Kraft Dinner Gets Smart - Review and Giveaway
Friday, January 13, 2012
Kraft Dinner has just gotten a lot Smarter. They have taken their classic macaroni & cheese and added ingredients like oats and vegetables blended right into the noodles. What's more, Kraft Dinner Smart contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. And just one 50 g bowl (¾ cup prepared) of KD Smart Vegetables, for example, contains a half serving of veggies. The High Fibre variety contains Canadian oats and is a source of fibre. There is also a third variety that contains flaxseed and inulin, and is a source of Omega-3 polyunsaturates. When matched up with a serving of vegetables or fruit, you'll find yourself with a quick solution for a balanced meal..
We know the dinner table can become a daily battleground between parents and picky eaters, especially when nutritious foods are involved. So we set out to make a new KD that kids would love to eat and parents would be proud to serve. KD Smart has added ingredients, contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, and has the same cheesy taste that even the pickiest eaters can't resist. With KD Smart, you can finally wave the white flag and call a dinnertime ceasefire!
As a mother of two, I feel pretty fortunate that my children enjoy a variety of healthy foods, including vegetables. The thing is, there are periods when they don't "like" certain foods that they would previously eat willingly. I haven't quite figured out why that is but I'm pretty sure it has to due with the mood they are in. The pickiest eater in the house would have to be myself. Especially when it comes to vegetables. My tastes have broadened beyond the salad, which I only began to eat when I was in my early 20s, and now I enjoy broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, peas, cucumbers, sweet potato and tomatoes, for the most part. So I was definitely interested in trying out the KD Smart Vegetables. We were sent samples of the other varieties and we did not notice anything unusual about them. They were cheesy and tasty. The vegetable variety, however...
After adding the pasta to the boiliing water, I quickly noticed the distinct smell of cauliflower. In no time, the smell filled the house. My kids even noticed it, too. I began to think my kids wouldn't be eating KD for dinner. I tried it out myself first but I already knew that I wouldn't like it. Then I gave it to my kids. After the first spoonful, they were hesitant. But slowly they became used to the flavour and ate most of their serving. I was pleasantly surprised. When it comes to preparing dinner, vegetables usually get neglected. With KD Smart Vegetables, it's nice to know that my kids are getting about a half serving of vegetables. Would I buy the vegetable variety in the future? Probably not. But the other two varieties were a hit with the kids. Just a note about cooking time: I found if you follow the directions, the pasta tends to be overcooked. I recommend trying the pasta every so often if you prefer it a little more al dente.
Have you tried Kraft Dinner Smart yet? If not, you'll be interested to know that I get to give away KD Smart gift packs to three lucky winners. Each pack contains four varities with a wooden spoon, picky eater quiz and a one-week meal plan. Simply fill out the Rafflcopter form below for your chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canada only.
This giveaway is now closed.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I was sent a Kraft Dinner Smart variety pack to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.
59 COMMENTS
my kids are biggest picky eaters in the world, they don't like anything but Kraft Dinner!
ReplyDeleteI have two picky eaters... my son and my hubby!
ReplyDeleteI have no picky eaters. Thank goodness. We have experimented with food from all over the world (except snake and bugs!) My brother went through a KD only phase. My tip is try to be considerate but only cook one meal! If they are hungry they will eat it, if they want something different - husband can cook it himself.
ReplyDeleteNo picky eaters in my household :)
ReplyDeleteMy oldest has always been very picky but has been getting better as he gets older. I find getting kids to help prepare meals makes them less stressful.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 picky eaters.
ReplyDeletemy bf is an extremely picky eater
ReplyDeleteontariohappychick at gmail dot com
I am the picky eater, my tip haha give me what I like:)
ReplyDeletecalvert0 at telus dot net
I can't enter under subscribed to your blog, refreshed 5x, does not work:(
ReplyDeleteThings are split here, I have one that will eat enything and one that is extremely picky. My only tip is to make food fun & let them help in the preparation in some way.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 year old son is a picky eater and it frustrates the heck out of me. I wish I had some tips for you but I'm looking to find some tips from other moms on here on how to get their picky eaters to eat!
