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Simple ideas for living healthier on a budget.

Recipe Makeover

Every month, we’ll take a member’s recipe and give it a Start Making Choices™ makeover—shaping it up to suit a more balanced lifestyle.

Popcorn Trail Mix

Those tasty summer snacks can really sneak in the calories. We've added SmartPop!® Popcorn to this summer standby to add whole grains without filling up on calories. So stay energized without getting weighed down while you're enjoying the summer sun.

Popcorn Trail Mix

Nutritional Information:

of daily
grains

of daily
vegetables

of daily
fruit

of daily
milk

of daily
meat/beans

Calories: 212	Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g	Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 126 mg	Carbs: 34 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g	Sugars: 17 g
Protein: 4 g

Hands On: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour

Makes: 16 servings (3/4 cup each)

Ingredients:

1 bag (2.9 oz) Orville Redenbacher's® Smart Pop!® Butter Microwave Popcorn
2 cups low-fat granola
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup DAVID® Sunflower Kernels, Roasted & Salted (1/2 cup = about 2 oz)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Fleischmann's® Original Margarine stick, melted
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Remove all unpopped kernels. Place popped corn in a large bowl. Add granola, oats, dried cranberries, and cinnamon; toss together. Set aside.

2. Mix together sunflower kernels, honey, and Fleischmann's in a small bowl. Pour over popcorn mixture; mix well with spoon sprayed with cooking spray. Spread mixture evenly in a shallow baking pan.

3. Bake 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through time. Cool 20 minutes before breaking clumps apart with spoon. Store in a tightly sealed container up to 1 week.

Trail Mix

Nutritional Information:

of daily
grains

of daily
vegetables

of daily
fruit

of daily
milk

of daily
meat/beans

Calories: 300	Total Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g	Cholesterol: 12 mg
Sodium: 167 mg	Carbs: 35 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g	Sugars: 23 g
Protein: 5 g

Hands On: 10 minutes

Total: 1 hour

Makes: 16 servings (1/3 cup each)

Ingredients:

2 cups granola cereal
1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Combine granola, coconut, oats, and sunflower kernels in a large bowl.

2. Combine honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour over granola mixture and stir.

3. Spread onto large baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes; stir halfway through. Stir in chocolate candy; let cool and break into pieces.

Make Over Your Favorite Recipe

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Previous Recipe Makeovers

> Not-So-Naughty Manicotti

> Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

> Blended Chai Mocha

How We Do It!

In our test kitchens, we enhance, with care, the treasured family recipes shared by other Start Making Choices members just like you. Our general guidelines include reducing fat, cholesterol, and calories while preserving the taste and texture of the original. Where possible, we add nutritional value with health-giving vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fiber. Lastly, we simplify recipe preparation to better serve today’s busy households.

Recipes featured here may not meet all of the Balanced Life™ Plan nutritional guidelines and are not part of your Balanced Life Plan. Please enjoy in moderation.