Okay, this a ridiculously easy snack idea. I got inspired by my new cookbook, Delciously Helathy Family Meals from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. And the best news is you can download it for free. For a review of the cookbook see Nutrition Unplugged.
But back to the snack mix. I guess I’ve never thought of doing this even though Big A loves dried fruit, cereal and nuts. I make her one with raisins, Cheerios (or Trader Joes O’s) and toasted almonds from Trader Joes. When she ate it she made the realization that “Cheerios and raisins go together.” This is an easy one to get creative with — adding ingredients your child likes with some new items and throwing it in a baggy or snack dish.
So, who out there is already on this bandwagon?
Ingredients:
-Whole grain toasted cereal
-unsalted nuts
-raisins or dried cranderries (Watch for choking hazards for younger kids with these last two ingredients)
Instructions: Combine all ingredients, toss well. Serve immediately or store for later snacking.
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Simple is best, right? I have a similar stash for my 3 year old . He’s crazy about nuts. I keep it in a small Tupperware, though, so the mix doesn’t get crushed as it’s jostled around my bag.
Yes, simple is always best!
This is one my favorite snacks! I take the above snack to me with work almost every time. For variety, sometimes I use unsalted peanuts instead of almonds. Unfortunately my little girls don’t like dried fruit. So, I make theirs with nuts and Cheerios. It’s also good with milk for breakfast :).
Kelli– I love the snack fo rme too….little chocolate pieces make it even better!
Kelli — that sounds really good!
I just started making my own snack mix for my 2 1/2 year old. She calls it “snack” – I toss in whole grain goldfish, Quaker Oats Oatmeal Squares, craisins/raisins, Joe’s Os and some chocolate covered sunflower seeds for some color and special yumminess.
my children love a mix of popcorn, pretzels, cheerios, peanuts, raisins and a few chocolate chips thrown in for good measure. 😉
Now that I’ve figured out how to make popcorn in the microwave w/o having to buy microwave popcorn (tooooo expensive) I’ve thought about throwing that in too. Maybe the next batch! We keep everything premixed in a container in the cupboard and work on it for about a week or two.
I do this all the time. I use goldfish, cheerios, raisins and sometimes m&ms.
I started doing this once my little guy was big enough for finger foods. I called it “baby trail mix”, cheerios, goldfish, raisins once he got big enough, popcorn, broken baby cookies, broken crackers, he loves it, and will go digging through the diaper bag when we’re out looking for it.
I LOVE Cheerios with Milk and Raisins! The best breakfast! =)