Super Mac and Cheese

Prep & cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes 6 servings

This macaroni might not actually be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but the addition of nutritious butternut squash qualifies it for super-food status for moms and kids alike.

Serve it with last week’s healthy, mini turkey meat loaves and kids will be so pumped they’ll feel like heroes. Junior chefs can help by making the cheese sauce and mixing pasta and sauce altogether.

300 gr. whole wheat with flax cork screw (rotini) pasta (4 1/2 cups)
2 cups frozen diced butternut squash
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (7 oz)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Bring of large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions adding the squash in the last three minutes of cooking time. Drain well and return to pot.
2. Melt butter in microwave in a medium sized glass bowl. Whisk in flour then stock. Microwave 3-5 minutes, whisking every 60 seconds until sauce has reached the consistency of pudding.
3. Stir in cheddar cheese and microwave another 60 seconds or until cheese has melted smoothly into sauce.
4. Stir sauce into pasta and squash, add parmesan cheese if using and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Turkey Veggie Mini Meat Loaves & Apricot Glaze

So many superfoods!

Whole grain shredded wheat, zucchini and lean ground turkey make these meat loaves a triple threat. Your Junior Chef can flex super muscles grating, crushing and even mixing the meat loaf.

Prep and cooking time total only 45 minutes leaving you lots of time to in indulge in a glass of wine - my personal favorite superfood. Makes four servings.

3 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp mustard
1 lb ground turkey
1 small zucchini (5oz), grated on smallest hole on box grater (about 3/4 cup)
1 onion, grated, (1/2 cup)
1 tsp finely minced garlic (jarred)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cups crushed shredded wheat (2 muffets crushed)
1 egg
1 tsp salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray sized medium sized 8-muffin tin lightly with oil. (just over one-third cup capacity in each muffin holder). Mix together jam and mustard in small bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Divide meat into tin. Bake for 25 minutes then generously spread jam mixture on top of each meat loaf. Continue to bake another 10 minutes.

To pump up the nutritional value even more you can serve these bad boys with whole wheat pasta Super Mac and Cheese, which - wouldn't ya know it - will be our featured recipe next week.

See you then - happy cooking!