There's nothing like a good bowl of salty munchies to satisfy your crunchy cravings when binge watching Netflix (or Disney Plus, am I right?). It's always in those moments, knee-deep into episode 10 of Lizzie McGuire, that I get an urge to eat a handful of pretzels, cereal, or nuts. When I was small, Chex Mix was the ideal way to satisfy this craving. There was nothing I loved more than that bag of crispy breadsticks, chunky-salt pretzels, and divine rye chips. Nowadays, however, I tend to want to quench my savory tooth with a similar snack that will be higher in nutrients and lower in salt.
To still get the same excitement from Chex Mix but with a healthier twist, I have found a way to use easy-to-find, nourishing ingredients to make this happen. All it takes is a couple swaps and some creativity to recreate your favorite Chex Mix blend and make it healthy. And of course, it will still contain the OG breadsticks, pretzels, rye chips, and Chex cereal. Ready to take movie night up a notch?
Traditional Blend
As mentioned, the traditional Chex Mix Blend contains pretzels, bread sticks, rye chips, and corn and wheat Chex cereal. To make a replica of this mix but bring up the fiber and lower the salt content, here's what you need.
In one bowl, mix together:
- Whole-Wheat Pretzels: I like the Unique Brand whole-wheat pretzels, but you can use any whole-wheat ones you love, in any size, shape, or flavor! Swapping out these pretzels for regular wheat-flour ones will up the fiber in the snack, helping to balance your blood sugar levels, as well as keep you satisfied. (And it keeps you regular, too, if you know what I mean!)
- Whole-Wheat Melba Toast Chips: I don't know about you guys, but the rye chip in the traditional blend was my favorite thing to pick out of the bag. Nothing was worse that a bag that had only two rye chips in it. To replace this ever-so-delicious ingredient for one with more nutrient power, use Whole Grain Melba Toast pieces cut into smaller pieces. Crunchy, toasty, and of course, nutritious!
- Whole-Wheat Bread Sticks: Take a few slices of your favorite whole-grain bread, cut them into very thin, small sticks, and toast them in the oven for a few minutes with a sprinkle of olive oil and Mrs. Dash Italian Medley, a delicious salt-free seasoning that tastes just like an Italian vacation. You'll have yummy bread sticks in no time!
...and you didn't think I'd leave you without options to change up the flavors and take your Chex Mix game to the next level, did you?
Cheddar
Take a bowl of the traditional recipe listed above, and mix in some Simple Mills Farmhouse Cheddar Crackers and a few shakes of nutritional yeast. These crackers are made with almond flour and flaxseeds, providing you with healthy fats and good-for-you phytochemicals. The nutritional yeast has a naturally cheesy flavor while being completely vegan, and is a great source of Vitamin B12, which you won't find in any other ingredient in your homemade Chex Mix. Feel free to sprinkle this on like fairy dust!
Honey Nut
Take a bowl of the traditional recipe listed above, and mix in some honey-roasted cashews and almonds and a few pieces of Love Grown Honey Power O's Cereal. You'll get a plant-based protein punch and a delectable sweet flavor all in one!
Garlic
Take a bowl of the traditional recipe listed above, and mix in some garlic powder. In addition, when baking your whole-wheat breadsticks, add a few pieces of garlic on top to infuse that garlicky-flavor into them!
Chocolate
Take a bowl of the traditional recipe listed above, and mix in some dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder. If you want to get really creative and fun, add some M&Ms to the mix, because there's never a wrong time for them, am I right? A drop of vanilla extract will also go a long way in this mix to increase that naturally sweet flavor!
Spicy
Take a bowl of the traditional recipe listed above, and mix in some red pepper flakes, black pepper, chili powder and smoked paprika. Get ready to enjoy that spicy hot flavor you love with the best crunchy treat you'll ever try.
Has the nostalgia hit you yet? I know I'm about ready to get into the kitchen and make myself this nutrient-dense Chex Mix right now! All it takes to make your childhood favorites into snacks you will still love and enjoy with an easy, healthy twist, is a little bit of creativity and fun in the kitchen. Try and see what other new flavors you can come up with, I'd love to hear about them!
Here's to a life full of Chex...may you always have some around to bring you happiness in desperate TV-show watching times!