3 Healthy Snack Mixes Your Kids Will Love

These 3 come from Sports Mom Survival Guide and we love them! My kids (and I!) are obsessed with trail mixes that we can customize just how we like them! These are perfect for busy days on the go, for sports snacks, lunches, or just as an after-school snack when they come home famished!

Pantry Popcorn Mix from The Baker Mama

Ingredients

4 cups popped popcorn (stovetop or a 3 ounce microwave bag)

1 cup mini pretzels

1 cup fish-shaped cheese crackers (such as Goldfish)

1 cup animal crackers

1 cup honey flavored toasted oat cereal

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup roasted peanuts

¾ cup peanut M&M’s

Directions

Pop popcorn and cool. Add remaining ingredients. 

Cheddar & Apple Goldfish Snack Mix From Southern Mom Loves

Ingredients

2 c. Cheddar Goldfish Crackers

1 c. dried apples

½ c.dried cranberries

½ c. shelled walnuts

Instructions

Add ingredients into a bowl – Mix – Serve!

Nut-Free Toddler Trail Mix from The Lean Green Bean

 

Ingredients

2 cups Rice Chex

2 cups Cheerios

¾ cup pepitas

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup chocolate covered sunflower seeds

½ cup dried blueberries

1 Tbsp brown sugar, optional

Instructions

There are two ways to go about mixing up this treat-filled surprise. 

Mix up all the dry ingredients and go.

OR

Dump cereal & pumpkin seed in microwave-safe bowl – Pour in butter & stir – Sprinkle cinnamon – Microwave for 90 second – Stir – Microwave for another 90 seconds – Spread on baking sheet & cool – Add blueberries and sunflower seeds once cooled – Pour into bags – Eat!

Easter Bunny Chow

This comes from Crafty Morning and is a perfect Easter treat! I packaged mine up in clear bags with Easter tags for my kids' 9 school teachers! It was a big hit and super easy/cheap to make a big double batch! You could also easily make this Christmasy using Christmas M&Ms!

INGREDIENTS

½ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup butter

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

9 cups Chex cereal

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup Easter M&Ms

spring/Easter sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl.

Microwave for 1 minute, then stir until melted and creamy.

Add vanilla and stir.

In a large bowl with a cover, pour chocolate mixture over cereal. Cover and shake until

cereal is evenly coated.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over cereal. Cover and shake until evenly coated.

Add M&Ms and sprinkles of your choice.

Muddy Buddies

This is my favorite recipe for Muddy Buddies and it was enjoyed by everyone! It makes a ton, which I love, too! Recipe and picture from Kitchn.

MAKES14 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) box Rice Chex cereal (about 11 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (10 ounces)
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, such as Skippy
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided

EQUIPMENT

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium microwave-safe bowl
• 1 gallon zip-top bag
• Parchment paper
• Rimmed baking sheet

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour cereal into a large mixing bowl and prepare a baking sheet. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Pour the cereal into the largest mixing bowl you own; set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate and peanut butter. Place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl (start with 1/4 teaspoon, then add more to taste after microwaving). Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving in 15 second intervals, stirring in between each, until almost melted, about 45 seconds more. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Toss the cereal with chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the cereal and toss until all the cereal is evenly coated.
5. Layer the powdered sugar and Chex in a gallon-sized bag. Place 1 cup of the powdered sugar in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add half of the cereal, a second cup powdered sugar, the remaining cereal, and then the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. (You’re layering it so the powdered sugar coats the cereal evenly). Seal the bag.
6. Coat the cereal. Shake vigorously until the cereal is evenly coated with the powdered sugar.
7. Let cool. Pour onto the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Let cool, about 10 minutes, then store in an airtight container or a clean zip-top bag if not serving immediately.

Lucky Charms Krispie Treats

Someone gave me a box of Lucky Charms cereal the other day and since it's so sweet I decided to make treats for our playdate instead of eating it plain! I combined a few recipes I found on Pinterest and the kids loved them! I loved that they were super easy!

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
6 cups Lucky Charms cereal
4 cups marshmallows
Sprinkles (optional--only for 'cute' factor!)

*Melt butter in large saucepan over med-high heat. Stir in marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Once melted, stir in cereal until coated.
*Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and cover with sprinkles. Once cool, cut into bars.

