Tasty Trail Mix

I've been trying to cut back on frivolous spending and as I've kept better track of money, I realized that much of my wasted money was going towards snack foods throughout the day.  Most days a week I'm out the door by 7:00am and as hard as I try, I never find time to pack snacks.  Then I end up eating junk food all day and spending money that I wouldn't have needed to spend had I prepared a little better.

I decided to make my own trail mix and put it in Ziploc Bags the night before and see if my tastebuds would get tired of the same salty/sweet snack day after day.  I'm on my second batch of the stuff and it works great!  Just a few basic items that come in bulk so just one purchase for a few weeks of snacks.  Love it!

I didn't want to simply mix chex mix, cheerios, pretzels, nuts, etc... and have that be my snack.  I researched Trail Mix recipes and found this one.  Tweak it to your own desires but I really love the butter and seasonings over it.  

Original Chex Party Mix

3 cups rice chex cereal

3 cups honey nut chex cereal

2 cups cheerios

1 cup mixed nuts

2 cups cheezit crackers

M&M's

craisins

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1.  Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

2.  Melt butter.  Mix in Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

3.  In a large bowl combine all cereals, nuts, and crackers (don't include the M&M's or craisins).  Pour butter mixture over dry ingredients and toss well to coat.  

4.  Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 45 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes.  In the last 15 minutes of baking, add the craisins.  

5.  Let cool and add M&M's.  

Bon appetit!