Real Food Mac N Cheese :: Compare to Kraft Mac N Cheese In Convenience & Kid Friendly Taste!

She was about 3 when it first started.

She came home from preschool one day and told me that the little boy she was playing kitchen with at school made her “mac n cheese”, and she wanted to know what that was.

That weekend we got out some real cheese, butter, a little raw milk and I showed her how to make it. I had no clue what I was doing, but what I did know was that the blue box of mac n cheese was nothing more than noodles, cheese, butter, and milk…so why couldn’t I replicate that with real ingredients?

It was just as convenient as the box I remember growing up with, and while she would have been totally happy about eating it sans the yellow color, I decided to let her do a few shakes of turmeric to the pot to watch it magically turn yellow, and she was geeked.

As Chloe has gotten older and noticed the blue boxes of mac n cheese at the store (with very targeted character shapes to her age might I add), I have spent some time showing her why I choose to make it the way we do at home – never underestimate what a 5 year old can understand. I wrote out the list of ingredients we use in ours and she can read every single ingredient. She stood speechless in the market isle when I asked her if she could figure out what the ingredients in the blue box were – complete with asking me what yellow 5 was. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand that color from a plant is more desirable to put in your body than petroleum based colors (ie the same petroleum you put in your car).

So grab a pot and boil some water – you’re about 10 minutes away from serving your kiddos mac n cheese. And this kind is the real deal 😉

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I usually serve small bowls of mac n cheese for lunch with a piece of fruit, and salads on the side (I promise they will love this Ranch dressing – it tastes just like the kind from the store without the junky oils and soy!). If you want to pack leftovers in the school lunch thermos, just reheat the next day with a splash of water!