i absolutely LOVE annie's mac n cheese, but i'll only eat it if i can eat the entire box in one go š«£š
i've seen some products that are slightly lower calorie/higher protein, but SO expensive!!
by Imaginary-Mud2871
15 Comments
Raaghhhhh
Bookmarking this bc Iāve been making a small portion then adding a TON of chicken or beef to bump up the macros lol
kobold__kween
Yep! Make mac and cheese with frozen cauliflower florets instead of pasta. You can buy white cheddar powder online. Just use a microwavable bag and cook until soft, drain and add to a bowl with some milk, a small bit of butter, and the cheese powder.
grilledcheezntomato
I buy the white cheddar powder that tastes identical (by Hoosier Hill Farm) and put the amount I want on carbe diem pasta
Future_Story1101
If you specifically love the cheese sauce you can sub out carbe diem pasta. I find it the best tasting and itās half the calories or regular pasta. There is also Peteās low carb high protein pasta but Iām not a huge fan.
Br0wnP00dLe
for me, fighting craves helps best if i know specifically WHAT i’m craving and deconstruct the whole food like in this case, mb what i really want is the chewy pasta or the creamy melty cheesey or the white cheddar flavor. or if i want them all together, i get creative with a replacement for each part
– sub out mac for konjac noodles (ngl im p lazy and dont eat noodles a lot, so if i want a chewy carb w a sauce on it, i use that 30cal keto toast cut into pieces w some cheese or avocado or sauce on it) – lower cal cheesey (i dont know cheese that well) – i absolutely LOVE white cheddar popcorn, and would use this as an excuse to buy that lesser evil bag and sprinkle em on type like croutons for extra white cheddar action – if you make it with milk, mb use skim
for protein – just diff meat. at some pt i tried greek yogurt because everyone is raging about it lately, but imo greek yogurt tastes AWFUL and SOUR lol (could be good to enhance the creamy if you like that tho)
A_Firm_Sandwich
Experiment with subbing in some cooked chopped cabbage/cauliflower, but not all of it. Cauliflower rice sucks on its own, but mixed 50/50 with rice you still get a less calorically dense but still palatable rice.
Iām not sure if I would ever do it with mac n cheese (stick to cauli/broccoli), but I find that a lot of pasta dishes are still enjoyable if you ādiluteā the pasta with mixed steamed veggies (peas, carrots, etc).
Completely substituting pasta/rice just makes for a sad, unsatisfying meal, lol
6crazycatlady6
I buy the kids sized little cup version of Mac and cheese! Not necessarily lower calorie but a smaller portion that does satisfy the craving (otherwise I will also eat the whole box lol.)
occasional_idea
I like to buy the single serve cups for portion control. The Velveeta 2% milk ones are also a little lower cal and good (180 cal vs a lot of the others seem to be 200-230).
Thereās also a Lean Cuisine White Cheddar Mac and Cheese.
And if you really want to stick with the Annies (thatās my fave too tbh), I used to only cook half the box at a time.
pooppaysthebills
I’m a fan of Goodles. 270 calories prepared per 1 cup serving, 15g protein, 7g fiber per serving, texture like regular pasta, and it’s tasty. 2.5 servings per box. Makes a nice side.
Banza also has a decent boxed mac n cheese, 290 calories prepared, 2 servings per box, 18g protein, 5g fiber, but texture is a little different, you really need to eat it while hot, and it doesn’t reheat well. If you don’t have someone to split it with, you kind of commit to eating the whole box, or accept that you’ll be throwing half away.
Both are decent options and cost around $3/box.
spicymemories19
Surprised nobody has mentioned the Lean Cuisine Vermont White Cheddar frozen Mac and cheese. Truly one of their best dishes!!
So this isnāt an exact dupe for Annieās white cheddar. HOWEVER- Itās an almost perfect dupe for Kraft Mac and cheese. And half the calories. I know itās a little pricey. Itās worth it. I have honestly yet to have a product from Fiber Gourmet that was not fantastic.
15 Comments
Bookmarking this bc Iāve been making a small portion then adding a TON of chicken or beef to bump up the macros lol
Yep! Make mac and cheese with frozen cauliflower florets instead of pasta. You can buy white cheddar powder online. Just use a microwavable bag and cook until soft, drain and add to a bowl with some milk, a small bit of butter, and the cheese powder.
