Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack

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I am by nature a “yes, and” woman. Especially when it comes to food. I embrace the full range of the spectrum, because yes, I love perfect thrice-cooked frites made with an organic potato cooked in duck fat and served with a white truffle aioli for dipping. AND I like a McDonald’s French fry, so hot out of the fryer it threatens the integrity of the roof of my mouth, dunked in classic Heinz ketchup.

Which means I have a 'yes and' relationship with macaroni and cheese. I like a Classic Baked Mac and Cheese. I like a punchy stovetop macaroni and cheese. I like a slightly healthier mac and cheese that sneaks in extra vegetables, or one that sneaks in ham or chicken. Fancy ones made with smoked gouda, or down home versions starring Velveeta, all have a place on my plate.

I make a homemade mac and cheese so decadent and delicious that it made a convert of my traditionally mac-eschewing husband. He still doesn’t much like mac and cheese, but he loves MY mac and cheese.

Jan 16, 2020 Optavia Mac n cheese hack! Make this little pizza and enjoy it, you get to eat it all by yourself! #optavia #hacks #fueling #pizza. Saved by Stacey Hawkins. Oct 19, 2020 - No need to be bored while eating healthy! See more ideas about optavia fuelings, medifast recipes, lean and green meals. There are 110 calories in 1 sachet (32 g) of Optavia Roasted Garlic Creamy Smashed Potatoes. Get full nutrition facts for other Optavia products and all your other favorite brands. Combine zucchini with eggs, parmesan, and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Press mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for zo minutes. C Meanwhile, cook the beef. Nov 22, 2018 - Explore Jan Brandi's board 'Fueling Hack' on Pinterest. See more ideas about medifast recipes, lean protein meals, optavia fuelings.

But let’s be clear, I am also unapologetic in my adoration of both the frozen Stouffer’s mac, and my passion for the original blue box of Kraft. I don’t usually buy the Stouffer’s unless I am having that particular craving, but I always have one or two boxes of emergency Kraft in the pantry.

RELATED:We Tried 5 Brands of Instant Mac and Cheese and This Was the Best

What’s so wonderful about boxed mac and cheese?

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack

Like many during these unprecedented times, I have been craving comfort foods—especially those that evoke memories from my childhood. In a time of uncertainty and when your baseline mental state is a hum of buzzing anxiety, food that evokes a time when you trusted the grownups to make smart decisions to keep you safe is a very good thing. So, it is no wonder that during my initial pandemic pantry stock-up, I bought a five-pack of Kraft Mac & Cheese, and am down to just one box left. As someone who tends to only eat it once or twice a year, four boxes in four months is a lot. But it has made me happy, soothed jangled nerves, and fed my soul as much as my stomach and for that I am grateful.

It has also led me to the single greatest mac hack I have ever discovered (and if someone else invented it first, don’t @ me).

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack Chips

RELATED:What's Actually in Kraft Mac & Cheese?

The ultimate boxed mac and cheese hack

Because for some weird reason, in an era when all I have is time on my hands, I really wanted to make my mac and cheese even faster and easier, and in doing do, accidentally made it better! Not wanting to wait for the pasta water to boil, or to add the step of draining, I gave my mac a one-pot makeover and I will definitively never make it any other way. Even better? I upped the creaminess while reducing the fat, and I did not add any additional ingredients to those listed on the box.

Here’s what to do:

1. Put 1½ cups of water and ½ cup of milk in a saucepan (this is twice the milk listed on the box but stay with me). Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the dry pasta. Yes, the pasta in the cold water and milk mixture, with a little floating butter nugget.

2. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium and hard simmer, stirring every minute or so, until most of the liquid evaporates—about 6 minutes.

4. Add the packet of powdered cheese sauce mix and a second tablespoon of butter, stirring until the mixture thickens and the noodles are fully cooked—about another minute to 90 seconds.

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack

5. Serve and be amazed at how creamy and delicious it all is.

The mac and cheese magic explained

Note that while the milk was doubled, I halved the butter in the recipe. (You can use whole or reduced fat milk per your taste, but if you use skim you might want to up the butter just a smidge more). Still, the mac was the creamiest version I have ever had, and the cheese sauce was luxurious and had fully merged with the pasta instead of just being a soupy slick on the outside.

The reason is simple: Like in any one-pot pasta, minimal liquid becomes intensely saturated with the starch coming off the cooking pasta, making your sauce silky and eliciting great texture. It amps up a creamy mouth-feel without needing to add so much butter. The fact that you then are at about an 8-10-minute bowl of mac, with only one pot and one spoon to wash, and no need to dig the colander out of the cabinet, is an extra little mac miracle.

