Toddler Tuesdays: Mac and Cheese Muffins

Welcome to Toddler Tuesdays!

(If we're being 100% honest he wasn't a toddler in these pictures- maybe 10 months or so? But who's judging?)

 I am so excited to share this new series of recipes with you. What I can tell you right off the bat is that I  most likely will not be posting a recipe for this series every Tuesday, but my goal is to post at least 2-3 times a month with a new toddler friendly meal. Here's the inspiration: I have  a son who is 15 months, eats decently well, has multiple food allergies, and is underweight. Put it all together and you can assume that figuring out food to feed him is a big part of my day.

Most people say, "Oh- just feed them what you eat!" But anyone who has a toddler knows that doesn't always go as planned. Landon is a good eater and will try many new foods, but he also is known to snub things he loved the day before, throw food on the floor, or say "NO!" very loudly when he doesn't like something I'm offering...you know, act like a toddler! With that in mind I focus on making food I know he'll like while getting as much healthy fat and veggies in him as I can. I also like to cook in big batches and freeze portions because Landon eats dinner at 5 on weeknights since he goes to bed by 6, and John and I don't eat until 7:30, so he's eating alone. Easy is very important with those circumstances!

So the first meal for Toddler Tuesdays is mac and cheese muffins. I've seen mac and cheese muffins all over the place, so this is in no way new or groundbreaking, but it's perfect for toddlers (and adults alike). The portion size is perfect, they freeze well, and it's macaroni and cheese- so there's that! Landon *loved* this and ate a whole "muffin". I ended up mixing some sliced avocado in with it, just because I had it, and he liked it that way too. A definite winner!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original, but inspired from various sites on the internet

Ingredients:
3 cups of cooked macaroni and cheese (I used a variation of this recipe), homemade or boxed
3 oz or about 1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 tbsp butter

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Grease the muffin tins with the butter.
3- Spoon the mac and cheese evenly into the muffin cups.
4- Bake 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. (If you want to serve one immediately just scoop it out but it most likely will lose it's shape, but it'll taste just as good).
5- Once cool, place the tin in the fridge for about 2 hours so the muffins set and retain their shape.
6- Remove muffins from tin, wrap individually in plastic wrap. Place wrapped muffins in a freezer bag and freeze. When you want to serve one remove from the freezer and allow to defrost, remove wrapper, and reheat.