macaroni and cheese – gluten free and protein packed :: Banza :: giveaway

Posted on by Emily

disclaimer no giveaway
I have great childhood memories involving macaroni and cheese. What kid doesn’t appreciate that delicious orange cheese powder? My sister and I ate it with regularly, and not only did we live to tell about it, we are leading healthy and productive lives. In fact, here I am as a child scarfing down these macaroni delights circa the 1990’s.
childhoodmacaroni
My food choices may have improved a bit as I’ve entered adulthood, and as a result I don’t have macaroni and cheese a couple of times per week. However, my love for it hasn’t diminished. I was recently introduced to a pasta made from chickpeas instead of wheat. That means that instead of 9 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber in my former mac and cheese, it has 18 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. It also means that it is gluten free (and actually still tastes good), which is good news for all of you with Celiac disease.

There are always trade-offs, however, as my new-found pasta by Banza has slightly more sugar, cholesterol, and sodium (7 grams of sugar instead of 6 grams, 15mg of cholesterol instead of 10mg, and 620 grams of sodium instead of 570 grams). However, this is a trade-off I am happy to make for double the protein and four times the fiber.
banzamac

The pasta by Banza is delicious and is more filling because of the extra protein. At about $5 per box, this cheesy treat is also about 5x more expensive than “other” macaroni and cheese. There are ways to justify it (if you look at it as paying per gram of fiber, they are about the same price!), but I’ll leave that up to you and your individual food budget. Pictured above is their mac and cheese deluxe – it comes in the purple box. However, I have tried their white cheddar and classic cheddar so far and they are equally delectable. I love trying new macaroni and cheese brands, and with decades of taste-testing experience, I’m almost a connoisseur.

Do you have a favorite macaroni and cheese brand?

banzaboxes
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75 thoughts on “macaroni and cheese – gluten free and protein packed :: Banza :: giveaway”

  7. I love that it is a healthier pasta with more protein and fiber with almost half the carbs.

  11. I love macaroni and cheese and I really like that this brand is healthy and has a higher protein content.

  12. i don’t have a favorite brand. It’s my daughter’s favorite dinner so I’m going to look for this!

  16. My favorite aspect is that it has a lot less carbs. I’m always trying to reduce carbs and the fiber is a big plus for me as well.

  17. I love that they provide a healthy choice for mac and cheese! Thanks so much for the chances to win.

  21. It’s Made from Chick-peas and also has more Protein than other pastas !!!!

  29. I’d like the protein/nutritional aspects. I have a super-picky toddler and macaroni & cheese is one of the few foods she’ll eat without a huge struggle, but the cheapo kind has no nutritional value. This sounds better.

  33. I like that it is: “double the protein, four times the fiber, and nearly half the net carbs”

  37. I like that Banza pasta has 25g of protein compared to only 13g in average pasta and nearly half the carbs. I’m always looking for foods that have more protein for my granddaughter who is a vegetarian.

  39. I like that it contains a good amount of fiber & less carbs than regular pasta.

  41. I like the extra protein! I’m always looking to sneak extra protein into my diet.

    1. Sorry, I misread the question. You asked about aspect. I like that’s it’s made of chickpeas

  43. I really like the amount of protein that Banza Mac and Cheese has. I’m always looking for high protein meals for my hubby and one of his favorite things to eat is Mac and Cheese so I think he would love this!

  45. I like that Banza pasta has four times the fiber as traditional wheat pasta.

  48. I like that it has double the protein and three times the fiber of regular mac and cheese.

  49. I love that they are made from Chickpeas. My daughter and I love Chickpeas and eat them all the time. They are so good for you.

  50. I would be most interested in the taste! ‘Good for you’ doesn’t work if you won’t eat it, so taste is the most important thing. But the extra protein is really great!

  52. I’m a huge fan of chickpeas so a pasta made with them sounds awesome and the extra protein is a great bonus.

  54. I like that it has double the protein and three times the fiber of regular mac and cheese.

  64. I have not heard of the Banza brand. It is a little too pricey for me but my friend needs gluten-free in her family. I will tell her about it.

  65. My grandsons love to eat mac & cheese. I’ll have to try this because it’s much healthier for them!

    1. Be sure to enter the giveaway I just posted earlier today. You can have it sent straight to them if you win! 🙂

  66. What a cute picture of 90’s Emily! I will have to give this Mac N Cheese a whirl. We are quite a protein and fiber focused generation as of late.

  68. Even with this product being pricey I would like to try it.
    Sometimes healthier choices are worth.
    Have not seen it in any store.

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