Confession: I’ve got the munchies and I’m tired of the usual snacks. Cheerios and my little bags of popcorn that usually satisfy my munchies aren’t appealing to me. Granola bars, crackers & cheese, and fruit don’t really work for munchies. What I really want are potato chips. That would work. Salty, thin Lay’s chips, perhaps with a bit of homemade onion dip. While I can eat these until I make myself sick, I would have to walk the entire weekend just to burn off those calories. And that’s not going to happen (instead, I’ll be painting our downstairs and shopping for dresses for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower).
Inspired by some dried cranberries I found in my baking drawer, I went in search of a trail mix recipe that I found years ago. While higher in calories, the dried fruit and nuts qualified that recipe as a healthy munchie, at least in my mind. I wasn’t able to find the recipe online, in my recipe binders, or in my huge folder of torn-out recipes but I think this is a pretty good estimate of what I remember – the sweet cranberries adding a burst of flavor to the crunchy banana chips and the almonds. This is a munchie that will be left at home, out of sight of my cube-mate who loved this snack when he sampled it.
Cranberry-Banana Trail Mix
Inspired by a lost recipe from Self Magazine
Makes ~2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 c. banana chips
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries
- 1/2 c. almonds or walnuts
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. pepper (white pepper is better than black, but use whatever you have)
Directions: Throw all ingredients in a bowl and toss.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container.