Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Toddler Approved Snack Mix



Summer is officially here and my family is super excited because we bought a camper! My husband and I grew up camping in tents, but we have been bit by the GLAMping bug and have found just how much easier camping is when you have everything contained in one spot.

We've already been out a couple times in the last month and the girls have been watching me each week as I methodically prepare the camper for the next upcoming adventure. Setting aside clean clothes for the weekend, filling the fridge and pantry with our meals and most importantly - the snacks.

The other day Ruby (my two year old) says "Mama, I help you?" and I thought to myself about how can I involve the kids in prepping for our camping trips. So I sent them upstairs and instructed them to set out two sets of clothes for camping and to fill their backpacks with books and a few toys to play with.

When they were done we started to prepare their snack mix for the weekend. It's really to veg-out and pull out all the junk food when you're camping, but why when good nutrition is so easy to prepare ahead of time? Involving the girls in their meal planning helps them get a sense of what is a good choice for snacking and we also get to work on skills like measuring, scooping, pouring, shaking and ingredient identification.

Ingredients:
Gerber Lil' Beanies (original or white cheddar broccoli)
1/2 cup of cashew halves
1/2 cup of dried blueberries
1/2 cup of dried sweetened cherries or cranberries
1 cup of lightly salted popcorn














And into the camper is goes, ready for this weekend's adventure!


...Not before a taste test first, mom!

My appreciation for this snack mix is because it is chock full of protein from navy beans, thanks to the Lil' Beanies and cashews with a mixture of sweet from the berries and salty from the popcorn and nuts. The non-messy crunch factor is also a big deal! Knowing that Gerber now offers non-gmo kid snacks  makes this an easy choice.


What kind of snack mix do you prep for your kids?
Gerber Lil' Beanies are an easy way to add crunchy, yummy protein into any kid snack

You can find them in the kids snack section at Walmart. 



11 comments:

  1. I'll have to try this with my 2 year old.

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  2. I really haven't tried to make my kids snack mix, but this looks tasty, I'll have to give it a try!

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  3. We make something super similar for my 3 year old!! Ours has raisins, craisins, banana chips, pretzels, annies bunnies and sometimes chocolate chips :) Im loving these new beanies though!! Have been seeing them everywhere!!

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  4. My family loves trail mixes, so I should try this soon!

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  5. This definitely sounds like a delicious and nutritious snack mix! My kids love the new Beanies too, and I love how they are good for them! I love coming up with different trail mixes, I can't wait to make this one with my littles next time! :)

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  6. I just saw those at the store yesterday, but I'll have to try them for my youngest!

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  7. We are definitely going to try this out, my kids will love it! I've never really thought about making my own snack mixes, thanks for sharing!

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  8. I am using your lil beanies idea, but I am so gonna add some multi-grain cheerios & dried blueberries!

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  9. We are always running out of snack foods in my house, so I'm going to have to make a big batch of trail mix!

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  10. This is a neat snack mix. We usually mix up cheerios, raisins, yogurt bites, and some sort of chopped up freeze dried fruit for our toddlers snack mix.

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  11. I will have to try this with my b little cruiser

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