Snacking is where it’s at!

Nowadays we have SO many options to choose from when we want to munch on something or give the kids a bite to eat when they come home from school. With so many options, sometimes it difficult to decide, too!

I was shopping at my local Albertsons the other day when I decided I wanted to make a snack mix. Believe it or not, I’ve never made Chex Muddy Buddies™. Can you believe it? I have a food blog, it’s a popular snack, and I’ve never made them??

Get Out!!

Have you got the image from Seinfeld when Elaine pushed Jerry into his bedroom? 😉

SAVE THIS COOKIE BUTTER MIX TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

I decided that had to change.

When the kids were younger, I purchased the bags of it because it was just so good, it was convenient, and sometimes I’ll admit, things taste better when someone else makes it for you, right?

Take a look at these snacks from other bloggers around the interweb!
Salted Caramel Pretzel Snaps from Oh, Sweet Basil
Caramel Churro Chex Mix from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
25 Healthy Snacks from The Idea Room
S’Mores Snack Mix from Like Mother, Like Daughter
Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas from Dizzy, Busy & Hungry

I came across these snacks from General Mills and decided to combine them into one tasty treat so that there was a taste of something everyone would enjoy. It’s sweet, but not too sweet with just the right amount of crunch and a bit of chewy mixed in. It tasted Snacksational!

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Cookie Butter Snack Mix

Cookie Butter Snack Mix - Sweet & Salty Chex™ Mix tossed in cookie butter with a combination of Nature Valley™ Soft Baked Granola Bites, Annie's® Bunny Fruit Snacks, raisins and dried cranberries. It's a snack you'll feel good about giving your kids after school and they'll enjoy eating!

Author Lynne Feifer

Ingredients

• 1 8.75- ounce package Sweet & Salty Chex™ Mix or 4 cups
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup cookie butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 8.4- ounce package Nature Valley™ Soft Baked Honey Almond Granola Bites - use 5 bites cut into quarters
• 1 4- ounce package Annie's Organic Bunny Tropical Treat Fruit Snacks - use 3 of the .8-ounce packs
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup golden raisins

Instructions

• Place the Chex Mix into a large bowl.
• In a small microwavable bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons butter and cookie butter.
• Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and well combined.
• Pour over the Chex Mix and stir until well coated.
• Place the powdered sugar into a gallon size bag. Add the coated Chex Mix to it and seal the bag.
• Shake the bag until the contents are completely covered.
• Pour the Chex Mix into a clean large bowl.
• Add the Nature Valley™ Granola Bites, Annie's Fruit Snacks, cranberries and raisins and with a rubber spatula, gently mix everything together.
• Store in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g

This Cookie Butter Snack Mix is a combination of fun snacks that you’ll feel good about serving your kids and they’ll enjoy eating it!

If you like this Cookie Butter Snack Mix, then you’ll love these other snack ideas…

Cinnamon Pear Slices/Cinnamon Apple Slices

Inside Out Caramel Apples

 Homemade Cheese Crackers

Baked Spiced Almonds

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Cookie Butter Snack Mix appeared first on 365 Days of Baking.

It’s time to go back to school.

Can you believe it?

For the first time in our family life, we won’t have a child in the local school system. I am now the mother of three adult children. It’s weird. Really. Really. Weird.

Yet, even though they are no longer in primary or secondary school, two of them are now living with us and it’s important that everyone in the family eats a good breakfast to start their day. So, with that in mind, I put together this Breakfast Parfait Bar with all the fixin’s.

On one of my daily shopping trips to my local Fry’s Food and Drug, I was able to pick up all the ingredients I needed to put it together. With a variety of grains, nuts, fresh fruits and dairy-free yogurt alternatives from Silk, everyone can have a parfait just the way they want it.

 No picky eaters here, folks!

