Football season is upon us (Can I get a Hallelujah???) and if you know me, then you know that it is my favorite time of the year to cook. We set up a pretty elaborate tailgate with lots of great friends. Everyone has a task to do from setting up the tents, to bringing ice to bringing the tvs and power cords. Thankfully my job is is to bring food, which isn't a job at all when you love to cook. The only downside to all of the football and food related fun is watching the 'ol waistline. It's hard to eat healthy with a spread of chili dogs, chips and beer staring you down every Saturday.
Inspired by the healthy snack page on Nuts.com , I decided to create a healthy, energizing snack for this tailgate season. Often we will spend the entire day on campus outside the stadium and it's nice to have a high protein snack that gives a little energy boost to get through a long day of fun. And it's always nice to have something that appeals to everyone from vegetarians to fitness enthusiasts. And face it, when you're standing around with an ice cold beer, yelling for your team on the big screen, nothing is tastier than a handful of snack mix. I used traditional snack mix with cereal and spices for my inspiration but changed up the spices and decided to use granola in lieu of the typical rice and corn cereals. The crunchy twist was a huge hit. After researching the health benefits of different types of nuts at on
the healthy snack page at Nuts.com I settled on a mix of cashews, almonds and pecans. Feel free to change things up with your favorite nuts. Finally instead of relying on a large amount of brown sugar or maple syrup to sweeten the recipe I used a small amount of Agave syrup. It added just the right amount of natural sweetness. Mix up a batch this weekend and Go Team!
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| Our new favorite HEALTHY Snack Mix! |
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Start with a combination of your
favorite nuts. I chose cashews
almonds and pecans. |
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All of the spices and
seasoning. So much flavor! |
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Add the agave syrup for
a healthy sweetness. |
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| Whisk together. |
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| Combine the nuts and granola in a large bowl. |
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Pour on the spice mixture and stir
well to coat. |
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Spread the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined
baking sheet and bake. |
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| Let cool before snacking. |
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| Pack it up to share at your tailgate party. |
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I invite you to visit the Nuts.com website for more
healthy snacking information, ideas, and delicious products. |
