The Only Peanut Butter Chex Mix Recipe You'll Ever Need

How's that for a long recipe title?  Really though, it's so easy and so addictive that you'll be wanting more when it's gone.
 I looked at several peanut butter chex mix recipes and they all seemed to have ingredients I wanted to avoid, or took more time than I wanted to take, so I made my own, insanely easy version. Sometimes "simple" is just better.

1 box Chocolate Chex cereal
2 bags of Reece's Peanut Butter Chips
1 bag of Peanut Butter M&M's
1/2 - 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
salt

Melt 3/4 of the peanut butter chips in a very large bowl. You might need to do this in 2 batches.
Dump everything else into the bowl, including the rest of the peanut butter chips.
Stir until everything is coated.
I love it this way but you can also mix in different things like: colored sprinkles, pretzels, Reece's Pieces, crushed oreo, etc...
Once coated, spread the mixture out on a large sheet pan or two so that it can harden a bit.
Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and let it rest until set.

Summer Garden Salsa

4-6 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed or grated
1 lime, zest & juice
pinch of salt
drizzle of Italian dressing
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper (or use various colors), chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, ribbed & diced
1/2 c. black beans
1 c. frozen corn
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Stir to mix well. Chop the rests of the ingredients and add.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you're buying the cilantro, likely you'll have to buy more than 1/4C worth. Just chop it up, fit it into ice cube trays and add a little water. Freez,e and it will be ready next time you need it.

Low Carb Broccoli Cheddar Bites

These are pretty wholesome, and quite tasty. They're even better burnt. Ha! We make these with burgers to replace the crunch and salty flavor of fries. Don't try to pipe them into fry shapes though. They puff and spread a bit, so they'll resemble broccoli cheddar slugs instead. Stick to the nugget shapes. :)

2 Cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (or for more body use crushed pork rinds)
3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese (a bag)
3 Large eggs

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 and lightly coat a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until broccoli is very fine. Scoop into a large baggie.
*Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example
3. Snip off a corner of the baggie and pipe little nuggets onto your baking sheet.
4. Bake for15min, turn, bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Oatmeal Peanutbutter Balls

1 - cup honey
2 - cups creamy natural peanut butter
2 1/2 cups protein powder
3 - cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 - 2 - tablespoons wheat germ or flax seed
1/2 cup goodies like:
mini chocolate chips
or chunks of dark chocolate,
or chopped nuts,
or reese's pieces or...
whatever you like really.
You can leave the goodies out too.

Mix all together with a mixer. Form into balls with hands and freeze on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper until firm. Remove from freezer and store in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator or divide into snack sized portions. I like to reuse the girls' old homemade babyfood containers.

These are so good you won't even remember that they're supposed to be healthy.  The best part is that, while it's best to store them in the refrigerator, there's nothing in them that can't be left at room temperature, so they're a great snack for us to pop in my purse and eat between activities in the car... or as a bribe at the grocery store... not that I ever need to do that.  Okay, I do. Anyway, try them!

This recipe makes quite a few! We ate our fair share of dough as well.

Using press n seal to make individual sized packages

Cinnamon dusted cocoa covered almonds

I used to be a Dove chocolatier and they had the most amazing Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Dusted Almonds. Really they were to die for. But expensive.
Additionally, my husband and I started a low carb diet but I found myself really craving chocolate. On a shopping trip I found Emerald Brand cocoa dusted almonds and decided to give them a try. They really did give me my chocolate fix, but I knew I could make them myself much cheaper. So... inspired by both snacks, Cinnamon dusted cocoa covered almonds were born.

3C whole almonds
1/3 stick of butter, melted
1/4C splenda
1/4 C Unsweetened cocoa powder
1T cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350, and put a silpat on your baking sheet. (or parchment paper)

In a large zip top bag, add almonds and melted butter.
Shake to coat.
Add cocoa powder, splenda, and cinnamon.
Shake until almonds are completely coated.
Pour the mix out onto the baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Depending on how sweet you prefer this to be, you can adjust the Splenda to taste without much impact to the overall nutritional information.