We were recently asked by one of our amazing Vie subscribers to highlight our tips on providing healthy pool/travel snacks for kids during the summer months.
Of course, we had this little nugget of an idea in the pipeline but thanks to this special subscriber we’ve added it to the top of the list to highlight for you today! (National Trail Mix Day is at the end of August but why not celebrate early?!)
Since most of us on the team are parents (or teachers) and all of us love healthy snacks, there certainly wasn’t a shortage of inspiration to pull from. Also, we’re throwing back to a Nuts.com sponsored*** post from Lynsie’s food blog, DinnerDivide, to help inspire you even more with ideas for all sorts of different mix & match trail mixes. Follow this tutorial here to learn how to toast nuts to perfection!
Make sure to catch our video to learn how to make popcorn on the stove, too! Popcorn can be a great addition to trail mix. While our popcorn is, well, poppin’, we’ll take you over to our test kitchen-turned-trail mix demo site to see what other fun ideas we have in store.
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Stay tuned, and for recipes scroll below and visit our Nuts.com Trail Mix posts (here and here) on Lynsie’s food blog!
Seattle's Best Trail Mix: the DinnerDivide Winner for National Trail Mix Day
Yield 6 servings
Here’s the recipe + where to find each ingredient available on Nuts.com. And by the way, while you’re on Nuts.com, play around. It is a super fun site with tons of options for snacking and stocking up on healthy foods. It will be my next go-to, especially when I’m looking for something special.
Even my youngest (yes, the three year-old) was able to animatedly explain how much he liked the smoked sea salt almonds thrown into the mix. Specifically, he liked the way the residual smoky salt clung to the dark chocolate couverture of the dried Washington cherries. —his words. This was all taking place, by the way, during a particularly enticing episode of Chuggington.
Ingredients
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup toasted hazelnuts*
3/4 cup smoked sea salt almonds
3/4 cup dark chocolate-covered cherries, quartered or cut in half if big
1/2 cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans
1/4 cup cacao nibs
Instructions
Combine in a bag or bowl and keep cool. Eat often & enjoy!
Don't forget to store in a cool, dry place.
Notes
*I prefer to buy my nuts raw in bulk and toast them in large batches at home. I find that this is more cost-effective. Simply preheat your oven for 350 degrees F, spread out the nuts onto a baking sheet and roast/toast for 7 minutes, 4 minutes for seeds like sunflower and pumpkin.
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Popcorn the Old-Fashioned Way
In case you've never made popcorn on the stove, start here! It's easier than you think and can be so versatile.
Ingredients
1 bag popcorn-specific corn kernels
vegetable oil
1 stick melted butter
1 tsp salt
*See Notes for other flavor options
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large soup pot over a medium flame on the stove.
- Add vegetable oil just to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Cover and let heat for 5 minutes.
- Uncover, add kernels to coat bottom of the pan plus a bit extra. Shake pan to distribute kernels evenly.
- Cover and allow popcorn kernels to pop slowly.
- Remove from heat once kernels begin to pop less steadily. (This will prevent burning.)
- In a large bowl, pour out popped kernels in three batches, drizzling in melted butter (or oil) and sprinkle with salt.
- Once all popcorn has been poured into your serving bowl, shake slightly to spread out the yummy salt + butter flavoring and serve hot.
- If storing extras in a plastic bag, wait until the popcorn is cooled completely so as to prevent sogginess!
Notes
Other flavoring options:
Olive oil + dried herbs, garlic powder and salt
Ranch seasoning
Taco seasoning
Lemon juice + parmesan cheese
**For Kettle Corn, add 1/2 cup of sugar to kernels in hot oil once they start to pop. Swirl pan often to coat kernels with sugar as it caramelizes.
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