Serves 4
- ½ pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 8 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted
- 4 cups skim milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon mustard
Cook the elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Drain the pasta after cooking and set aside. Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. After the butter has melted, add the flour to the butter and continuously whisk to form a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then slowly add the milk to the roux, continuously stirring while pouring the milk to make béchamel sauce Let cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the béchamel sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Next, add the mustard and cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then remove the pot from the heat.
Squeeze any excess water out of the defrosted spinach, add the spinach to the cooked pasta, and mix well. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, mix until well incorporated, and then serve.
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About Dr. Muth:
Natalie D. Muth, MD, MPH, RDN, FAAP, is a pediatrician and registered dietitian who practices general pediatrics and is the director of the W.E.L.L. healthy living clinic at Children's Primary Care Medical Group in Carlsbad, CA. She is author of the Family Fit Plan and co-author of Picky Eater Project, both published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Dr. Muth is also a current executive committee member of the AAP Section on Obesity and lead author of the joint AAP/AHA statement on public policies to reduce sugary drinks consumption in children and adolescents. She is also the AAP representative to the expert panel that developed the above beverage recommendations for children ages 0-5. Follow Dr. Muth on Twitter
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drnataliemuth.com.
About Dr. Tanaka:
Dr. Mary Tanaka graduated from UCLA with a degree in Mass Communications. She completed her master’s degree in Complementary and Alternative Medicine through the Department of Physiology at Georgetown University. She went on to earn her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She finished her pediatric residency at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital with a focus on Community Health and Advocacy and served as Chief Resident. Dr. Tanaka is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a pediatrician at Children’s Primary Care Medical Group and sees patients in the W.E.L.L. Nutrition Clinic. As a talented amateur cook, she is passionate about helping children optimize their health through nutrition and has created healthy family friendly recipes for parenting books and blogs.