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The great thing about this Breakfast Parfait Bar is that I’m not really the one “making” their breakfast, they are. To my delight, I received a, “Wow, Mom, this is really good!!” from our 18-year-old son. I guess he was surprised at how delicious breakfast can really be when he makes it himself. Ok, so I’ve spoiled him, but he’s the baby…

Fry’s Food and Drug, and Kroger stores have a wonderful natural foods section where it’s easy to locate the items you need for this breakfast. Plus, you’ll find a great selection of fresh fruits and the nuts in the produce section.
I found the Silk dairy-free yogurt alternatives in this refrigerated case.

The granola and cereal were in this aisle. Look at that selection! I’m sure you’ll find something for everyone here.

There were a variety of items out for the Breakfast Parfait Bar. That way everyone would be able to pick and choose what items they wanted in their parfait. I put freshly chopped strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sliced almonds, granola, and cereal into small bowls making it easy for everyone to access their favorites.

I also put three each of the Silk strawberry and blueberry dairy-free alternatives on the table so that they could choose their favorite flavor. Then they started to create.

It’s a fun and healthy way to start a day! I know my kids are more apt to have a good breakfast if I put it out in front of them because on their own they’re more likely to choose a bowl of cold cereal. The possibilities with this bar are endless. You can add or omit whatever the family wants.

You can also throw in some chia seeds for added fiber and calcium, and flax seeds for some great omega-3 fatty acids. Not only will you be providing your kids with the energy and nutrients needed to get them through the day, but you’ll also be helping them concentrate in school. This can also be a self-esteem builder for the little ones.

I’ve found that my kids are more likely to eat a meal that they’ve helped make instead of me just telling them, “here, eat this” and putting a plate of food in front of them. Besides, little fingers LOVE to help, especially when it comes to food!

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Breakfast Parfait Bar

Author Lynne Feifer

Ingredients

• 1 5.3- ounce Silk strawberry dairy-free yogurt alternative
• 1 5.3- ounce Silk blueberry dairy-free yogurt alternative
• 1 cup Simple Truth Organic Pomegranate Blueberry Chia Granola Clusters
• 1 cup Simple Truth Honey Almond Flax Cereal
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 6 ounce container fresh raspberries
• ½ cup Simple Truth sliced almonds

Instructions

• Place a small amount of the Silk strawberry dairy-free yogurt alternative on the bottom of a dessert dish or decorative serving bowl.
• Add a some fresh strawberries and blueberries to the bowl.
• Cover the fruit with a couple tablespoons of the Simple Truth Honey Almond Flax Cereal.
• Place the remaining Silk into the bowl and cover with more cereal and fruit and serve.
• Repeat process with the blueberry SIlk, and the Simple Truth Organic Pomegranate Blueberry Chia Granola Clusters, fruit and almonds.

Notes

Feel free to add or omit any fruit, grains or nuts you think will be the best fit for your family.

I rate everything I make on a scale of 1 – 4 and this Breakfast Parfait Bar earned 4 rolling pins! I love that everyone can make their own parfait according to their tastes. When you set this up on the table, take a step back and see what they decide to include instead of directing them to put more of this or that in.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well you’ve already instilled good food choices.

Breakfast is a must in this household! That’s why these recipes are my go-to…

Loaded Huevos Rancheros

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

Be sure to visit Kroger Inspired Gatherings You’ll find lots of delicious recipes, tips on decorating, cleaning and wonderful ideas for all of your celebrations! They’re also sharing a coupon with you, too! I’d love to hear what foods you’ll be including when you set up your Breakfast Parfait Bar and how you’ll keep your family healthy while heading back to school!

This conversation is sponsored by WhiteWave Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Make fun of me for eating hippie food if you want. As long as I get to keep eating Cranberry Chia Granola, I’ll be happy.

This is a cranberry granola recipe worth getting excited about!

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Cranberry Granola

Homemade granola is one of my favorite breakfasts. Crunchy, sweet and nutty, this Cranberry Chia Granola recipe makes my body as happy as my tastebuds.

This granola recipe is full of protein and fiber and lightly sweetened. My family loves this cranberry granola over yogurt in the morning. When I made it this week, I found myself snacking on handfuls of it all day long.

Cranberry Chia Granola is packed with tasty good-for-you ingredients:

• Almonds
• Chia Seeds 
• Peanuts 
• Pecans
• Oats

. . . and of course Cranberries! 

