This post is sponsored by Annie’s and Target, and we are celebrating all kinds of back-to-school yum with fun ideas for snacks, lunch boxes, and easy meals for this busy time of year.
Well it’s time to give up our beloved lazy days of summer and gear up for another back-to-school season. We’ve had so much fun this summer, and I really love seeing what the boys come up with when they have lots of time at home to just play. Lately they’ve been constructing tiny stores, gas stations and houses out of cardboard boxes for their little toy cars. If anyone needs to borrow cardboard boxes, scissors or tape, I’m sorry but I’m all out!
This year I got a head start on stocking up with school supplies at Target. And not just school supplies, but all our favorite snacks, lunch box staples, and breakfast options too. We love Annie’s cereals, crackers, cookies and mac and cheese! They are good to keep on hand because everyone’s always hungry and they are made with simple, good ingredients and without artificial flavors.
The Cocoa Bunnies cereal is a must try – especially if you like slurping up the leftover chocolate milk in your bowl when the cereal is gone! We also love the Cheddar Bunnies for packing in lunches.
I’m not usually the mom making fancy shapes and such for my boys’ lunches because honestly, the boys have to leave the house pretty early and I’m just not that with it. I made these little ham and cheese toothpicks, and the boys were like, “Wow, cool TIE Fighters Mom!” I have no idea what those look like, but I guess I’m more with it than I thought!
And here’s a fun way to serve up Annie’s Shells & Real Aged Cheddar. I just added some black beans, corn and pepper jack cheese (along with an egg to bind everything together) and baked them in a muffin tin.
Don’t forget to let your kiddos crush up some Cheddar Bunnies to make a cheesy, crunchy topping. They make a great lunch or after school snack!
Right now, through September 2nd, you can get great deals on Annie’s Fruit Snacks, Granola Bars, and Microwavable Mac & Cheese Cups with the Target Cartwheel App.
If you’ve got little ones heading back to school, have fun with all your back-to-school shopping!
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Southwestern Mac and Cheese Cups
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
I’ve got an easy recipe for Southwestern Mac and Cheese cups, plus fun ideas for packing lunches and after school snacks.
Ingredients
- 1 box Annie’s Shells & Real Aged Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese (prepared according to the directions on the box, with 2 tablespoons butter)
- nonstick cooking spray
- cornmeal for dusting muffin wells
- 1/2 cup Mexican style canned corn
- 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, crushed
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a muffin pan by spraying each well with nonstick spray, and then dusting a light coating of cornmeal. This will help the mac and cheese cups to come out of the pan easier.
- To the prepared mac and cheese, add the corn, beans, cheese, and beaten egg and stir to combine.
- Scoop about 1/3 cup into each muffin well.
- In a separate bowl, mix crushed Cheddar Bunnies, melted butter, dried chili powder, and dried parsley and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle about one teaspoon of the crumb mixture on the top of each mac and cheese cup.
- Bake for 15 minutes, and then let cool for 10 minutes. Be sure to let the mac and cheese cups set before trying to take them out of the pan.
- To release the cups, run a knife around the edges and then gently lift from the bottom.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Target & Annie’s. The opinions and text are all mine.
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