Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese

I was on vacation in Tucson recently and visited one of the Tucson Trader Joe’s and found not a whole lot different than the ones here in the Seattle area. I did notice that wine and beer prices were a bit lower than ours, probably because of our taxes here in WA state. Otherwise, the selection was pretty much the same. I did pick up a couple of Arizona bags while I was there to add to the collection.

Right before I went on vacation I stocked up on a few items that looked like things I would like to eat for lunch. I don’t usually eat Mac and Cheese and thought maybe I could make it and take a few bites and pawn it off on my kids. I know Becky absolutely loves Mac and Cheese and her favorite comfort food is Stouffer’s version. My all time favorite is the one that Beecher’s Cheese company here in Seattle makes called The World’s Best Mac and Cheese. I can only eat about 3 tablespoons of that stuff before I’m full, but what a wonderful 3 tablespoons it is! I would make the stuff at home but really only Becky and my younger son would eat it. My older son has an aversion to pasta of all things! Go figure…

Anyway, this is supposed to be Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese. They advertise 65% less Fat and 25% less calories than their regular Mac and Cheese. I have had their regular version of Mac and Cheese and I thought it was quite good, but I have not formally reviewed it yet. Maybe I’ll do a side by side comparison soon! This is one portion, while the regular high octane version is 2 servings and obviously weighs more, which is probably a good thing for portion control.

It’s super easy to prepare, just pull up the corner on the plastic lid and pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and voila, it’s ready!

It looks a little unappetizing before you zap it, but once it cooks it looks just like any frozen microwaveable Mac and Cheese. Compared to the super decadent traditional Mac and Cheese from Trader’s (or even the Beecher’s version) this looks a little slimmed down. Less cheese and sauce obviously.

I ate the whole thing! It really wasn’t all that bad. I expected it to taste like cardboard or something bland, but it had a nice cheesy taste. The macaroni wasn’t overcooked or anything weird. The portion size was just right (although I had to supplement with something else because it wasn’t enough calories for me, but that’s just me!). All in all it’s not bad considering the reduction in calories and fat.

BTW, Trader Joe’s seems to be introducing a whole line up of Reduced Guilt foods including pizza. Right now I’ve only seen them in the frozen section and hopefully they all tastes as good as this!

I’m going to rate this Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese 7 Bells!