Homemade Trail Mix

Homemade Trail Mix.  A simple combination of nuts, dried fruit, some crunch, and a few extra add-ins.  The possibilities are endless & the fun is finding what combination is your favorite!  Take it with you for an ‘on-the-go’ snack and you’ll never go hangry!

I recently taught a Girl Scout lesson about the fundamentals of nutrition and how to ‘build a healthy plate’ to help them build snacks and meals. Ages 8-9, these girls always amaze me at how much they already know! Kids really are sponges and while I may only see these kids for a small moment in time, I know I have planted seeds that they’ll come back to years later (that hopefully will have grown!)

A few key themes that kept coming up:

• Variety ➡ focus on the vegetables that you DO like. & if those green leafy vegetables aren’t your favorite just yet, keep trying different ones & also in different forms!
• -Eat Better ➡ Feel Better ➡ some of the girls really connected and knew that when they fueled their bodies played better at their sports, they did better in school, and overall had more energy!
• -Food is FUN! We created a snack and talked about different options to have when they’re ‘on the go’. Mixing different food groups helps them to go, glow, and grow!

Here are a few tips to get you started in making your own homemade trail mix. A good rule of thumb is to combine equal parts of nuts, dried fruit, and something with crunch. And then to finish, sprinkle a few ‘bonus’ ingredients. Make a big batch and portion out 1/4 cup servings to have ready to go!

Ingredients for a Trail Mix:

Step 1: Nuts are a good source of fiber and heart-healthy fats. Choose raw or dry-roasted and unsalted nuts to avoid too much extra fat and sodium.

Step 2: Dried Fruit will provide natural sweetness as well as more fiber and vitamins to your mix. Some dried fruit is just that, dehydrated fruit. Some dried fruit has added sugar – check the label to make sure. I love using raisins, dates, and apples.

Step 3: Extra Crunch: Whole grain cereal, mini pretzels, or air-popped popcorn will give you some extra crunch to balance out the flavors and give your mix some extra texture.

Bonus Ingredients: Once you have your main ingredients, add in a few teaspoons of any of these flavor-packed extras: Toasted Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip, Sesame Seeds, and Pumpkin Seeds. And there you have it, homemade trail mix. There really are SO many different combinations.

My Favorite Combos:

• Raw almonds, dried apricots and mini-sized shredded wheat cereal
• Cashews, raisins, puffed rice and toasted coconut
• Walnuts, dried apples, mini pretzels and dark chocolate chips
• Almonds, dates, oat cereal (such as Cheerios)

What’s your favorite combination?

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