Before & After. Subtitle: cheap 'n' easy eats

My brothers and I used to love watching "Wheel of Fortune" as kids.

R-S-T-L-N-E!

The best category of puzzles?  "Before & after," because they tended to be the longest.

If you go up to one of my brothers and say "finish this: Glenn Close..." they'll answer you with "...encounters of the third kind."  Yesssss.

So here is a recipe that involves green mac & cheese.  Now, it's hard to be green mac & cheese, because your average calorie-bomb mac & cheese is yellow.  As Kermit said, it ain't easy being green.

It Ain't Easy Being Green Mac & Cheese
-1 box Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow noodles
-1 box frozen spinach
-1 lb bag carrots
-1 cup shredded Cheddar
-1/2 jar Ragu cheese sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil; add noodles and cook until tender.  Drain water.
2. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe dish, heat up spinach until thoroughly warm.
3. Peel carrots and cut up into chunks.  Bring water to boil in a medium size pan; add carrots.  Cook until nice and mushy.  Drain water. 

4. Working in batches, puree spinach and carrots.  Add back to the pan you just cooked the carrots in.  When you've got all the spinach and carrots pureed, add the cheese sauce and cup of shredded cheese.  When hot, stir this into the noodles.

Makes six servings.  Per serving: 350 calories, 53 g carbs, 14 g fat, 18 g protein, plus 3 mg iron, and 150% of your daily needs of vitamin A.

Before:

& after: