At the moment our lives are so very busy and although I hate to admit it, I am really stretched beyond my capacity … so there is not a lot of room in my head for thinking about complicated food.

Today I am thankful indeed for meals like this – it is one of those filling and satisfying meals that comes with very little actual effort! Everything dumped in the slow cooker and dinner is pretty well ready at 5.30am. Phew! It’s not fancy, but it is nutritious, yummy, filling, allergy friendly and budget friendly ….  everything we need it to be!

• 4 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
• 1kg pumpkin
• 1 400g tin chick peas, drained
• 500g tomato passata*
• 1/2 cup hot chicken stock
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 heaped tbsp Moroccan Seasoning (I make this one)
• Juice from 1 small lemon
• 2 cups green beans, chopped
• Optional: 4 medjool dates, diced
• rice or corn cous cous to serve.

*If you don’t have passata, you can replace it here with a 425g tin diced tomatoes and 2 tbsp tomato paste.

Dice the pumpkin and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker, then drain and rinse the chick peas and place them on top of the pumpkin.

Place the chicken on top of the veggies and sprinkle over the seasoning.

Cover with the passata, hot stock and garlic and place on the lid.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Remove lid and use forks to shred the chicken. Stir through the dates, if using, and beans, the return the lid and look on low for a further 45mins.

Stir through the lemon juice and serve with rice or cous cous.

Makes about 8 adult serves and the left overs freeze and defrost well.

Enjoy 🙂