To be honest, Camille has never had a bowl of macaroni and cheese without broccoli in it. If you start kids out this way, they get used to the ‘green bits’ in most things. Remember when I used to add spinach to her scrambled eggs? But, if you’re not starting there, it’s never too late! I’m constantly trying to improve my Mom game with Camille’s diet. Over the past few months, I’ve health-ified macaroni and cheese to the max. But then, I reigned it back in. I landed on this version of healthy mac and cheese with a roux-thickened sauce with extra sharp cheddar cheese, a modest amount of turmeric, broccoli, and nutritional yeast. It seems to be my toddler’s favorite (and my favorite, too).
Picky eater notes for healthy mac and cheese:
I added some onion powder to give it a more ‘adult’ taste, but you can leave it out if you know your kids will detect it. Camille used to munch on raw scallions in the grocery store, but now she won’t even touch caramelized onions. This onion powder is my attempt to get her to come around again to onions. I feel like so much of introducing kids to food is just to try, try again. Frozen broccoli is very welcome here. You can also leave out the nutritional yeast, and bump up the cheese instead. I would love to hear how it goes if you use a non-dairy milk and alternative cheese, too.
I left a few mini ramekins of this turmeric macaroni and cheese in the fridge last week before I headed off to San Francisco. I also left a long list of meal ideas for my husband while he took care of Camille. My Mom also pitched in by bringing over a pot roast the night before I came home. Not only did Camille need a dose of spoiling from her grandparents after missing me for 3 days, but I enjoyed a bowl of leftover pot roast with veggies right when I got home from the airport. (Everyone knows leftover pot roast is better than any other kind of pot roast). I came home to one leftover ramekin of this healthy mac and cheese with turmeric, and so I can report back to you that it keeps covered in the fridge for up to 4 days! Just add a small splash of milk when you reheat.
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