Christmas White Chocolate Trash Chex Mix

This white chocolate trash Chex mix is sweet and salty, can be made in minutes using only the microwave, and makes great neighbor or coworker holiday gifts!

This is the best part of Christmas for me, the traditions that my kids love. Every year we have a pile of Christmas movies to get through and while I only care about 2, White Christmas and Elf. Our little guy is obsessed, No, OBSESSED with Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the new one not the old one). And over the years it has become something we all can’t wait to do because he’s SO EXCITED!

This last year he said, can we have a special Elf movie night with a Buddy the Elf snack? 

HECK. YES. WE. CAN!

You can add maple syrup extract to the white chocolate if you want to, but I’ll be honest, it’s too much for me. Otherwise, just throw it all in there and no judgments if you want to add pop tarts or leftover candy corn (best of luck finding any to buy in December).

When Do You Watch Your First Christmas Movie?

Hey side note, when do you watch your first Christmas movie? White Christmas tends to be the movie we watch on Thanksgiving and I kind of love that tradition. 

What are Your Favorite Christmas Movies?

We would love to have you all comment with your must-watch Christmas movies and then update this recipe next year or even a whole separate post of Christmas movies for the whole family to watch. FYI, I totally have a Chick Flick one if you’re interested…

What Ingredients Do I Need for White Chocolate Chex Mix?

The ingredients for this Chex mix can be changed based on what you have on hand. That is one of the reasons it is called “trash” Chex mix. It is meant for all the little leftover odds and ends you have in pantry that you might otherwise throw away. I’m going to give the ingredients that we love best, but feel free to make it your own!

• Corn Chex
• Rice Chex
• Mini Pretzels
• Mini Vanilla Wafers
• Dry Roasted Peanuts
• M&Ms (plain)
• White Chocolate Ch

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Caramel Banana Trail Mix

A little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty and the yummy banana chips you remember from your childhood! This trail mix recipe is perfect for hiking, the holidays or game day!

I was chatting with friend the other day about school lunches, aka the worst part about back-to-school ever and she mentioned that she was so tired of the snack rut. I totally am the same but one little thing has been helping me the past two years- snack mixes and trail mix!

All you do is throw together snacks that hit a few notes like sweet and salty, crunchy and soft and bam, you’ve got a brand new snack for lunch or after school! Sometimes I even mix together cereals and dried fruits, the kids love it!

Ingredients for Banana Trail Mix

One of the best things about a trail mix is that it can totally be flexible to what you have and what you love. This is our favorite combination but feel free to customize it to your liking.

• Dark Chocolate Chips – creamy and chewy
• Pretzels – salty and crunchy
• Caramel Bits – sweet and chewy
• Salted Almonds – salty and crunchy
• Banana Chips – sweet and crunchy

The measurements for each ingredients is listed in the recipe card below.

How to Make Banana Trail Mix

It almost seems silly to even have a section to explain this, but you would be surprised! Dump all the ingredients from the bags into a large bowl and toss together. Now that’s a recipe that anyone can handle!

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Brown Sugar Apple Dip

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Apple Dip

There are only 3 simple ingredients needed and it all comes together in just 5 minutes. Here is your ingredients list:

• Cream Cheese – the block style cream cheese is preferred, not the whipped spread, and it’s important that it’s at room temperature so it mixes easily with the sugar and vanilla
• Brown Sugar – adds all the sweetness and balances the tanginess of the cream cheese
• Vanilla – adds delicious flavor

The measurements for each of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below.

What Kind of Apples are the Best?

My favorite apple for dipping will forever and always be Honeycrisp apples. Braeburn, Envy, or Pink Lady apples are also super delicious. If you like your ap

My New Favorite Granola Recipe

I tried olive oil in my granola for the first time and I’m sold for life! This simple homemade granola is going to be your new favorite too! And you can totally add your favorite mix-ins!

I am OBSESSED with granola, but as I only buy coconut oil for granola and otherwise it sits stagnant in my pantry, I started testing out other options. With time I fell in love with olive oil and upon a quick google search discovered I wasn’t the only one. I eventually adapted my original strawberry almond granola with fOOD 52’s recipe and it has been the best granola I’ve not only made, but eaten!

Ingredients for the Best Granola

A good granola only needs a few ingredients and it’s so customizable! Here is the list of ingredients:

• Oats – old fashioned oats work best, they give the granola structure and are also heart-healthy
  • If you want gluten free granola, be sure the oats are gluten free.
• Pumpkin Seeds – add a great texture to the granola and are a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals
• Almonds – adds protein and healthy fat
• Maple Syrup – natural sweetener, honey works great too
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the fat that holds the granola together and gives it that awesome crunch
• Brown Sugar – adds the perfect about of sweetness and flavor
• Kosher Salt – don’t skip this, it enhances all the flavors

The measurements for each ingredients are listed in the recipe card below. See the section below on options for other mix-ins.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Another spectacular thing about granola, aside from it being delicious, is that it’s super easy to make:

1. Preheat the oven and prep a baking sheet.
2. Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl and spread on baking sheet.
3. Bake, stir and bake some more.
4. Let it cool completely before breaking it up and storing.

Caramel Popcorn

Caramel popcorn is the most classic sweet and salty snack there is! This recipe is so easy and addicting. Family movie night just got even better!

When I was a kid we had an old air popper that had a tray on top that melted the butter and allowed it to drip onto the popcorn while you were making it. It was so much fun to sit on the counter and watch those little seeds explode.  

When I got married I discovered that my husband still had an air popper.  His didn’t have the fancy butter tray, but that’s ok. On extra special occasions we got to eat caramel popcorn! It didn’t occur to me that kids now days probably haven’t seen air poppers until we pulled ours out to make some caramel popcorn last night. Our little one was so excited!

What Ingredients Do You Need for Caramel Popcorn?

You basically just need popcorn and then ingredients for making homemade caramel. Here is your ingredients list:

• Popcorn
• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Light Corn Syrup
• Vanilla
• Salt
• Baking Soda

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Popcorn

This recipe is so simple! It has become a favorite of my children to make on Friday nights. Here are the basic steps:

1. Preheat your oven.
2. Make the popcorn
3. Make the caramel on the stove top.
4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir to combine.
5. Bake.
6. Let cool and devour!

Why Do You Bake Caramel Corn?

Baking caramel popcorn makes the caramel crisp up and get th