It’s here! This week many schools in our area are going back to school, lucky for us my son has another week but we are getting anxious around these parts!
I think I’m just as excited as my son, it is that nervous excitement! I am excited for him to get to be in a real school setting this year and nervous at the same time. I have all those fears that all parents have of “will he fit in?”, “will his teacher be a good fit for him?”, “what if he doesn’t like it?”…and on and on…and on.
Then, I have to remind myself he’s 4. He’s starting Pre-K and will probably love it. I mean who wouldn’t love playing with playdough and fun little lessons all day? I’d be happy in Pre-K!
In the midst of that it’s time to start thinking about meals. The school year is usually hectic, breakfast is spent trying to rush out the door, while lunch is spent at school, and then dinner is done in between running kids to and from activities! It’s just plain busy!
For the next two weeks I’m going to be sharing lots of Back to School ideas that will cover all these areas! We’ll be talking about lunches but also breakfast and dinner too!
First up, Cheesy Mac & Cheese! What could be better for lunch?
I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light, primarily I left out the fontina cheese and just added extra sharp cheddar cheese. This was pure cheesy goodness friends.
I also decided not to add the bread crumbs but if you want to add them you can! This can also be made gluten free easily by using gluten free pasta.
My son loved the addition to his lunchbox at least on the day I made it, so hopefully he still will once school is in session. Remember…my child is picky, he likes one thing one day and hates it the next. Story of my life…
A great way to add this to the lunch box is to put a little in a muffin wrapper or little individual compartment of the lunch storage container. I use these EasyLunchBoxes.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and stay tuned for more!
Happy Back to School Season!
Disclosure: I am a blog partner with Cooking Light; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. The lunch box is an affliate link through Amazon; however, I happen to absolutely love those and use them regularly!
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Cheesy Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour or Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2 2/3 Cups Skim Milk
- 1 1/4 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese Reserve 1/4 Cup
- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Oz Light Velveeta Cheese
- 3 Cups Uncooked Elbow Macaroni Pasta or Gluten Free Pasta
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Garlic Clove Crushed
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package.
- While this is cooking, in a medium saucepan, add the milk, whisking in the flour. Bring this to medium heat and whisk until thick. (About 8 minutes)
- Immediately whisk in the cheese and continue to stir until all of it has melted.
- Drain the pasta and return to the stock pot that it was in without water.
- Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta and add the crushed garlic.
- Continue to combine until it is well coated.
- Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and pour the macaroni into the dish evenly.
- Top with the reserved shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Nutrition
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