Caramel Corn

I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven and it's probably the best caramel popcorn I've ever had! Tastes like salted caramel!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 12 cups popped popcorn (about 1 cup kernels before popped), preferably warm from being freshly popped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with aluminum foil, and grease with cooking spray. 

Melt butter in a large stockpot pot over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup, stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir, then continue to cook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the mixture is a deep golden color. Turn off the heat and slowly whisk in salt, baking soda and vanilla, being very careful as the mixture will bubble. Stir in the popcorn and toss until it is evenly coated with the caramel, being sure to scrape the caramel off the bottom of the pot. 

Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet or pan in an even layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring to toss every 5 minutes, until the caramel corn has turned a deep amber color. Remove the caramel corn from the oven and transfer to a surface covered with parchment or wax paper to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, use your hands or a spoon to break up the caramel corn, then store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cake Pop Donuts

Did you also buy one of these BabyCakes Cake Pop Makers on Black Friday? I ordered mine through Kohls.com for next to nothing and am so glad I did! This recipe is from Moscato Mom and they are delicious! My kids went nuts over them!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Now, I will be honest… as I was making this I was wondering what I got myself into… I can not tell you the last time I put this many ingredients together in ANYTHING… but it was totally worth it!! 
Mix all ingredients and spoon into your Baby Cakes Cake Pop Maker.  Fill each “hole” about half full as the batter will rise.  Bake 4-5 minutes until you can stick the little pitch fork thingie that comes with the maker into the center and it comes out clean.  Pop them out and either roll in powdered sugar or coat in glaze!

Donut Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c melted butter
• 1 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp hot water

Mix melted butter and powdered sugar until well blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Slowly add hot water and keep blending until smooth.

Banana Boats

Ever had banana boats? They are pretty much the coolest treat ever! Enjoy them over a campfire or just in the oven for a fun treat!


Bananas
Marshmallows
Chocolate Chips (could also do white chocolate or peanut butter chips)
Foil

*Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut a slit down the middle of your banana, careful not to cut through the other side. Stuff full of chocolate chips and marshmallows, then wrap in foil. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until it's all melty and gooey, or place over hot coals in fire. Open and enjoy right out of the peel--no need for bowls!

Indoor S'mores

I have seen lots of versions of these on Pinterest lately and decided to give it a try. They were delicious and, in my humble opinion, even better than regular s'mores! I loved that my kids could help make them, too!

*First, lay foil on a jelly roll pan and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread out graham crackers and place a marshmallow on top of each one. Toast in oven for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

*Immediately after taking them out of the oven, squish another graham cracker on top of each marshmallow.

*Dip each in melting chocolate/almond bark. We did some completely dipped, some only halfway dipped--you choose! Enjoy!

My Favorite Peep--Easter Treat

These were really fun to make and are super easy to put together. You just take small baggies (I used sandwich-size Ziploc bags and cut the ziploc part off) and put in two graham cracker squares, a mini Hersheys bar and a colorful Peep. Tie with cute ribbon and a little note. Super easy, cheap, and they really taste so good!! I made these for a group of teenagers at church, but they'd be perfect for any age. :)

Bunny Bait

 

Saw this cute idea on Bloom Designs and decided to make some as treats for Easter. I changed it up a bit--it's really not a recipe that you need to follow exactly, so change it how you want to!

2 cups pretzel sticks

4 cups plain popcorn (or 1 package)

2 cups Rice Chex cereal

1 package Easter-colored M&Ms 

Melting chocolate, white or chocolate (or both, like I did)

Sprinkles

Lay out a jelly roll pan with foil. Spread pretzels, popcorn and cereal evenly. Drizzle with desired amount of chocolate and sprinkles and let sit until it's all set and dry. Before packaging/serving, add M&Ms. It is so yummy, you'll love it!

Jellybean Bracelets

I saw this cute idea on InkaBlinka and decided it would be a perfect craft activity for my little girls for Easter. It is really cute and definitely better than the store-bought candy bracelets!

 You'll just need a needle, floss, ribbon (two pieces, each 4-5" in length) and jelly beans!

1) Thread floss through your needle. Knot the end of your floss.
2) Thread one of your pieces of ribbon onto the floss, then start threading on jelly beans. (If you push your needle onto a cutting board it helps. I would stab the jelly bean, then turn it upside-down and push the jelly bean onto the needle, instead of trying to pull the needle itself).
3) Once you have all the jelly beans you want, thread your other piece of ribbon and knot the end.
4) You're done! Now you can tie the ribbon ends together into a cute bow. I've seen this made for adults as a cute Easter gift or for kids. Have fun!

