Real Food (Sort of) – Fun and Easy Snack Idea – Make Your Own Trail-Mix

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Does anyone like making school lunches? I’m not one of them! Making sandwiches is on my top ten list of things I hate to do. Hmmm … I guess that means I pretty lucky, huh?

Forget about all that, this isn’t a deep post about how fortunate and thankful I am. It’s a post about snacks and school lunches.

I stopped buying store bought cookies, granola bars, treats a year or maybe two years ago. I still put a treat in the lunches, but it’s now homemade, with ingredients that I recognize. Three weeks into the school year and I’m SURE I need a back-up plan –> Make Your Own Trail Mix is is the PLAN!

I gave each of the kids their own plastic container and a 1/3 cup scoop. They had strict instructions to put at least 6 scoops of healthy stuff in first.

healthy choices

The healthy stuff included peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins and cranberries.

start with the ...

I know I’ve said it before, but we really do brush her hair. Usually several times a day (REALLY).

unhealthy choices

Then they were allowed to add the unhealthy stuff like Smarties, chocolate covered raisins, and chocolate chips.

lizzy

The Smarties were without a doubt the most sought after ingredient.

sam - i love that ...

I love that the Smarties match Sam’s shirt in this shot. What are the chances?

georgia

Everyone labeled their containers. I love Sharpies (so does Georgia).

lizzy

Lizzy dished out tomorrow’s snack … then begged me to eat it today. I let her, because I’m nice like that. Then she asked me for a piece of apple pie, and I told her to go jump in the lake, because I’m not nearly THAT NICE. Sheesh!

three mixes for

I bought all the ingredients from the bulk bins at Safeway. They have decent pre-made trail mixes, but Lizzy has a nut allergy (not to peanuts) and most of them have the tree nuts that she can’t eat. They also all had ingredients that one or more of the kids do not like. This way they all have a special treat that they enjoyed creating themselves. The BEST part, I don’t have to bake, well not everyday anyway.

Neither Lizzy or Sam have peanut allergies in their classes this year. I am loving being able to send PB&J to school.

MK xo

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Disclaimer: There were a LOT of nuts involved in the making of this post. I don’t consider myself one of them.


3 Comments

Jenn B · September 21, 2010 at 8:00 am

cool idea! i might try this, as my kids are so polar opposite in what they like (and one child changes what he does & does not like from day to day….if he mixes it himself i will have no qualms making him agree to continuously like the ingredients, ha), i have all but given up on ‘making’ trail mix. i especially like the self labeled containers.

on the hair, i hear ya! Grace has gorgeous curly locks but if it’s not in 2 (or more) tight braids (that were braided while wet), it turns into a birds nest 30min after it is fixed.

Angella · September 21, 2010 at 9:09 pm

We make homemade cookies and granola bars, so I LOVE this. Hooray for homemade!

Ashley · September 21, 2010 at 9:23 pm

Awesome idea! My food allergies prevent us from buying most premade foods and since I love to cook and bake we do many, many things from scratch. Add to that I want to raise healthy children, in both eating habits and body attitudes (healthy eating and physical activity = healthy self esteem)we like to keep it wholesome. Which btw includes some treats, but this idea isn’t just good it’s genius!

Thanks!

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