DIY Trail Mix

Whether you’re out running errands all day or hiking a trail, trail mix can keep hunger at bay and keep you on track. Unfortunately most of the trail mix you’ll find in stores is overloaded with sugar, but luckily it’s easy to make your own and tailor it to your needs and taste preferences. Here are some basic building blocks for DIY trail mix:

• Nuts/Seeds - These provide healthy fats, protein, crunch, omegas, and vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind they’re calorically dense and watch the sodium:
Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

• Dried Fruit - These can provide potassium, fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, and more. Go for options without added sugar:
Raisins, dried cherries, goji berries, dried mango, apple chips, dates, dried cranberries.

• Misc./Indulgence - This can be the part that makes your trail mix real interesting and feel a little like a splurge. A little bit of sweet can go a long way, so add some in but make sure it’s not the majority of your mix:
Popcorn, pretzels, chocolate chips, yogurt raisins, dark chocolate chunks, cereal, mini marshmallows.

• Some Example Mixes:
Rocky Road - Pecans, dark chocolate chunks, mini marshmallows, dates.
Tropical - Macadamia nuts, banana chips, dried mango or pineapple, coconut.
White Chocolate Cherry - Cashews, pepitas, dried cherries, white chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Lovers - Peanuts, pretzel sticks, raisins, peanut butter chips.