Sticks and Stones Snack Mix

Hello, MOPS moms! Today I am sharing a quick and easy recipe for a snack mix that I “discovered” recently. This recipe is from the September 2009 issue of Family Fun magazine. This recipe is fun and easy!  Not only is it tasty, this alternative could help you avoid pre-packaged snacks, which could save you money and help the environment.  This yummy snack is pretty good, from a nutritional standpoint, too.  AND your kids can help you make it!  Here is the recipe:

Sticks and Stones

Ingredients:
4 T. butter
¼ cup frozen orange or apple juice concentrate
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups Quaker Oatmeal Squares
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 ½ c. whole almonds
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place the butter, juice concentrate, and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds to melt the butter. Stir in the cinnamon.

Place the oatmeal squares, pretzels, and almonds in a large bowl. Pour the melted-butter mixture over it and stir to coat.

Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until the mixture is dry to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir in the dried fruit. Let mix cool completely before storing it in airtight container. Makes about 7 cups.

Cooking notes of interest:
"Obviously you can substitute ingredients in or out depending on your family’s preferences."
"The first time I made this all the Craisins were left in the bottom, so I omitted those in my second batch."
"When I made it I didn’t have juice concentrate and I also didn’t even have any juice in the house! I just added some water to the butter/brown sugar mixture and it worked fine."
"Other cereals could easily be substituted for the Quaker Oatmeal Squares."