Mini Lunchbox Corn Dogs

How did your kid's first day of school turn out? Mine was disturbingly odd. You see, for the first time in the 19 years I have been a Mom, I was home for a whole day without a single child following me around. It was a very strange experience but one I am looking forward to again this week since my three year old only goes to preschool one day a week. Thursdays have become a sacred day for me now. Not sacred like Sunday, but sacred nonetheless.

I have been working on my attitude when it come to packing school lunches. I don't know why, but it has always been something I dread having to do every night before I go to bed. Maybe it is due to the number of lunches I have to pack or the fact that I often get stuck in the "Lunchbox Rut." I am going to work hard this new school year to keep my outlook positive and to keep my kids excited to open those lunches every day at school.

These mini corn dogs were so simple and so stinking cute! My son who is a high school junior really isn't into the "stinking cute" food but everyone else was pretty darn excited to see them. The recipe makes two dozen so I assumed I would have enough for lunch the following day, but my scavengers found the leftovers. I won't tell you the lengths I go to in an attempt to hide lunchbox treats from my kiddos. I have a new hiding spot this year and so far, no one has found it. They keep looking however and it is only a matter of time when I open my container to find it half eaten :)

The only struggle I had with these cutie patooties was that they stuck a bit to my mini muffin pan. I will be more generous with the spray next time, or might even use some mini muffin liners. If you have nonstick mini muffin pans, count yourself blessed :)

Mini Lunchbox Corn Dogs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray the mini muffin pans well. Mix the muffin mix, egg and milk in a medium bowl. Mixture will remain slightly lumpy. Set aside to rest for a couple minutes.

2. Fill each muffin cup 1/2 full with corn muffin batter then place a 1/4 piece of hot dog in the center. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the muffin is cooked and lightly brown around the edges. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Want some more great lunchbox ideas? Check out these babies!