Thursday, February 26, 2009

Comfort food: Mac and Cheese

Today is one of those days when I need to eat my feelings. I won't go into the sob-story details, but the tipping point came while trying to finish the B.S. task of hand writing nearly 30 invitations in the last three days. My wrist and elbow are throbbing from writing so much, the pen is close to running out, and I just sealed and stamped two invitations for people I just realized are on the "Cannot Attend" list... meaning that I just wasted about 20 minutes of my life and 84 cents! No, that is not a significant amount of time or money, but I have no perspective right now. I hate it too much.

Really, it's ok. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not "administrative assistant material". Instead of being bitter, I will go home tonight and cook a delicious meal of Mac and Cheese! It always does the trick. And apparently it is America's favorite comfort food. (Although there doesn't seem to be any data backing up that claim.)

I used to go for the blue box (Kraft) growing up, and then I had my Annie's phase a bit later, but now I make my own. Sure, the boxed stuff is easier to buy, its slightly easier to prepare and it's Comfort Food, so you're not supposed to worry about nutrition. But you should.

However, instead of me monologuing about the reasons you should make your own Mac and Cheese as opposed to eating it from a box, we're going to do a fun little nutrition comparison of Kraft's The Cheesiest and Annie's Shells and Cheddar so you can see the difference yourself. Excited?!

Before we look at the nutrition facts, let's talk about serving size for a second. This is where the SOB's who write these 'facts' like to get fancy. Kraft's serving size is 1/3 of the box, whereas Annie's is a bit more than than (2.5 servings per box). This is why the percentages and totals don't completely add up. Thanks for making it so difficult, jerks!

Kraft The Cheesiest vs. Annie's Shells & Cheddar


Calories: 260 vs. 270

Cals from fat: 32 vs. 36

Saturated fat: 2g vs. 3g

Cholesterol: 15mg vs. 10mg

Sodium: 580mg vs. 530mg of DV

Total carb: 48g vs. 47g

Protein: 9g vs. 10g

And the rest is negligible.


So basically... the same.

"But wait!" you cry. "Isn't Annie's ALL NATURAL?! Isn't it made with ORGANIC ingredients?! Surely that should count for something. Maybe some karma points."

Well, yes, sure. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo weighed in on this issue at Salon (The bunny vs. the blue box, 1/30/07) in a much funnier and informative piece than this... but I don't think she has to endure the daily horrors of office work, so I figure we're even. In any case, she wrote:
Annie's stinks. Ever caught a surprise whiff as you guide stove-top traffic at dinnertime? (Right rear pot cleared for takeoff. Climb to avoid hot and high left front.) The stuff is rank; think sweaty T-shirt marinated in a gym bag for a week. Yet kids, whose palates are usually so delicate, lap it up. Which leads one to wonder, what's in those little hare-festooned envelopes anyway? Heroin? As a matter of fact, it's pretty much the same thing that's in the famous blue box: pasta, cheese, milk, salt. Granted, Annie's has only nine ingredients while Kraft has 20, most of which, nasty as they sound, replace nutrients removed in processing or are naturally occurring and have a long history as additives. Just two Kraft ingredients raise the mercury on the toxic-meter: yellow dyes No. 5 and No. 6, which impart the infamous fluorescent hue.
It's true that Annie's is made with "all natural"* organic ingredients, and Kraft throws in some chemical dyes to amp up that lovely cheesy coloring. But nutritionally, as we saw above, they're pretty similar! In my opinion, if you're seriously worried about scoring karma points, make your own. Mac and cheese is easy! It's cooking 101! And believe me, if I say it's easy, it's the truth. Notice this is a wellness blog, not a cooking one.

So here is the recipe I've been using for awhile, from The Mom's Guide to Meal Makeovers (Yes, I read mom cookbooks). It's similar to the boxed stuff because it only take a few minutes, but you control what's going in! For a lactard like me, it's Lactaid heaven on Earth.

Mom’s made-over Mac and Cheese
8 oz dried small elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
1.5 cups lowfat milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp garlic powder
1.5 cups pre-shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese (or whatever)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Return the saucepan to the stove (do no place over heat just yet). Add the milk, flour, mustard, and garlic powder and whisk until well blended.
3. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 min.
4. Add the Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Stir in the pasta, heat through and serve.

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Servings: About as much as a box, whatever that is.

Now, don't just look at the calories and freak out. Yes, there are more calories in Mom's, but there is also a lot less sodium and double the protein. To me, this means a more substantial meal.

Plus, the great thing about this recipe (and Mac and Cheese in general) is that it's hard to screw up and easy to improvise. I usually put in more than one type of cheese or different herbs or vegetables. It's actually really good with broccoli!

In conclusion, Mac and Cheese can be a Comfort Food that doesn't have to make you uncomfortable. AND you can make it without the box. Promise. Do it!

*FYI-- there isn't a firm definition of "all natural" so it doesn't really mean anything.

3 comments:

  1. ooh i like the looks of that recipe. have we discussed my successful mac and cheese attempt last week? i did a really complicated one they make at s'mac this mac and cheese place in nyc.

    anyway, the roasted tomatoes were a really nice addition to the mac and cheese.

    ReplyDelete
  2. roasted tomatoes! that sounds delicious. please share.

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  3. This looks great Chloe. I am a user of Annie's on occasion but would much rather make it for myself now that I know how easy it is :)

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