Healthy Mac N Cheese?

Is there even such a thing?


We all have those days... nothing but a good plate of carbs will do for dinner. Pasta is a big staple in my house and then probably white/brown rice.
Last evening was one of those days when I was struck with a desire to make Mac n cheese. No I'm not a fan of southern food but homemade macaroni with some fresh wisconsin cheese and a light sauce.... sounds good right? Operative word being "light".  It was probably my third attempt ever making mac n cheese and I must say it was a big FAIL.  I had all the ingredients (pasta, milk, butter, spices, cheese) on hand so it seemed like things would work out but nooooo.....


So this is my list of Do's and Don'ts I learnt from yesterday..


- Do NOT use skim milk- It just doesn't work. Use at least 1 or 2%. There needs to be enough fat in the dish for the sauce to be smooth.
- Do NOT use low fat cheese- Again, all I had was reduced fat cheddar and some chipotle jack and my guess is the reduce fat cheese caused the sauce to separate .  You end up with a less than desirable texture. 
Obviously making a health conscious Mac N cheese is not easy .. which ingredients can I compromise on? 
- Do use multigrain or whole wheat pasta- it tastes great with a rich cheese sauce.
- Do add in spices like nutmeg, garlic, smoked paprika...


So if any of y'all in blog land have a relatively healthy recipe for Mac N cheese I'm all ears.