Extreme Recipe Makeover

Every week I receive an email from Kraft Food and Family full of recipes and meal tips. The recipes are all simple enough for a middle schooler and look like they taste good in a 50's food kind of way, but they are full of unhealthy frankenfood ingredients. Honestly, who feeds their kids processed cheese or white bread anymore?

Lest someone think you cannot make a kid-friendly meal without opening several boxes, I decided to makeover a few of this week's recommended meals.

1. "America's Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich"

Before I go on, does anyone actually need a recipe for grilled cheese? C'mon. But I'll print it anyway:

2 slices white bread
2 KRAFT Singles
2 tsp. butter or margarine, softened
TOP 1 of the bread slices with Singles; cover with remaining bread slice.
SPREAD outside of sandwich with butter.
COOK in skillet on medium heat 3 min. on each side or until golden brown on both sides.

Healthy Makeover:
2 slices whole grain bread
2 slices organic mozzarrella
2 tsp olive oil
3 slices organic tomato
TOP 1 of the bread slices with tomato, then cheese; cover with remaining bread slice.
POUR 2 tsp olive oil in skillet and COOK sandwich on medium heat 3 min. on each side.

Sometimes I put fresh basil in mine.

2. Cheesy Pepperoni Pulls
4 oz. OSCAR MAYER Pepperoni slices
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 pkg. (13.4 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough
PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Combine pepperoni, peppers, onions, tomatoes and dressing in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese.
UNROLL pizza dough; cut into 2-inch pieces with sharp knife or kitchen shears. Place evenly over cheese.
BAKE 30 min.; cool 10 min. Invert onto platter; carefully remove dish.

Healthy Makeover:
1/2 pound grilled chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 cups organic chopped veggies of your choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian herbs--basil, oregano, whatever you grow on your sill
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup shredded organic mozzarella
1/2 batch whole wheat bread dough

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Combine chicken, veggies, garlic, herbs, and olive oil in 13x9-inch oiled baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
ROLL Dough out into pizza sized circle; cut into 2-inch pieces with sharp knife or kitchen shears. Place evenly over cheese.
BAKE 30 min.; cool 10 min. Invert onto platter; carefully remove dish.

3. Cheesy Beef and Veggie Pasta
3 cups farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 carrots, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese
COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large deep skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
ADD carrots and onions to skillet; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Add to meat mixture in skillet along with the milk, peas and VELVEETA; stir. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally.
SPRINKLE with the shredded cheese.

Healthy Makeover:
3 cups whole grain pasta
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 organic carrots, sliced
4 organic green onions, chopped
2 cups organic milk
1 cup organic frozen peas
3 cups shredded organic cheddar cheese, separated

COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large deep skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
ADD carrots and onions to skillet; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Add to meat mixture in skillet along with the milk, peas and two cups of cheese; stir. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 2 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally.
SPRINKLE with the remaining cup of shredded cheese.

Adding to the retch factor, one of the reviewers of the third recipe suggested using canned peas and carrots to save time and adding a packet of Lipton onion soup powder for flavor. If you want flavor, you should start with flavorful ingredients, not freakin Velveeta.

It doesn't seem to take much more money or effort to make the healthier versions of these recipes, so why bother with the originals? I guess that's why they deliver the nutritionally void versions... they're hoping I'll throw my hands up and decided that processed cheese product and white flour pasta are good enough for my family.