ReplyDeleteI do have a picky eater, but LOVES KD. karasceviour at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI do not have a picky eater at home. He will eat anything I make and it is wonderful
ReplyDeletebluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
belinda mcnabb
email subscribe button not working. I subscribe to you with bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeletebelinda mcnabb
My kids are not picky eaters, I am. I have no recommendations for you as I am the picky one and wouldn't follow my advice lol
ReplyDeletekarryknisley76 at hotmail dot com
I don't have any picky eaters here.cardshark42(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy youngest can be quite the picky eater. But he does like KD.
ReplyDeleteWe make him sometimes a seperate meal then the rest of us so that he will eat. Not a fun thing to do. Or we try to make things we all will eat.
Thanks for the giveaway
silverneon2000 at yahoo dot com
House full of picky eaters but my kids love the Smart KD!
ReplyDeleteThose days are gone of dealing with picky eaters. When I had to deal with it, I would have my daughter participate with meal planning and preparation. I found this way she liked to eat whatever she prepared.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if she had her way, she would eat KD every day!
My kids were never really picky eaters, but they did have their moments. I have no tips at all lol
ReplyDeleteThanks
RAFFLECOPTER
NAME
is
Anne Taylor
yes, i do have a picky eater. My youngest DD.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that i found that helps entice her to try things is paying her..it sounds bad, but it's been working and she's honest about it, it usually only needs to be a last resort type thing..phew! (and it's generally like a dime)
I do have a picky eater here (my boyfriend lol!) who refuses to eat vegetables. SO I have to sneak them into the food! I will use the food processor to grind up the veg and sneak them into sauces, casseroles, etc! lol!
ReplyDeleteone picky eater who is hubby- very little veggies that he likes and no sauces/dressings
ReplyDeleteI have a little picky eater, likes organic and fresh food, he does not know what that means, only by tasting. So I try to give him everything fresh and freshly cooked.
ReplyDeleteFan R.(Teddy Out Ready)
I have a picky eater son! Dont have any tips..:(
ReplyDeleteksceviour at hotmail dot com
My boys are pretty good eaters but my stepson is so picky! We all love KD in our house though! :)
ReplyDeletebreej23 at hotmail dot com
Our girls are mildly picky, they struggle with trying new things, but they love veggies, rice and quinoa (it's meat that's harder). We discovered that if we made a game of trying something new, (everyone who isn't trying the new thing has to close their eyes so that the kid trying the new thing can make whatever face they want then decide if they like it) has changed everything. They've discovered 6 new healthy foods they love thanks to that teeny little trick. yay!
ReplyDeleteno picky eaters here
ReplyDeleteLuckily I don't have any picky eaters. My kids will try anything once.
ReplyDeletemy son has always been a picky eater but as he has gotten older he has started to like more foods...the only thing I can say is don't make mealtime a battle and keep offering different things.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can be picky. Sometimes my stomach rolls when I have meat, after one bite, I will know if I should put the meat aside. Wierd eh? We love to make meals together and we laugh alot while cooking.
ReplyDeleteDOREEN RIOPEL ON ENTRY FORM
I have a picky eater but i try to have atleast one item on the dinner table she likes
ReplyDeletereneetaylor at sympatico dot ca
My kids are not picky eaters.My tip is to make them try new things .. and then retry it later if they don't like it the first time.
ReplyDeletethanks
flower_child_23(at)hotmail(dot)com
My daughter is a picky eater, I try not to let her fill up on juice or milk before dinner.
ReplyDeletethanks
amym_brown @ hotmail.com
No picky eaters in my house thank goodness! We always eat dinner as a family at the table.
ReplyDeleteI have one picky eater at home, but unfortunately I don't have any great tips. The only thing that I have noticed though, is that my daughter is more receptive to new foods when she is given them by somebody else. Maybe that would work for someone?
