These Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins are a fun, lunchbox friendly, spin on a kid-favorite. Since they’re fun to eat and packed with flavor, kids won’t even know they’re filled with veggies! 

Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins

School is back in full swing for some! Can you believe how fast the summer flew by? My parents live in Tennessee and their schools started last week.

Luckily we still have a couple of weeks here in Ohio, but I am already starting to plan and get things organized. I know that one of the big worries for parents, especially in the beginning of the school year, is putting healthy meals on the table and packing nutritious lunches for our kids. It can be hard to do this with the craziness of getting back into the swing of school.

These Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins will be a lifesaver for you this year! If your kids like mac and cheese, then they will love these Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins. These little handheld muffins are filled with whole wheat pasta, broccoli, carrots, onion and of course cheese. Each muffin is stopped with a sprinkling of whole wheat breadcrumbs to add a touch of crunch. These make the perfect packable food for a lunchbox but also would make a great snack or dinner.

These aren’t just for the kids, either! I loved these for my busy days when I needed a quick lunch. Just pull a couple out of the fridge and throw them in the microwave for 30 seconds. You can pair this with your favorite side salad and make it a nice little dinner too.

Today I am excited to be sharing these Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins in partnership with Produce for Kids who is encouraging families nationwide to kick off the school year right by pledging to eat a healthier lunch August 8 through September 23 at PowerYourLunchbox.com .  The Power Your Lunchbox Pledge™ website offers tools and tips for families and classrooms to eat healthier lunches, after-school snacks and weekday dinners this school year.   For every online pledge, lunchbox-friendly companies supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge will make a collective $1 donation to Feeding America® children’s programs such as Kids Café, Backpack program and Child Hunger Corps.

Check out the Produce for Kids partners supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge 2016 below: Here are three ways families and individuals can get involved in the campaign:

• Take the pledge. Pledge to pack a healthier lunchbox at PowerYourLunchbox.com. Companies supporting the program will make a collective $1 donation for every pledge taken to Feeding America programs that support families and children.
• Show off healthy lunchboxes on social media. Produce for Kids’ Instagram and Twitter followers can use the #PowerYourLunchbox hashtag to show off their healthy lunchboxes to have their lunchboxes featured on the Produce for Kids Facebook page. Produce for Kids is also giving away a Bentology bento box every day. Follow along on the hashtag to see great ideas from fellow parents.
• Party with Produce for Kids on Twitter. Parents looking for even more tips and resources for healthy lunchboxes are invited to join Produce for Kids and partner companies at the #PowerYourLunchbox Twitter party at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 17.

This is a great cause and perfect way to get yourself on the right track with providing your children with healthy lunchboxes for school. It is so important for children to get the nutrients they need throughout their day in order to be successful at school and provide them with energy all day long. I don’t know about you, but there is no better way to encourage healthy eating then with mac and cheese muffins!

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Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These Healthy Mac and Cheese Muffins are a fun, lunchbox friendly, spin on a kid-favorite. Since they're fun to eat and packed with flavor, kids won't even know they're filled with veggies!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 sweet onion
• 1 cup baby cut carrots
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 cup shredded lowfat cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 box (14.5 oz.) whole wheat macaroni noodles, cooked according to package
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Puree onion, carrots and broccoli in food processor or blender until smooth.
3. Mix 1 cup of cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, butter and olive oil in large bowl. Add cooked macaroni, vegetables and ½ cup bread crumbs. Stir until just incorporated.
4. Spoon mixture evenly into greased muffin pan. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs on top along with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from the muffin tins.

Notes

I used my food processor to finely chop the carrots, broccoli and onion and it worked great.

You can mix up the type of cheese you use.

I suggest using any type of small shaped pasta, as it works best in the small muffin shape.

You can try adding different vegetables like zucchini.

Today’s post is sponsored by Produce for Kids. As always opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that allow me to create new and delicious recipes.