World's yummiest healthy mac 'n cheese: for Maxaroni, with love

Max has a  new nickname, and it is Max 'n Cheese. He also answers to Maxaroni 'n Cheese. Yes, the spaghetti phase is history. These days, Max could eat mac 'n cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, in fact, he has.

If you happen to be wasting your life away on the computer late one night, you might happen to create some food labels you can slap on boxes in your pantry that will make your child think you are a Cool Mom.

In the scheme of foods, I think mac 'n cheese is a decently healthy choice. It's also a very easy food for Max to chew, and feed himself, because of the gloppy texture. He scoops the bowl clean—no leftovers for Mommy!

Turns out there's a way to make it extra-nutritious—and NOT noticeably so! My friend Betsy, master of all things healthy, recently shared a recipe she found by Food Network star nutritionist Ellie Krieger, host of Healthy Appetite. It's called Macaroni and 4 Cheeses. It's partly made with frozen pureed winter squash, which is orange so it blends right in.

Max calls it macaroni and cheese pie, and asks for it regularly. It his his new Favorite Dish in the Whole Wide World. He can practically eat his body weight in the stuff.

I don't think Bon Appetit will be hiring me to do food photography anytime soon

Sabrina has the more discerning palate of the two. "What did you think of the macaroni and cheese?" I asked, casually, after she'd tried it. "Oh, I have macaroni and cheese all the time!" she informed me.

Fooled both kids! Yeah!

Enjoy. And if you have a favorite healthy mac 'n cheese recipe you've found online (or, OK, even a sinful one), by all means, share a link!