Healthy Chex Mix for Snacking Season

 

Winter slogs on. The Super Bowl and Olympics beckon; time for a cozy snack.

For weeks now, I’ve craved Chex Mix. This craving has come from I-don’t-know-where. Was it the prominent holiday displays of Chex Mix ingredients at the grocery? Beats me. I rarely eat the snack because it’s unhealthy.

I decided to tinker with the original recipe to see if I could make it less of a nutritional minefield. Usually, the recipe ingredients include a hefty amount of butter, refined carbs and salt. Heart- and blood-sugar healthy, it is not.

I browsed through a few recipes, did a little tinkering and came up with a Chex Mix that is healthier, but still has that savory, addictive crunch. It would be good to serve at a winter gathering, or to tuck into packed lunches as a healthier alternative to chips.

This is one of those recipes that doesn’t taste “healthified.”  My friend Linda requested that I make her a big batch of my healthier Chex Mix for an upcoming road trip. Her husband constantly eats refined carbs while driving, she explained.

“My husband will like this,” she said. “It will keep him from eating all the junk he  usually eats.”

I slashed the saturated fat by subbing olive oil for butter. I increased the amount of Wheat Chex, because it contains more fiber than the other Chex cereals. Finally, I added more nuts for protein, which makes the Chex Mix much more filling.

This Chex Mix is healthier, but not low calorie or low salt. I want to stick to a reasonable portion. I know myself, so I packed the Chex Mix in individual portions and stored the bags in a cabinet that’s inconvenient😀

Chex Mix recipes call for a lot of ingredients.  Since that can be expensive, feel free to use this recipe as a general template and make substitutions depending on taste and budget. The entire recipe as printed contains about 15 cups of ingredients, so just try to keep the same volume.

Enjoy!

 

Healthy Chex Mix

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup mild tasting olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika regular paprika OK
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 5 cups Wheat Chex
  • 2 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup Cheerios Honey Nut or regular
  • 2 cups whole grain Goldfish crackers can sub regular version
  • 2 cups Bagel Bites, broken into pieces mini Bagel Bites can be substituted
  • 1 cup peanuts adjust quantity if desired
  • 1 cup cashews, toasted adjust quantity if desired

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray two large baking sheets (with sides) generously with cooking spray.
    Mix oil and seasonings together in small bowl.
    Pour cereals, nuts and crackers into large bowl.
    Whisk or stir seasoned oils again, then immediately pour over cereal mix. Using hands or large wooden spoon, mix thoroughly.
    Spread mix into two pans. Place pans in oven on two racks.
    After 20 minutes, take pans out, gently stir mixture and put back in oven, switching racks.
    Bake for 20 more minutes, then again take pans out, stir mixture and put pans back in oven, switching racks.
    Bake for 20 more minutes, remove from oven, stir and let cool.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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