“More pasta, please!” Kids swoon over a messy plate of spaghetti or a bowl of mac and cheese. Alas, you don’t always have time to whip up fabulous noodles on command. But no self-respecting parent would serve kids frozen pasta from a box, right?
Wrong. Elizabeth Frank, a registered dietitian in Lunenburg, N.S., says you can find smart choices if you read the label. Look for under 15 grams of fat per serving and under 1,000 mg of sodium. Using her suggestions, we combed the freezer section and asked young pasta lovers (ages two to 15) to sample more than a dozen national-brand products. Here are their favourites.
TASTIEST CHICKEN
Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Skillet Sensations Chicken Alfredo: 310 calories; 7 g fat (3.5 g sat); 40 mg cholesterol; 590 sodium; 41 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 8 g sugar per 320 g serving (1/2 the 640 g bag).
$6.49 (for two servings)
$3.25 per serving
TASTE TEST “This recipe is a keeper, Mom!” yelled the four-year-old, whose two-year-old brother asked for more broccoli! But the garlicky sauce was too much for the 10-year-old.
OUR DIETITIAN SAYS
“I applaud the high fibre, but worry it’s low in protein.”
SERVE IT WITH Extra cooked chicken or tofu to up the protein.
