Chunky Monkey Mac 'n Cheese

Hi guys! I'm sitting here with my 3 little ladies and they've just finished eating one of their absolute favorite recipes ever! I thought I'd take a break from the packing chaos (we're moving in A WEEK! How is it that all of our "stuff" keeps multiplying??!!) and upload this recipe for you all! I created this recipe as a weight-gain recipe and it sure does a good job! If you stick around to read more on this blog, you'll probably realize that I LOVE using coconut milk in many of my recipes! It is super thick and creamy and can be used to replace many other types of milk in recipes! In only 1/4 cup it boasts 100 calories and 10 grams of fat so it really packs a punch for those needing to gain weight! Many Mac n' Cheese recipes call for evaporated milk or whole milk, so I figured why not coconut milk? I promise you this recipe does not taste coconut-y at all! For those of you whose children are dairy free, I'm still playing with this recipe and trying to substitute a sweet potato puree in place of the cheese but so far my attempts haven't been a big hit with the little ladies! We are low-dairy here, and one of my girls is low carb due to blood sugar issues, so this is definitely a rare treat for my girls!

My oldest loves this recipe so much that as soon as she hears I'm making it, she repeatedly squeaks, "Thank you Mama....Mac n' Cheese....Love it! Thank you Mac n' Cheese Mama!!!" all while hugging me over and over. I kid you not! When my littles were younger I used to make this recipe and put it in the blender with some warm bone broth and make it into a puree! It's a hit with all of the little ladies here (and Mama has been known to sneak a few bites here and there too!!)

My favorite type of gluten free pasta to use with this recipe is brown rice pasta (Tinkyada brand). One of my girls had a rice sensitivity for some time so we've also used quinoa pasta as well (although it doesn't have the same smooth texture as brown rice pasta in this recipe).

You can serve it as the main dish or as a side dish, whatever meets your family's needs! This recipe keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

Well now that you're all amped up to try a recipe to fatten up the little ones in your house, here you go!

CHUNKY MONKEY MAC N' CHEESE

8 ounces shell pasta of choice

1 can whole fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)

3 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 bags shredded mild cheddar cheese (I've also used many other types of cheeses-whatever I have on hand!)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (alternate option: replace all of half of the milk with bone broth)

2 large eggs, whisked

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. pink sea salt

Dash of black pepper


Begin heating water for the pasta in a small saucepan.
In a large saucepan, heat coconut milk, butter, and coconut oil.
Whisk 2 large eggs and stir into the warm mixture in the saucepan.
Add mustard powder, nutmeg, sea salt and pepper and stir.
Add 1 bag of shredded cheese at at a time and mix until both bags are melted.
Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes while the pasta cooks.
Boil pasta and drain.
Pour pasta into cheese sauce mix and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Enjoy!

(I apologize for the lack of pictures. As soon as we're settled in our new house I will take some pictures and add them!)