Green Machine Mac & Cheese
With baby quadruplets and a 2 year old, we put down a hefty amount of pasta at our house. But as a dietitian I'm also looking for ways to upgrade classic kids' food. This week I'm excited to partner with organicgirl for a giveaway and share my kids' new fav Green Mac & Cheese recipe.
I don't have a huge problem getting the bigger people in our house to eat salad...but for the babies, I kind of need to get creative.
Dark green leafy vegetables are a good way for kids to get iron - an important nutrient that plays a role in babies' brain development. But short of serving them boiled spinach, I'm sometimes at a loss for how to get the little guys to get their greens.
(Like, literally...these kids have no idea what to do with some good old greens!)
So...in an effort to get some greens into my quadruplets, I decided to overhaul a classic kids' dish - homemade mac and cheese - and bulk it up with a good dose of organicgirl greens. Adding whole wheat pasta and a simple homemade cheese sauce to the mix made this a way better mac and cheese bet than that mystery powder boxed stuff.
Now you might know organicgirl as the greens people, as they've been rocking a pretty sweet salad line for quite some time now.
I love that their salads are triple washed (meaning I win with zero wash :) and I use their delicious fresh dressings in and on everything I can.
Lately, I've also been grabbing an organicgirl cold pressed greens juice for an afternoon pick-me-up when the kids are running me ragged. My favorite right now is Hint of Mint. It's so fresh and crisp, it makes me feel like just woke up from a nap! And it clocks in at under 50 calories and just 7g sugar per bottle, which I love!
organicgirl Giveaway
If YOU want your very own shot at winning a prize pack of organicgirl salads, dressings and juice for a month, hop on over to our Instagram account @fourtifiedfam for details on how to enter the giveaway. Giveaway ends January 18, 2017 and is open only to contestants residing in the United States.
organicgirl Green Mac & Cheese Recipe
Now, for the get your greens good stuff! This upgraded mac and cheese recipe was a homemade hit with our quadruplets, who... to be fair, usually eat any type of pasta you put in front of them!
But with a good dose of greens, whole grain pasta and a clean ingredient list, this is one of those things your kids will not only love, but you'll feel good about serving too. (And if you hate doing dishes as much as I do, you'll love that the recipe just uses one pot :)
Ingredients
Whole wheat pasta, 1 lb (fusilli, penne or bow ties work best for baby led weaning)
organicgirl greens, 5 oz clamshell (any organicgirl good clean greens variety works)
Milk, 1 cup
Shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, chop organicgirl greens or process in food processor until finely cut.
Drain pasta in colander and rinse with cold water.
Return empty pasta pot to stove and warm milk over medium-high heat but don't boil. As soon as you begin to see tiny simmer bubbles breaking the milk's surface, whisk in cheese and continue whisking until cheese melted, about 2 minutes.
Add cooked pasta and chopped greens to cheese sauce. Stir to combine, serve and enjoy!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, although I received no compensation for the post. organicgirl contributed the product included in the prize package of the Instagram giveaway mentioned in the post.
