I am around food a lot.  A lot as in ALL DAY LONG.  My day job is on the campus of the University of Southern California as the on-campus Dining Dietitian.  Having an office inside of a residential dining hall is pretty darn convenient.  When I want a snack, I have super easy access.

School just started and our students on the meal plan have UNLIMITED meal swipes into the dining halls.  However, while they may come into our halls as many times a day as they want, it may not be very convenient for grabbing a quick snack.  A very popular topic students like to ask about is snacking.  What types of snacks should they keep in the dorms and what are suggestions for snacks to keep in backpacks?  Luckily I have a black belt in snacks. Yes, I borrowed that from one of the best movies of all time, Troop Beverly Hills. 🙂

Here is just a small sampling of some of my current favorite snacks:

(PS….this post was not sponsored and I don’t get anything from mentioning names.  I just like the products I mentioned. )

Crunchy & Salty: Beanfields bean chips, crispy chickpeas, roasted seaweed snacks, whole crackers & pretzels, popcorn, chile lime popcorn trail mix (recipe below)

Salty, Not Crunchy:  olives, Brami lupini bean snacks

Nuts n’ Seeds: almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pepitas, peanuts, individual packets of almond/peanut butter

Eat More Veggies: pre-cut veggie crudites, baby carrots,  Love Beets ready to eat roasted beets, celery sticks, bell pepper strips, broccoli and cauliflower florets

Fresh n’ Fruity: fresh berries, grapes, tangerines, apple slices, pomegranate arils, dried fruit

Dips n’ Creamy Things: hummus, Better Bean tubs, baba ghanoush, tzatziki, Siggi’s icelandic skyr (yogurt), Chobani A Hint of Flavor greek yogurt

Meaty: beef jerky, turkey jerky, meat bars, chicharrones

Wrap Around: turkey or roast beef wrapped around celery sticks, whole grain tortilla with sliced banana, cinnamon and peanut butter, hummus, snap pea, basil and almond wrap

Stuff in Cups: oatmeal cups, Bob’s Red Mill Muesli cups, Dr. McDougall soup cups, pre cooked quinoa and rice cups, Chef Soraya Eat a Bowl cups

Sweet Treats:  Miss Jones Baking Co single serve desserts in a cup, dark chocolate chips, Cocomels chocolate covered coconut caramels, Hail Merry Meyer Lemon cups

 

For this month’s Recipe Redux challenge, reduxers were asked to create crunchy snacks.  I love trail mix, but I want a little more crunch than what most mixtures have.  The answer to my problem is popcorn. Pair that with almonds, dried apricots and chile lime seasoning and you’ve got a great sweet n’ savory snack that’s perfect for study time, football watching time or whatever time.

Pin Chile Lime Popcorn Trail Mix recipe for later HERE

 

Chile lime popcorn trail mix with almonds and dried apricotsChile lime popcorn trail mix with almonds and dried apricotsChile lime popcorn trail mix with almonds, driedapricots and Tajin

 

Print

Chile and Lime Popcorn Trail Mix

Sweet n’ savory snacks are the best! This popcorn based trail mix is lighter than traditional trail mixes, yet super tasty!

  • Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
  • Yield: Makes 2-3/4 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Tajin chile lime seasoning (or other brand such as Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 cups unsalted air popped popcorn
  • 10 dried apricot halves, quartered (1/4 cup quartered)
  • ½ cup whole raw almonds

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl thoroughly combine the olive oil and the Tajin.
  2. Place the apricots and almonds in a large bowl and add the Tajin paste. Stir to coat.
  3. Add the popcorn and toss to combine
  4. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Keywords: popcorn, chile lime, almond, snack, gluten free, dairy free, vegan

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Showing 22 comments
  • Whitney E, R.D.
    Reply

    I love popcorn and your version is amazing! This sounds so delicious and I love the combination of the chili and lime flavor 🙂

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Whitney! Don’t know why it took me so long to put Tajin on popcorn, living in LA and all!

  • Stacey Mattinson
    Reply

    This looks like the perfect snack! I love the lime and chili combination. Saving this for later!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Stacey!

  • Bridget @EatRightMama
    Reply

    Ooh-love the addition of dried apricots with the chile–a wonderful irony of flavors.

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Bridget! The apricots give it a really nice contrast in flavor and texture

  • Erin Palinski-Wade
    Reply

    OMG as a popcorn lover I thought I’ve tried every combo, but this one sounds absolutely incredible!!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      thanks Erin! I am definitely a popcorn lover too!

  • Lauren
    Reply

    Love this take on trail mix – using popcorn is a great idea. And I love the savory aspect.I think we were both on the same wavelength for this Recipe Redux “crunchy snacks” theme. 🙂

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Great minds think alike!

  • Kara Lydon
    Reply

    This snack mix looks delicious! Also love the favorite snack list, I’ll have to try some of those!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      so many great snacks on the market! Thanks kara!

  • Abbey Sharp
    Reply

    Ooh this popcorn snack looks uber addictive! Love it

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      thanks Abbey!

  • Elissa
    Reply

    This looks addicting! I love the chili and lime combination!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      It definitely is!

  • Lauren
    Reply

    I’m totally on board with your snack favorites!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Lauren! It’s great to have an arsenal of choices

  • Catherine Brown
    Reply

    This looks like the PERFECT snack! I love crunchy, salty, sweet and just a bit of spice together. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime seasoning is awesome!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      thanks catherine!

  • Mandy Unanski Enright
    Reply

    I love the addition of dried apricots along with the spicy chili flavor!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      they really add a nice flavor contrast. thanks mandy!

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