Why Mix 'n Match Meals are my favorite Meals

Do you know what I dislike about recipes? Not having enough freedom to chose what I want to put into my recipes. I like to have fun, change my recipes up a bit, that's why I'm happy that internet has mix and match recipes. Mix and match recipes that actually taste good, so that I don't have to try to make something all on my own. Oh and the coolest part about all of this is that once you can tailor it to the way you like it and make your own recipes inspired by the suggested mixing and matching.

Why I love Mix and Match

I love cereal bars, but unfortunately, the location I'm in doesn't really have many healthy cereal or granola bar options. Most are pumped with sugar, gluten and are really not worth the stomach pain later on during the day, but with a little bit of a guide I have new options, and if I shop smart, I can make a few different combinations.

This Mix-and-Match your own Bar from Prevention is a good example of what someone can do with a Mix and match recipe. Choose your favorite from the first three categories and stir them up! The recipes aren't rocket science, and if you have to you can change the original recipe on the page from wheat flower to arrowroot flower or use brown sugar instead of honey.  

Who doesn't want their own chocolate chip, hazelnut cereal bar with berries or a granola bar with mangoes, cashews and coconut? There's a whole new world of taste that you can create all your own, with very little help. 

It's great for children 

If you're a parent and your kid wants to pack their lunch for school, but you don't want to do the whole sandwich and fruit thing, there's even mix and match school lunches for your children like this one for a whole grain bowl from Parent's Magazine. I myself actually want to make the brown rice, spinach, green peppers, and tomatoes, with beans and salsa!

You can even include your kids into designing their own meals and offer them a choice ingredients, that they're actually going to enjoy! Mom to Mom Nutrition has a great go to wrap recipe for your children to create some of their favorite combinations! 

 

Buying in Season

If you're short on cash or want to save money, buy the foods that are on sale when you make your mix and match recipes. Another recipe that I wanted to try was the breakfast bowls from Prevention and I really want to save money by buying what's on sale at Meijer, but of course you can do it with any mix and match recipe and whatever stores you have in your area.  I already have rice, oatmeal, brown sugar and maple syrup, so it's going to make my breakfast bowls a whole lot cheaper.

My in season breakfast bowl idea:

• 1/2 Oatmeal
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• grated apples
• 2 tablespoons almonds
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins
• 1 tsp maple syrup

The apples are on sale and so is the coconut milk, the only things I need to buy at full price are the raisins and the almonds and I have my self a breakfast bowl that will last me and most families at least a week or longer. It's simple and it's cheap.

It's a great idea for "bar ideas"

If you're having your own get together and are unsure about what the serve, find one of the mix and match recipe lists, grab ingredients from the list, and nobody is going to be the wiser. If I went to a party or get together and they had options like building your own rice bowl with ingredients from a list, I would have no clue! The only difficult part of that get together will be the clean up! 

I don't know why it's taken me so long to get on board with the whole mix and match recipe thing, but now that I know that there are so many mix and match recipe ideas out there, I know that they're going to be a very important part of my journey to eating healthier and feeling a whole lot better, while saving my money.