Healthy and Protein packed mac and cheese...

here is the recipe I was talking about at Liz's… it is really easy to change up for whatever needs you need to meet…

  1 box of mac noodles1 tbsp of garlic powder¼ cup salt1 tsp of red pepper flakes (opt).Large pot of hot boiling water Sauce1 tbsp of butter- unsalted1 tbsp of flour1 can of chicken stock (I use reduce salt and fat free ones)1 cup of milk (I use skim)1  16 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese3 piece of bacon cooked and crumbed

2 eggs

2 cups of left over chicken (opt).½ cup pepper jack cheese- shredded (opt).Salt and pepper to taste1  9x13 baking dish- sprayed with PAM In the large pot of hot boiling water add salt, garlic powder, and if you want the red pepper flakes.  Stir in the mac noodles. To change things up and make it more fun for Lorelei I also have tiny little star/flower shaped pasta and will mix the 2 together.  Coo****il done- for us it is about 15 mins.  Drain and set aside to make the sauce. In a non stick sauce pan add the butter and flour and coo****il combined and the roux starts to change color slightly.  Then slowly add in the chicken stock.  Then stir in the cheddar cheese and mix until it is melted in to the chicken stock sauce.  Then slowly add the milk, sometimes you need more, and sometimes you need less milk.  Once the milk is added in stir in the crumbled bacon, cooked chicken bits, and the drained pasta.  Once everything is mixed in pour into the baking dish and let it cool for a few mins.  In a small bowl beat the 2 eggs and once the mac and cheese mix has cooled for a few mins stir in the eggs into the baking dish.   Bake at 350 for about 20 to 30 mins or until golden brown on top.  Pull out of the oven for a few mins to sprinkle the pepper jack cheese on top and then put it back in the oven for a few mins until the cheese has melted. The red pepper flakes and the pepper jack cheese adds a very very small amount of heat.  Lorelei is 2.5 years old and loves this…  If I have left over veggies like carrots I will toss them in with the pasta to get soft… and if I have onions and garlic I add it to the sauce.  If you want to use beef- change the chicken stock to beef stock... and if you want it to be a veggie dish- use Veggie stock and toss in some chili beans.  You can also use this sauce as a fondue cheese sauce.  It tastes like a full fat mac and cheese without any of the badness lol…

This sounds yummy!! I need some comfort food on a day like today!!

no idea why it clumped it all together like that... but I will email it to ya lol.... that is hard to read lol!