We need to talk about this Mac + Cheese 🧀
We are SO back!
Hi friends! I am so stoked to be back in your inbox—it’s genuinely something I’ve missed. If you're new here, welcome! This is my updated newsletter, now officially called Halfway to Healthy for a few reasons:
Health isn’t a destination; it’s an ongoing journey. So really, we’re always halfway there (or at least part way there).
Life happens. Some days, weeks, or even months, health isn’t the top priority, and that’s okay.
My recipes and approach to food are all about balance. Yes, I believe in full-sugar, chocolate-covered cheesecake with cream on top and nutrient-packed meals. I can already hear the haters saying, “How can this be healthy?”—but that’s exactly the point.
So, what can you expect here each week? A mix of my latest recipes, food and nutrition roundups, new products I’m loving, meal planning inspo, and grocery lists to (hopefully) make your life easier.
What’s happening this week?
➡️ I never thought I’d make mac & cheese without cheese, but here we are. And somehow… it works? I had my doubts, but my toddler and husband (who lets be real, are my toughest critics ) inhaled it. If you’re skeptical, I get it. But trust me—this one is worth a try. Recipe below!
➡️ I’ve started meal planning, and—shock horror—it actually makes life so much easier (and cheaper!!). My toddler eats a variation of what we have, and if including pics of how we plate up his meals helps just let me know and we can make it happen.
This Weeks Meal Plan
Breakfasts:
Eggs on toast
Avocado toast
Yoghurt + granola bowls
Weetbix with fruit and protein shake
Snacks:
Mixed nuts
Peaches
Smoothies
Corn thins with nut butter
Yopro for me, Coyo for my son
Plus anything else we have around the house
Lunches:
Left overs
Nourish bowls with quinoa, chickpeas, eggs, greens
Dinners:
Chicken Fajitas in soft tacos
Mac and cheese - recipe below!
Prawn vermicelli noodle bowls
Turkey meatballs with greek salad and rice
Salmon with artichoke and olive smash and potatoes
Cheeseless Mac + Cheese
I wasn’t sure this would work, but here we are. A mac & cheese without cheese that somehow still hits the mark. It’s creamy, satisfying, and toddler-approved—so I’m calling it a win. We served it alongside some breaded chicken breasts and it was a perfect meal.
Serves 6 | Gluten Free | Egg Free | Dairy Free | Soy Free
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
650g pumpkin
350g macaroni elbows
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable stock or dairy free milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp extra nutritional yeast
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Soak the cashews, this can either be done in boiling water for 5-10 minutes or overnight in tap water.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the pumpkin into 3cm ish chunks. Steam or boil until soft (approx. 7-8 minutes depending on the size of your chunks). Drain and allow to cool.
Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute less than the package instructions state. Drain and set aside - If using gluten free pasta I recommend rinsing the pasta under cold running water as there is often so much starch in the water which we don’t want to thicken the sauce.
In a blender or food processor add the soaked cashews, steamed pumpkin, garlic powder, mustard, nutritional yeast and vegetable stock or milk. Season well with salt and pepper. Please make sure the pumpkin is cooled at this point or you may end up with an exploding blender(!!).
Blend until smooth. Add extra stock or milk if required to achieve a pourable consistency.
Preheat the oven to 200C and pour the drained pasta into a casserole dish. Pour over the pumpkin cheese sauce and gently stir.
Mix together the breadcrumbs with the nutritional yeast and olive oil. Sprinkle over the macaroni and place into the preheated oven. Cook on the top shelf for 10-15 minutes or until the bread crumbs have browned.
Notes / Substitutions:
Macaroni: Sub any pasta but it really isn’t mac and cheese if it’s not mac but I won’t judge. We used gluten free pasta but if you don’t need it GF then eat that gluten.
Cashews: Sorry no sub here, these provide the basis of the cheesey sauce. I’ve previously done a dairy free mac and cheese with tofu blended but that is an entirely different recipe.
Pumpkin: I’ve used Jap / Kent pumpkin which is very widely available here in Aus however you can use butternut / squash if that is more easily available.
Nutritional Yeast: Again, this one doesn’t really have a sub as this is what gives the umami, cheesy flavour to the dish. I will add that I suggest using Braggs nutritional yeast over cheaper alternatives, purely because there are added B group vitamins in their product which helps make up for the vitamins you’d normally find in cheese.
Breadcrumbs: You can buy pre-made breadcrumbs or MYO this is really up to what you have on hand. Alternatively skip the breadcrumbs altogether.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 440
Carbs: 64g
Fibre: 3g
Protein: 9g
Fats: 16g
That’s it for this week! If you give the mac & cheese a go, you must tell me what you think—especially if you were skeptical at first. Add a comment to this email or tag me on Instagram if you make it!
Also, if you found this helpful, feel free to forward it to a friend who could use some easy meal inspo. The more, the merrier. 💛
See you next week!
Marika x