Healthy Banana-Oat Cookies

These cookies come from Skinny Taste and while they're not the tastiest cookie, they are loaded with lots of good stuff and I didn't dislike them, if that helps. ;) Either way, I think you'd curb your sweet cravings if you had them and didn't want to cave on your diet. I will tell you though that my kids LOVED them and kept sneaking them, so if nothing else, give them to your toddlers for a healthy treat!

2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup of uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup crushed nuts (I used pecans)
1/4-ish cup mini chocolate chips (optional--mandatory for me!)

*Combine bananas and oats in a bowl. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips, if used. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Protein Bites

Got this recipe from my friend's blog, Eating Clean & Building Dreams. These are very similar to the No-Bake Energy bites that we love. So now there's two that you can try!

1 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 scoop chocolate protein

*Stir in a bowl, then chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Form into balls and store in the refrigerator.  These are a great post-workout snack!

No-Bake Energy Bites

Finally! A healthy treat that doesn't taste healthy! Since I just had my 3rd baby, I am working hard to lose this baby weight and this snack is perfect for me. It makes me feel like I am really eating cookie dough balls....except they are cookie dough balls loaded with lots of good stuff! And my husband and kids loved them, too! Seriously, go get the ingredients now and try these, for heaven's sake!! Thanks, Smashed Peas and Carrots for the recipe! I can't wait to start trying these with some different variations...raisins instead of chocolate chips, nuts instead of coconut, adding some chocolate protein powder to the mixture...oh the possibilities!

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)--I use Adams

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed--this is actually usually near the vitamins in the grocery store, by the way

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Makes 18-20 golf ball-sized treats.

A reader from Smashed Peas and Carrots figured out all the nutritional info, which I found helpful, so here you go:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 26 g
Amount Per Serving:
Calories-114
Calories from Fat-62
Total Fat-6.9g (11%)
Saturated Fat-2.3g (11%)
Cholesterol-0mg
Sodium-33mg (1%)
Total Carbohydrates-11.5g (4%)
Dietary Fiber-2.3g (9%)
Sugars-6.5g
Protein-3.1g
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Cheerio Treats

I saw this recipe and had to try it--my mom makes this same treat, except she uses plain Cornflakes instead of Cheerios, presses them into a 9x13 and calls them "Energy Saver Bars". I actually used Honey Nut Cheerios for this and we loved them so much we couldn't stay out of them!! They are super fast and the recipe is really easy to memorize. Either way you try you'll love!

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup (can substitute with honey with little noticeable difference)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 cups Cherrios

1. In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.
3. Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
4. Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.
5. Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Enjoy. (I get about 2 dozen from this recipe. It all just depends on how big you make them.)

PB&J Quesadilla

I saw this idea on Good Morning America a few months back. They had kids on the show cooking different variations of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I gave this one a try this afternoon for lunch and it was great! I even liked it!

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Tortillas
Peanut butter--we used crunchy
Jam

*Heat oil in skillet. Spread peanut butter and jam on half of a tortilla and fold in half. Put in skillet until lightly browned. The jam gets warm and gooey--so good!

Summer Snack Idea

Ever put these babies together?? Holy cow. Amazing. Go try it now! (Whipped cream cheese is best)!

Manicotti Roll-Ups

My friend gave me the idea to try these and they're a great way to use up leftover manicotti noodles. They are actually really tasty and great for kids' lunches or on-the-go snacks!

Manicotti noodles, cooked as directed on package
String cheese
Lunch meat

*Wrap string cheese with 2 slices of deli lunch meat. Slide into manicotti noodles. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until cheese is really soft. You can try lots of variations with cheese and lunch meat--pepper jack cheese with roast beef, etc. And the best part is you can eat these with your hands!

Popcorn Bars

These are really good but super messy, so have some wet wipes around!

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 pkg (10 oz) large marshmallows

8 cups popped popcorn

3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (I left them whole)

1-1/4 cups M&Ms mini baking bits

*In large skillet, melt butter; add corn syrup and marshmallows. Cover and stir over low heat for 4-5 mins or until smooth. Remove from heat. Add popcorn; stir until coated. Stir in peanuts and M&Ms until combined. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Cool to room temp. Cut into bars.