I buy the white cheddar powder that tastes identical (by Hoosier Hill Farm) and put the amount I want on carbe diem pasta
If you specifically love the cheese sauce you can sub out carbe diem pasta. I find it the best tasting and itās half the calories or regular pasta. There is also Peteās low carb high protein pasta but Iām not a huge fan.
for me, fighting craves helps best if i know specifically WHAT i’m craving and deconstruct the whole food
like in this case, mb what i really want is the chewy pasta or the creamy melty cheesey or the white cheddar flavor. or if i want them all together, i get creative with a replacement for each part
– sub out mac for konjac noodles (ngl im p lazy and dont eat noodles a lot, so if i want a chewy carb w a sauce on it, i use that 30cal keto toast cut into pieces w some cheese or avocado or sauce on it)
– lower cal cheesey (i dont know cheese that well)
– i absolutely LOVE white cheddar popcorn, and would use this as an excuse to buy that lesser evil bag and sprinkle em on type like croutons for extra white cheddar action
– if you make it with milk, mb use skim
for protein – just diff meat. at some pt i tried greek yogurt because everyone is raging about it lately, but imo greek yogurt tastes AWFUL and SOUR lol (could be good to enhance the creamy if you like that tho)
Experiment with subbing in some cooked chopped cabbage/cauliflower, but not all of it. Cauliflower rice sucks on its own, but mixed 50/50 with rice you still get a less calorically dense but still palatable rice.
Iām not sure if I would ever do it with mac n cheese (stick to cauli/broccoli), but I find that a lot of pasta dishes are still enjoyable if you ādiluteā the pasta with mixed steamed veggies (peas, carrots, etc).
Completely substituting pasta/rice just makes for a sad, unsatisfying meal, lol
I buy the kids sized little cup version of Mac and cheese! Not necessarily lower calorie but a smaller portion that does satisfy the craving (otherwise I will also eat the whole box lol.)
I like to buy the single serve cups for portion control. The Velveeta 2% milk ones are also a little lower cal and good (180 cal vs a lot of the others seem to be 200-230).
Thereās also a Lean Cuisine White Cheddar Mac and Cheese.
And if you really want to stick with the Annies (thatās my fave too tbh), I used to only cook half the box at a time.
I’m a fan of Goodles. 270 calories prepared per 1 cup serving, 15g protein, 7g fiber per serving, texture like regular pasta, and it’s tasty. 2.5 servings per box. Makes a nice side.
Banza also has a decent boxed mac n cheese, 290 calories prepared, 2 servings per box, 18g protein, 5g fiber, but texture is a little different, you really need to eat it while hot, and it doesn’t reheat well. If you don’t have someone to split it with, you kind of commit to eating the whole box, or accept that you’ll be throwing half away.
Both are decent options and cost around $3/box.
Surprised nobody has mentioned the Lean Cuisine Vermont White Cheddar frozen Mac and cheese. Truly one of their best dishes!!
Not entirely helpful but Annieās does make a protein mac. 15 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. It also comes in individual cups. [https://www.target.com/p/annie-39-s-organic-real-aged-cheddar-protein-super-mac-and-cheese-cups-11-44oz-4ct/-/A-94142118](https://www.target.com/p/annie-39-s-organic-real-aged-cheddar-protein-super-mac-and-cheese-cups-11-44oz-4ct/-/A-94142118)
https://preview.redd.it/lexhw3xw68gg1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f78ec6b0a46e9d44ee875d080179db8135d6da5
So this isnāt an exact dupe for Annieās white cheddar. HOWEVER- Itās an almost perfect dupe for Kraft Mac and cheese. And half the calories. I know itās a little pricey. Itās worth it. I have honestly yet to have a product from Fiber Gourmet that was not fantastic.
https://fibergourmet.com/products/new-mac-cheese-in-box
Iāve made a cheese sauce from Laughing Cow cheese wedges before which scratches that itch for me.
I buy gourmet fiber to replace pasta. You might be able to find a good copy cat recipe.
Have you considered making it from scratch?
This is the one I make but the calories can be reduced using lower fat cheese or if you have access to lower calorie pasta.
10g plain flour
10g unsalted butter
100g semi-skimmed milk
65g pasta
25g 50% reduced fat extra mature Cheddar
20g Parmesan
1 serving = 534 calories
Make roux, add milk slowly until you get a creamy white sauce.
Cook pasta.
Add cheese to white sauce
Add pasta to sauce
Eat huge portion of mac n cheese! Can also be bulked out with shredded chicken or tuna, even tastier this way.