The Wonders and Perils of Macaroni and Cheese

The Light Side of Mac n Cheese

There is nothing quite as comforting as sitting down to a nice, warm, cheesy, substantial bowl of macaroni and cheese (the kind from the blue box, not the goopy stuff that real cooks make) after a long day, especially when you know that your entire meal is costing you about 70 cents, instead of in the $3 range that other inexpensive meals can cost. 

MMMMMmmmmmm, mac n cheese.

We all ate it as kids. It's yummy. It's hot. It takes about zero brain cells to make when you're tired. It costs less than a dollar a meal. Cleanup is easy.  What's not to love?

Some tips and tricks for mac n cheese:

•  Ignore the recipe on the box. If you want to add butter and milk like they suggest, add it to your own taste.
• Adding less butter and milk means it has fewer calories.
• You can forego the butter and milk entirely and it tastes about the same. This is a good option if you don't have any, if you don't want to buy any, if you didn't plan ahead, or if you don't have a fridge. 
• You don't have to refrigerate the blue boxes
• Important! When buying mac n cheese, make sure that the 5-pack doesn't actually cost more than buying 5 individual boxes.  Hint: If the 5-pack is over 5 dollars, you're spending too much. Go buy real food instead. 
• Having mac n cheese on hand means that you'll always have a meal at your fingertips.
• Mac n Cheese doesn't count as real food if you have guests. At all. Put it back in the cupboard. 
• Ignore the recipe instructions for amount of water and time cooking.  Just put in "some" water and cook it until it "tastes right".  You'll get used to the amounts after a few boxes. This way you can use a smaller pot and not need to take the extra effort to use a timer.  It makes cooking even more brainless.
• When you put your mac n cheese in a bowl, put water in the pot immediately or the cheesiness will be harder to clean off. You can let it soak while you're eating it, and then cleanup is super easy.  Or, you can eat it right out of the pot, but this seems a little brainless, even for me. 

The Dark Side of Mac n Cheese

According to dieticians everywhere, Mac n Cheese does not count as actual food. It should say this on the box somewhere, but I'm pretty sure it's FDA approved anyway. Even though pastas and grains are that giant base on the food pyramid, living on an all-carbs dinner plan is not good for you over time.  There are no other nutrients worth mentioning in Macaroni and Cheese (unless your personal recipe calls for a lot of brocolli and spinach) and you will be starving yourself over time even if your belly feels full. Eating it once in a while, like at the end of the month when your finances are low and you're eating food out of your cupboard, is a great way to make some extra dollars stretch, but be sure and read the Nutrition Facts on the box and know what it is that you're not getting. 

It's not the only cheapo food that people can eat in tough times (Ramen noodles get all the glory), but it's worth mentioning. 

And worth maybe stocking a few boxes, just in case.