ReplyDeletecleaningrhouse at yahoo dot com
No picky eaters at my house, we always eat together!!
ReplyDeletedalleykt @ live dot ca
Hopefully trying this healthy Kraft Dinner, my picky eaters will see the light and be less picky so I hope .....
ReplyDeleteMy youngest is just like his mama, P I C K Y ! ! I try to offer him any foods he's turned down a few wks later to see if he'll change his mind. If it's vegetables, I try and hide them in something he absolutely loves! It usually works!
ReplyDeleteNot overly picky in our home. :)
ReplyDeleteUnfort i do have few picky eaters so sometimes i have to make multiple things appetizer size though.
ReplyDeletebilliondollarprincesss@hotmail.com
I don't have any picky eaters here.
ReplyDeleteI have a picky eater, ummmmmm, she gets it from her mom!! lol
ReplyDeleteTip, she gets nothing additional, as long as she eats her veggies, we are ok with her not eating the rest.
there are 3 picky eaters in the house.
ReplyDeletetinalee351 at gmail dot com
Our children have always been willing to try different foods. They haven't been difficult to feed. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a very picky eater,and is willing to try anything.
ReplyDeleteMine aren't that picky but one likes everything the other hates and vice versa.....makes dinnertime very difficult
ReplyDeletemy four year old is really picky, we eat a lot of K+D and hotdogs tbh
ReplyDeleteYes! We have a VERY picky eater. Currently I am letting him serve his own veggies and he has the choice to kiss, lick or take a bite. Baby steps.
ReplyDeleteThe baby is just being itroduced to foods and the 5 yr old is not a picky eater at all.
ReplyDeleteI have 5 kids, and each of them is picky in their own way except the baby. Dinner time is very frustrating as I normally have to prepare 3 different things just to get all of them to eat something.
ReplyDeleteandrea_hockeygirl@hotmail.com
I have no picky eaters at home. I'm really lucky!
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were little, one was picky and was not. With my picky eater we had a deal. She had to try one mouthful of whatever was on her plate. If she didn't like it she didn't have to eat it. Every 3 months or so, I would put that item on her plate again. Eventually, she would eat. Kids tastes change all the time. Sometimes they don't eat just to be in control :)
ReplyDeleteI have one picky eater that I watch, and only advice is to just keep trying to offer various choices.
ReplyDeleteloridc@gmail.com
I have two picky eaters, well three including my husband, he still doesnt want his food to touch.
ReplyDeleteDon't really have a picky eater, but she is reluctant to try new veggies.
ReplyDeletecontestkathy(at)hotmail(dot)ca
We don't have a picky eaters here thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteapavlovsky@hotmail.com
No picky eaters here, thankfully.
ReplyDeleteHere's a quick review of Kraft Dinner Smart High Fibre:
ReplyDeleteWell I'm no vegan or health-nut or anything like that, but I saw a box of KD Smart and figured why not, it's got more fibre, thats good, some veggies in it, thats ok, Ive have pasta with veggies in it before, they tasted the same. And no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Well, I'm not anti-artificial-anything, but I don't really mind, I figure it may not have the same color, but whatever...
So I boil it up, the noodles cooked up pretty quick, I always nibble a couple every few minutes as I give it a stir, to see how its coming along. After about 2 minutes, I tried a couple, a small crunch, and they turned to ash in my mouth, not good! Well I finished cooking them, this was not starting well.
Drained the water and started mixing in the sauce. Wow, this stuff does NOT look tasty! The cheese powder is rust colored, and has the texture of sawdust. And the taste? RUSTY SAWDUST! It tasted just like it looked! And smelled a bit worse...
I tried a few bites, maybe it's an acquired taste, and I'll get used to it, I thought. Nope! This stuff is TERRIBLE! It LOOKS, SMELLS, and TASTES like RUSTY SAWDUST! Maybe the other variations of KD Smart are a bit better, but KD Smart High Fibre SUCKS!
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