Start with one package of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Reserve the powdered cheese packet. Cook the noodles to slightly less than al dente. Reserve the cooked noodles.

In a deep skillet, brown 1/2 pound of very lean ground beef. Crumble it with a spoon so that all of the pieces are roughly the same size. When browned, drain the ground beef in a strainer and rinse it off with boiling water to remove the fat.

Place the pasta and ground beef onto trays, and dehydrate at 145 degrees until completely dry, at least overnight.

When dry, split the noodles and beef into two equal portions by weight, and pack each portion in a 1 quart freezer bag. Into each bag, place 1/2 the reserved powdered cheese packet, 2 teaspoons butter powder, 2 teaspoons powdered milk, and 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum. It seems to work best to split up the cheese powder by volume and not by weight (it doesn't weigh much).

To serve, cover with 1 3/8 cup to 1 1/2 cup near-boiling water and simmer in a cozy for 15-20 minutes. If you are cooking at altitude, make sure that your water comes to a rolling boil before pouring it into the bag, and simmer the food for at least 20 minutes (maybe even a bit longer).