
One of the problems with school lunches over the last decade or so has been the steady uptick in sugar and refined carbohydrates while the amount of protein and fat were drastically reduced. The fear of fat has impacted our children in negative ways and given sugar a free pass in all of our foods. We must attempt to feed our kids healthy fats and proteins while limiting the sugar. Not always possible on a budget. Do the best you can and let go of the guilt for the rest.
For today’s lunch we were given a cinnamon roll for breakfast and breaded chicken nuggets for lunch. While a cinnamon roll might sound like a fun treat for a breakfast but it’s too much sugar without any protiein to provide ballence and curb the sugar crash that is bound to happen. I don’t know about you but in my house having a boat load of kids all hopped up on sugar trying to focus on distance learning is my absolute nightmare! Add to that nightmare the impending lethargic crash and lack of motivation to even leave the couch let alone get outside for fresh air. A solid start in the morning is necessary to keep the kids going and keep mama sane. All it takes is a few modifications and some outta the box thinking.
What we were given: Apple, Cinnamon Roll, Orange, Peas, 5 Chicken Nuggets, Wheat Dinner Roll, 1 Chocolate and 1 White milk (both 1%)
What we plan to make:
- Breakfast: Baked cinnamon roll casserole (Using the apple, cinnamon roll, Wheat Rolls and 1 white milk)
- Dinner: Chicken Parmesan (using the Chicken nuggets)
Cinnamon Roll Apple Bake

Ingredients
3 Cinnamon Rolls
3 Wheat Rolls
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk (half the school carton)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Apples
1 Tbs Cinnamon
Cut rolls in half and lightly butter/ sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cut rolls and cinnamon rolls into bite sized pieces then sprinkle into a baking dish… thoroughly mixed.
Wisk eggs and milk together then pour over rolls.
Peel and chop apples then mix with cinnamon and sugar.
Spread apple mixture over the rolls evenly.
Bake at 350F for 20 min making sure to check that the center is fully cooked.
Cost: Eggs .50, Butter .50, Sugar and Cinnamon .50 Total $1.50
Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients
15 Chicken Nuggets (the amount given for 3 lunches)
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
5 cloves garlic (more or less based on your family’s tastes)
1 quart Pasta Sauce
1 lb Penne Noodles (or any dry pasta you have)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus some for topping the chicken.
(I use low cost in the sauce and higher quality as topping)
Sauté onions and peppers until soft, then add chopped garlic.
Place chicken in a baking dish deep enough to allow about a cup of pasta sauce on top of the chicken.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. While baking, Boil water and cook pasta.
Add pasta sauce to veggies and bring to boil. drop temp and simmer, stirring occasionally.
Top chicken with 1 cup sauce and add grated parmesan… bake for 5 to 10 additional minutes.
Slice chicken into thin strips.
Add 1/2 cup parmesan to sauce and stir.
Top cooked pasta with sauce and sliced chicken.
Cost: Pasta $1, Sauce $1, peppers, onions, garlic .75, cheese $1 Total: 3.75