So, whether you are having a once-in-a-great-while indulgence of a childhood fave or have a weekly mac attack; if you are cooking solo or for your kids; I bet once you try this version you may never go back… except for seconds.

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If you’re anything like me, the Medifast macaroni and cheese fell well short of your expectations. I tried preparing it multiple times, and each time it came out leaving much to be desired. The noodles were somewhat cooked and crunchy, and yet in some places soggy. The cheese sauce didn’t really thicken, regardless of the amount of water.

I’m sure there’s ways to prepare it that turn out okay (especially with parts of your learn&green mixed in), but I would rather use this hack instead. I found the recipe “TSFL Medifast Doritos” here. (Pinterest link here.)

I would call these “Mac&Cheese Chips” or even just “Cheesy Chips,” because though you can add seasoning, it’s a stretch to call them Doritos. However, I’m starting with this recipe because I have, by far, found it to be the best hack yet.

I’ve tweaked the recipe to what I enjoyed with suggestions that I have found helpful – though the original is fantastic as well! (I would recommend checking the original recipe in order to see follow-along pictures.)

Medifast Mac&Cheese Chips

Ingredients

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack

1 packet Medifast Macaroni & Cheese* (Product info here.)
2 Tbs. water
1/4 tsp red pepper or chili flakes (or whatever flavoring agent/spice you prefer)**
1/4 tsp garlic salt
chili powder/paprika/seasoning salt
cooking spray

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack &

*Note: I used two packets of the Mac&Cheese Meals and doubled all of the ingredients I added, and it turned out wonderful – in addition they held well for multiple days in a Ziploc, so prep ahead and doubling is perfectly fine with this recipe.

**Note: This is the best area to get creative. I mixed Chipotle and Garlic grilling seasonings into one mix, Tajin into another, even just Italian seasonings into another. So far I haven’t found a flavor combination that I did not like – mix it up and don’t be afraid of seasonings!

Recipe

(0. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.)
1. Put your mac & cheese and seasonings into any blender or personal-sized pulverizer (I have a Sharkk basics brand personal blender that works wonders). Blend until all noodles are pulverized to a fine powder and seasonings are evenly mixed. (Blending in portions works well if you have a smaller device.)

2. Dump into a small-medium sized bowl and add water. Stir to combine thoroughly and let sit for 2 minutes. (This part is key, as you need the mixture to fully absorb the water and also begin to stick together.)

3. Meanwhile, spray a good size piece of parchment with cooking spray then place dough on paper. (Make sure that this is larger than you would expect – you’ll be folding it in half to spread the mixture and also trimming it down.)

4. Fold the parchment in half over the dough and use your hands to spread the dough out from the center towards the edges. (Spread this out as thin as possible – the thinner they are, the crunchier they will be! I recommend doing this on a flat surface like a countertop and spreading until essentially paper-thin.)

5. Now, carefully peel off the top layer of parchment, using your fingers at times to release it if it sticks. Trim down parchment paper if needed. (If it keeps sticking to the top but seems to stay all together, let it stick – you can bake it like that just fine. As long as the flattened mixture fits on your cookie sheet, it doesn’t have to be in one nice section.)

Hack

6. Put mixture into preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cut into chip or cracker-sized pieces. (The original recommended a pizza cutter – I used a relatively sharp knife and it worked fine. Just do this while the now baked layer(s) are still hot, because they will cut easier.)

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack Using

7. Once cut, flip over all chips and add any extra seasoning desired for flavor and aesthetics. (Not necessary, but it can definitely add flavor.)

8. Pop back in over and cook for a few minutes. (The amount of time they are in the oven this time is up to you – how crisp and toasty do you like your chips? For some batches, especially those with ovens that run hot, this step won’t be necessary.)

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack Bar

With that, you have your chips!

Optavia Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac Hack With Ice

Note: I have tried to make these with other Medifast items and not had fantastic results. The mashed potatoes were more clumpy, so they were harder to spread. This resulted in more pita-chip thickness and a chewier almost-cracker like meal. The cheese pizza crunchers/puffs did not want to spread either. They were much more crumbly, and even when they cooked up they did not hold their shape. So I would recommend possibly trying this with their other noodle/pasta based items (i.e. Optavia Mac&Cheeses), but use other meals at your own risk.

Happy munching!