Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese, 7 points+

Hi, I’m Shannon from Shannonskitchencreations.com and Danica asked me to be one of her guest posters this week! I was thrilled to be able to share with you a little about me and my site. I am a SAHM of 3 small children and I have been working hard to get back that pre-baby body from 7 years ago. I am a weight watcher’s lifetime member, but I have never been able to get back to that “Golden” number! I started my site originally to just document some of my favorite sinful recipes, but after having my third baby in January I decided to add healthier recipes to my blog. I create down home comfort foods done in a lighter way. I love fried chicken, pizza and ice cream. So you will find lots of those recipes with weight watchers points. I have lost 40 lbs so far with 20 more to go! I also love to review and giveaway healthy foods. Up next is 5 bags of Food Should Taste Good Chips! I just recently started a second mommy fashion blog called whatshotmommy.com! Here I share video tutorials and bargains on how go from frumpy to fabulous! Check it out!

The recipe I chose to feature in this post is one that has been sitting in my recipe box for over a year. I get Food Network magazine and love tearing out recipes that sound and look delicious. I am a huge fan of Buffalo wings. I love the spicy kick mixed with the creaminess of the blue cheese dressing. However, in restaurants they are deep fried and very high in points!! So when I took out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese I knew the nutritional info was going to be scary….IT WAS!!!!

Each serving had 868 calories, 48.2 grams of fat, 1465 mg of sodium, 79.6 grams of carbs, 3.9 grams of fiber and 28.9 grams of protein! 1 cup was 23 points + each!!! Ouch!!!

So I decided to modify the recipe with some healthy alternatives. I swapped out the half and half for 1 % milk, used low fat cheese and sour cream and opted for whole wheat pasta. I was able to shave a whopping 15 points off per serving, so 1 cup is only 8 points +!! This was spicy, creamy, cheesy and just down right awesome!!! Enjoy and make sure to visit and like me at Shannon’s Kitchen Creations on Facebook for new recipes and giveaways and at What’s Hot Mommy for all my makeup, skincare and fashion accessories ideas and giveaways!!!

Light Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

 Adapted from Food Network

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 1/4  cups 1 % milk
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup light blue cheese dressing
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 7 baked tortilla chips crushed

INGREDIENTS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

3.  Melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the milk, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4.  Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

6.  Top with blue cheese dressing, crushed tortilla chips, and parsley. Bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings, 8 points + each

Nutritional information, 1/6 of casserole – 8 points +

297 calories, 10.6 grams of fat, 94 mg of sodium, 32.3 grams of carbs, 1.2 grams fiber, 17 grams protein

Thanks Shannon for sharing your story, success and one recipe I already know we HAVE to try!  I LOVE the idea of putting crushed tortilla chips on top of my mac n cheese along with buffalo chicken ~ YUM!  Your recipes are fantastic and you are truly an inspiration!

Danica