Cranberry Chia Granola Recipe

I came up with this recipe after I realized how much of Aldi’s Specially Selected Cranberry Chia Granola I was buying and eating every month. Since I’d been making a berry and nut homemade granola for years, I decided to adapt it into a version using chia seeds and cranberries.

What are Chia Seeds? 

Chia are tiny black seeds with a pleasantly nutty flavor. They’re also packed with things people say are good for me, like Omega-3s and fiber but the really important thing here is the taste! The nuttiness pairs super well with the tart cranberries in the granola.

How to Make Cranberry Chia Granola

This granola recipe gets baked in two parts:

First, stir together oats, Chia seeds, cinnamon and salt. The you add a liquid mixture of melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla. Stir everything together so that all of the oats are completely covered.

Transfer the oat mixture to a prepared baking pan and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally until golden brown.

Next, you add the nuts to the pan and return to the oven to bake for an additional 7-15 minutes. Add the dried cranberries to the pan and stir to combine. Allow the baked granola to cool before serving. 

Store granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or can be frozen.

Recipe Tips for Homemade Granola

• Don’t worry if the oats aren’t crunchy when you first take them out of the oven. They will harden as they cool! 
• Definitely keep an eye on the browning of the granola while it is in the oven. Total baking time recommended is 30 minutes, but I definitely didn’t leave it in that long. I could smell that it was starting to become a little burnt and as many of us know, once you smell it, it’s probably too late to save it. Total time I had it in my oven was about 24-26 minutes.
• Make sure that the oil and other liquids are completely mixed together before you bake. If not, the syrups may burn during the baking process.
• This recipe uses coconut oil but the coconut flavor isn’t very pronounced. If you want no coconut flavor at all, use refined coconut oil. It functions exactly the same but is processed to remove the coconut taste. On the flip side, unrefined coconut oil will give the recipe a hint of coconut flavor and smell. You could even toss some flaked coconut in with the nuts for a full on Coconut Chia Granola!

Homemade Granola Recipes

After you master this Chia granola, give my Cranberry Almond Granola Bars a try! You’ll also love these No-Bake Rice Krispies Granola Bars and these Baked Spiced Almonds.

I love munching on snacks that came out of my own oven!

Next, I might have to try making granola in my slow cooker. My friend Mary over at Barefeet in the Kitchen has CrockPot Granola Recipe that sounds amazing.

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Cranberry Chia Granola

A healthy homemade baked granola recipe with tart dried cranberries and chia seeds.

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Cranberry Chia Granola

A healthy snack full of cranberries and chia seeds for a healthy snack or breakfast!

Author Lynne Feifer

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats not instant or quick-cooking
• ¼ cup Chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ⅓ cup 100% pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup chopped pecans
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds
• ⅓ cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, stir together oats, Chia seeds, cinnamon and salt.
• In a small bowl, mix together pecans, almonds and peanuts.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla until thoroughly combined.  Make sure that the oil and other liquids are completely mixed together.  If not, the syrups may burn during the baking process.
• Add the oil/syrup mixture to the oat mixture and blend so that all of the oats are completely covered.
• Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking pan.
• Spread into an even layer.
• *Bake for approximately 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally until golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the oven and mix in nuts.
• Spread contents into an even layer and return to the oven to bake for an additional 7-15 minutes.
• Final baking time will vary depending on desired doneness.
• The oats will not be crunchy when removed from the oven, but will harden as they cool.  
• Add the dried cranberries to the pan and stir to combine.  Allow to cool.
• Store granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or can be frozen.
• *Because oven temperatures vary so much, an entire baking time of 30 minutes does not need to be strictly adhered to. Make sure that you are watching the oats carefully for browning.

 

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Cranberry Chia Granola earned 3 rolling pins.

Granola is perfect for a meal or a snack, and so are these other 365 day recipes!

Breakfast Parfait Bar

Blueberry Ginger Cheese Danish

Mixed Berry Scones

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