Your favorite childhood snack gets a makeover! This Healthier Puppy Chow is healthy enough to eat as a snack but sweet enough to pass as dessert!
Hi Friends!
Quick post today. I’m tired. This week is wearing me down for some reason. But I do have a fun little snack to share with you! Let’s take a little trip back to childhood. Remember puppy chow? Muddy buddies? Whatever you may have called it, it was a beloved treat for me growing up.
I decided to revisit that childhood recipe and make it a bit healthier. Here are the changes I made:
- Replaced the melted chocolate chips with Chocolate Nuttzo
- Cut WAY back on the powdered sugar
- Added some healthy nuts and seeds to the mix
The result is puppy chow-ish. It’s still tossed in powdered sugar, so I wouldn’t go so far as to call it super-healthy but it’s definitely a step up from the original!
Here’s the recipe:
PrintHealthier Puppy Chow
A nutritious spin on one of your favorite childhood treats!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice Chex
- 1/2 cup chocolate Nuttzo
- 1/4 cup nut butter
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 cup nuts
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the chex, seeds and nuts in a large bowl.
- Melt the Nuttzo and peanut butter in the microwave.
- Pour over chex mixture and stir to combine.
- Let sit for 15 minutes or so to cool.
- Transfer mixture to a large ziploc bag. Add powdered sugar, close the bag and shake to coat.
- Store in the fridge.
I used a mixture of Nuttzo and peanut butter. Feel free to use your favorite nut butter. Like I mention in the notes above, if you don’t have the chocolate nuttzo and still want the chocolate component, just melt some chocolate chips and add those to the mix! I used a combination of peanuts and almonds- you choose your favorite nuts to include!
Since I cut way back on the powered sugar coating, it’s best to store this in the fridge to help minimize the mess! If you want to add more powdered sugar for a thicker coating, go for it!
[Tweet “A childhood favorite revisited. Healthier Puppy Chow from @leangrnbeanblog!”]
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Full disclosure: I received the Nuttzo used in this recipe for free, but was not asked to create this recipe.
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Kaylin @ Enticing Healthy Eating says
I like the way you made puppy chow healthier! I’ve seen other healthy versions before, but not one like this, and especially not with the Nuttzo. I’ve never tried Nuttzo, but I’d love to!
Lindsay says
it’s definitely worth trying!
Linz @ Itz Linz says
LOVE the idea of using chia and hemp seeds – totally makes for a good reason to make this HEALTHIER puppy chow hehe
Lindsay says
i agree 100% 🙂
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
This is the first time I’ve seen a puppy chow recipe which had some added goodness- nice one buddy! I reckon this would make an awesome gift instead of granola!
Lindsay says
yes! i’m thinking xmas gifts!
Brynn says
Love the addition of hemp seed for a nice crunch and added texture! Yum!
Lindsay says
yes! the seeds make it extra fun!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Simply….YUM! 🙂
Tara Newman says
Brilliant! My kids are obsessed with Puppy Chow because they make it at camp in baking and cooking. I refuse to make it at how because all the sugar! I will have to try this one.
Lindsay says
yay! hope you all love it!
Becca from It's Yummi! says
I’ve never heard of Nutzo, but I’m gonna look for it, because this sounds awesome!
Lindsay says
it’s a great product! definitely worth checking out!
Danielle @ It's a Harleyyy Life says
I LOVE puppy chow!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
oh my stars friend… I NEED!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I happen to have some chocolate nuttzo that really should be used:-)
Weird, I’ve been feeling really off this week, too. Not sure why, maybe it’s this point in pregnancy when things start to get real??
Lindsay says
perfection! hope you feel better as well. it’s definitely starting to get real!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
This was one of my favorite childhood treats! Even if it’s not totally healthy, it’s a step in the right direction and that’s better! 🙂 I’m definitely going to give this a whirl!
Lindsay says
woohoo! enjoy!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
I used to love puppy chow! Love this healthier version!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Awesome idea, Lindsay! I LOVE puppy chow and it is nice to see a healthier version, especially since it is SO addicting!
Lindsay says
one of the most addicting foods i’d say!
