When I get hungry, I cannot be trusted…
Which is why having an inventory of skinny food in my fridge– that I can snack on when I need it–is crucial..
But, sometimes, I’m so hungry that I need a snack while making a snack!
That’s when Skinny Trail Mix rides to the rescue.
I always, always have a big glass jar of the stuff on the counter so that I can grab a handful while making dinner or a snack. And I keep a big Tupperware container of it in the pantry to use when I make lunches for the kids, or want to have a snack for my car or for a plane flight.
It’s simply air popped popcorn which is spritzed with a little butter spray and mixed with few of the yummy things you find in store bought trail mix… a few pretzels, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds or nuts, even a bit of dry cereal or Quakes and–my favorite health food– M&Ms…
Why go to the trouble to make it rather than buy it? Easy. Real trail mix has 150 calories per 1/4 cup… which means a normal handful is 300 calories!
But air popped popcorn has only 15 calories a half cup…which adds up to less than 100 calories for 3 cups!
And the combination of the fiber rich popcorn and the salty and sweet treats you mix with it will really fill you up as you satisfy your need to snack. (Don’t even think about using microwave popcorn, even the “light” versions are loaded with fat, calories and chemicals.)
So, do yourself a huge (but skinny) favor… order a 20 dollar air-popper and keep it handy so you can keep Skinny Trail Mix in your inventory.
Love your site and love this recipe!!! Tryingt to teach my 16 yo daughter these philosophies but it’s a good reminder for myself too! Loved the calculate to find out calorie need for the size you want to be. Thought I might suggest adding Ziplist to your recipes as it makes it soooo simple for a person to add to their collection without having to print everything.
Thanks, Deanna, for the comment…and love your idea for adding Ziplist…I am such a computer idiot and going to have to figure it out and it may take a couple of days but I WILL try it!! xolmc
It would be helpful if to know the proportion you use of add-ins (pretzels, M&Ms, etc.) to the popcorn. You say “a few,” but I suspect we all have a different definition of that!
So right, Arlene!!! My old “few” is very different from my “new few!” Here’s how I do it.. The air pop popcorn machine only allows you to pop 1/4 cup of kernels at a time.. which blows up to about 6 cups… I put the giant Tupperware under the popper to catch it as it pops and spritz it with Pam Butter Spray and salt as it falls… When done, I then grab one handful (about 1/2 cup) of the tiny pretzels twists (if you can’t find the little ones, use the pretzel sticks, but break them up before tossing them in so they go farther..) then, throw in 2 T of dried cranberries, a couple of T of cinnamon Rice Checks or Honey Nut Cheerios and, finally, (my fav!) 2 T of M&Ms…
Put the lid on the Tupperware and give it a good shake so all the salt and sweet mingle..You’ll have a HUGE Tupperware full of snacks that you can put in lunches, or your car or, like I do, take to the movies!! (or, like we did last night, pour it in bowls and watch a re-run of Mad Men, a re-run of Idol and the new Breaking Bad!) xoxolmc
Oh, that’s perfect and just what I was looking for. My air popper arrived today, so I’ll be skinny trail mixing tomorrow!
Hurray! It’s so addictive and so filling! When I pull it out of my bag, I’m the most popular mom at Little League!