarine, milk and packets) and ground turkey. It is about 3 grams of fat, 35 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein. You can add all of your ingredients into My Fitness Pal and see exactly your breakdown.

You can also use a leaner ground turkey (97%), skim milk, and omit butter for lower fat recipe.

Adding more vegetables will make the dish larger in size and more filling.

You can also make your own mac and cheese without using the box - it takes more time but you can use whole wheat or protein packed noodles. I just love this recipe because it is quick, easy, delicious, and good on calories/macros.

Try this recipe out and let me know if you like it! Take a pic of the finished product and get featured on the newsletter and blog!