Alysia @ Slim Sanity says
Puppy chow is definitely one of my all time favorites. Its so addicting that I can never really make it that often! People down here call it muddy buddies.. which is just kinda weird to me.
Lindsay says
haha i agree. weird to me too!
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
I had puppy chow for the first time only a few years ago. Holy addiction! LOL. This recipe looks great. Just pinned it. I wonder if you could even take it a step further with protein powder …
Lindsay says
oooh! worth experimenting i’d say!
Aly @ Aly Seeks Balance says
Oh my, puppy chow is one of those foods that, when I’m given the entire bag, you are not getting it back (at least not with anything in it 😉 – Great to see that there’s a less guilt-inducing way to enjoy it!
Lindsay says
absolutely! no need to share anymore 😉
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub says
LOVE this! I love that puppy chow so having a healthier version would be nice so I don’t feel so guilty about it. Totally sneaking this to my next family even to see if anyone notices the changes.
Lindsay says
woohoo! hope it goes over well!
Kim @ FITsique says
Ahh I used to LOVE puppy chow and would make it for friends events all the time. I just got asked at my brother’s wedding by a buddy of his if I brought my famous puppy chow! Needless to say once I got my head on straight with health and nutrition I pretty much never thought of making it! I will DEFINITELY try this healthier version though. Maybe puppy chow is back in my life?!
Lindsay says
yes! it’s definitely back in. So good 🙂
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
Pinned this immediately! I love that even though you’re beyond tired/busy/stressed, you can still whip out a totally awesome puppy chow recipe that I want to eat off the screen. YUM-O!
Lindsay says
doing my best girlfriend 😉
Joanna @Makingmine says
Oh yum! What a simple way to make a snack a little healthier – love it!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
This is crazy but I don’t know that I’ve ever had puppy chow. I’ve seen it at parties, but can never remember reaching for it. I’ll have to try it sometime.
Lindsay says
what?! A must try for sure!
Cassie says
Love this! Just pinned. I’ve been looking for a healthier puppy chow recipe… I haven’t had it in so long!
Lindsay says
Thanks so much for pinning! Hope you enjoy!
Melissa says
Oh man…I don’t know if muddy buddy is a recipe I wanna mess with! I definitely don’t make it with health in mind 🙂
Lindsay says
haha no need to mess with perfection if you don’t want to!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
This would be a perfect work snack! Looks delicious!
Lindsay says
Agreed. Perfect snack break!
Diana @sosmallsostrong says
This looks wonderful! I never ate this as a kid but as an adult I love it!
Lindsay says
Glad you’re making up for lost time!
Sarah Grace says
Lindsay I’m in heaven..oh my delicious!
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Emily @ Zen & Spice says
Down here in Texas they call it muddy buddies, but my family is from up north and have always called it puppy chow 😛 Such a good snack! I made some last year with the full-on-sugar-overload for my family as presents. I wish I had known about this recipe then!
Lindsay says
haha the original version is sugar overload for sure!
Allie says
I am so happy that there’s a healthy (er) version of puppy chow! I could eat like 482848 very large bowls of that stuff … having a healthier version probably doesn’t quite justify that, but it helps! Trying this right away … can you buy hemp seeds at a regular grocery store?
Lindsay says
probably not. I’d check places like whole foods. Manitoba Harvest sells them online and they also have a store locator you could check out!
jobo says
YUM! My weakness!!! I want some! I pinned this but am scared to make it and eat it all 😉
Lindsay says
haha #worthit!
Matt @ Runner Savvy says
Yum 🙂
Lisa @ RunWiki says
YUM! I love Puppy Chow! My kids will gobble this up!
Lindsay says
hope they love it 🙂
Danielle says
It looks REALLY good! Despite being healthier, I still don’t think I could stop at just one handful…
Lindsay says
haha I definitely didn’t 😉
TITLE Boxing Club says
Wow, even thought it’s ‘healthier’ I still think I’d have trouble stopping eating them 🙂
Lindsay says
It’s definitely still addicting!
Anna says
Can NOT wait to try this!
Michelle says
Loved this!!!!! I actually prefer this over the naughty version. Thank you!!