Slow Cooker Macaroni Cheese - Healthier for Kids!

 Lately my kids announced they love macaroni cheese!  I will say you can make this as healthy as you like, it all depends on what you know about your kids and their food boundaries. For instance you could use wholemeal pasta, I used low-fat grated cheese, and you could leave the butter out if you like. My kids like broccoli so I could add a bit of that, but not all kids like 'green bits' - one thing I can assure you of is this recipe works and is a great starting point for you to add your own twist to sneak in your veggies!

INGREDIENTS
200g elbow pasta
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
3/4 carrot, grated
1/8 of a cauliflower, roughly chopped
200g low-fat grated cheese
20g butter
salt

METHOD
- Grate carrot, chop cauliflower
- Place with all dry ingredients in slow cooker, combine with a spoon or your hands
- Add stock, milk and butter
- Place slow cooker on high, stir after 45min, then cook another 45min (1.5 hours total)
Done!

Adapted from: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/slow-cooker-mac-n-cheese/65d6abef-df34-4d4b-9385-a921f7fc1746

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Nachos Topping!

Our old babysitter Sal is vegetarian and she visited us from Melbourne for Mothers Day 2019. We wanted a yummy snack for her as soon as she stepped off the plane and by all accounts this hit the spot! I love this recipe because it's a 'dump recipe' - no need to pre-fry or cook any ingredients, just pile them into the slow cooker and leave overnight. It's sneaky healthy too, depending on how the topping is served. I love a bowl of the mixture with just a sprinkling of cheese and some corn chips and avocado on the side. Cheap! Perfect!

INGREDIENTS
- 1 x small red onion
- 2 x cloves of garlic
- 1/2 red capsicum, chopped
- 1/2 green capsicum, chopped
- 1 cob of corn, kernels removed (or 3/4 cup frozen corn)
- 2 x tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 x tin of kidney beans, drained
- 1 x tin of black beans, drained
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Mexican or Taco seasoning to taste (I actually use 2 tbsp as I want the kids to not complain about 'spicy')
- Salt and pepper to taste

To serve (all optional):
- Corn chips
- Cheese
- Squeeze of line
- Avocado
- Chopped coriander


METHOD
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker and place on low
- I leave it cooking overnight (say 8pm-7am), in the morning it will look almost blackened on top but once you mix it up again it is a beautiful rich mixture.
- Serve on top of corn chips with toppings as desired!

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of beans, soaked overnight
• 1 x clove garlic, crushed
• 125g panetta, chopped somewhere between finely and roughly
• 1 Spanish onion, peeled and chopped

• 100g grainy mustard (1/2 jar)
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 500-600ml chicken stock
• 1 x 15ml tablespoon cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

METHOD 

1. Soak the beans in plenty of water for 24 hours.
2. Once the beans are soaked, drain and rinse them and put aside. 
3. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid.
4. Fry the chopped pancetta briskly in the hot oil and, after about 5 minutes, turn down the heat and add the chopped onion. Cook alongside the pancetta for about another 5 minutes. 
5. Add the mustard, tomatoes, sugar and stock, stirring everything together well. Stir in the rinsed beans. 
6. Bring to the boil and let it bubble for a few minutes. Put a lid on the pan and transfer to the slowcooker on low for 6-8 hours.
   
   
   Adapted from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1059800/Boston-baked-beans.htmlhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1059800/Boston-baked-beans.html