No Milk – No Problem Coconut Mac and Cheese

It was like the world came crashing down. We were out of milk!! Noooo! My kids were adamant they wanted (rephrase, needed) Mac & Cheese for dinner. If you’re a mom of a two year you know how horrific a scenario like this may be. I guess it was my mistake for asking their preference and now that they have requested it, there is no turning back, no other suggestion would suffice. What have I done?

Should I lock myself in the bathroom until the screaming settles hoping they get hungry enough that they will eat chicken? Do I load the kids up in the car and go to the store to buy some freaking milk? Do I make pasta with butter and pretend I’m color blind and declare that it is most definitely white creamy cheese sauce? Or here’s my favorite, turn up the radio, sing gleefully while smiling and telling your children how much you love them in a very Prozac “ish” like kind of state and give them cereal. This is usually my go-to performance in the grocery store when they are melting down, snot nosed screaming all over the floor because they want a chocolate egg.

So I didn’t do any of those fantastic options I listed above, I did something even greater. I made “No milk, no problem” Mac & Cheese. I used coconut milk and it was stupendous. I also had a little leftover roasted pumpkin so I blended it up into a puree in my handy dandy Vitamix and stirred that in for a lovely “Kraft-like” color. It was creamy, delicious and looked exactly like boxed Mac & Cheese. I think I will be adding this to our list of favorite dinners.

This is also a great meal for kids that have problems gaining weight and eating enough calories. It’s a healthy yet calorie/ fat loaded dish. If you’ve got bird eater this could be a good solution to get a few extra calories and nutrients into a small portion. Sometimes the trick is not trying to force your children to eat larger portions, but adding more high calorie condensed nutrients into smaller amounts of food. I’ve always been a grazer, I was never forced to clean my plate and my mother adjusted my serving sizes and gave me less food. I’ve always had a good relationship with food. I hope I can pass this to my kids as well.

No Milk – No Problem Coconut Mac and Cheese

Recipe by Jenny AtkinsCourse: Dairy Free, Food, High Calorie Meals

Servings

6

servings

This no milk mac & cheese is perfect for getting a few extra calories into small meals and reducing the amount of dairy by using coconut milk instead of dairy milk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 1 cup butternut squash, roasted or steamed

• 1 garlic clove

• dash of salt

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

• Blend butternut squash or pumpkin, coconut milk, salt and garlic together in a blender or food processor (I use a Vitamix).
• Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat. Once heated through stir in grated cheese (or leave out for a non-dairy version). Stir in cooked pasta shells.

Notes

• You can try this recipe using any type of roasted or steamed veggie or a combination of the two. Try it with sweet potatoes or even zucchini (just make sure to peel the green skin if your kids aren’t a fan of green food)