Homemade Trail Mix Recipe Without All The Processed Ingredients
easy healthy recipe for summer time
Maybe it sounds really simple to you, a DIY Trail Mix.
What’s the big deal? Throw in some nuts, raisins, M&Ms - VOILA!
Or, buy it off the shelf! Trail Mix is a health food, right?
But I’m here to tell you two things about your Trail Mix…
the ingredients in the store-bought Trail Mix, are toxic, and …
I would bet good money that there are at least two ingredients in your store-bought mix that you don’t like. (amiright?)
What a waste!!
The weather is warming up, and we are getting into more enjoyable hiking & camping weather, here in the northwest.
I effing LOVE this time of year.
And what better staple to have on hand than your tried-and-true Trail Mix. It’s satisfying, lightweight, high fat, high protein, and checks all the flavor and texture boxes. Plus, it has the ability to be PACKED with nutrients.
All of these factors make Trail mix the ultimate “health food” for hiking, right?
But can we really call it a “healthy” choice if it is laden with toxic oils, sweeteners (yes, sweeteners), and they’ve stripped it of nutrients?
Making your own Trail Mix is easy. The struggle comes with choosing quality ingredients.
Most folks (myself included, for a good portion of my life) have not taken the time to evaluate the quality, and operate under the common misnomer that “nuts and fruits can’t be bad for you.”
THE HARD TRUTH IS, THEY CAN BE BAD FOR YOU.
So I’m going to help guide you through it.
By the end of this article, you will have a Trail Mix that is loaded with digestible nutrients, free of toxins, and the best portable snack choice to keep around.
The two main ingredients in a fantastic Trail Mix?
Something SWEET, and something SALTY.
Easy enough…
The SWEET typically comes from dried fruit and chocolate, and there is no need to deprive yourself there.
The SALTY often comes from roasted nuts and seeds.
Let’s talk about the SWEET.
It’s commonly thought that dried fruit is a healthy snack. But what happens when conventional dried fruit is made?
It gets sweeter - When fruit is dried, the fruit’s sugar is concentrated by way of making the actual fibrous tissue smaller, keeping the sugar content the same. Say you typically consume a handful of blueberries in one sitting, and that handful consists of about 20 berries. Now, say you take a handful of dried blueberries, now counting to 60 berries… That is a LOT of sugar in one sitting.
It gets coated in oil - yep, food manufacturers use oil (or corn starch, or more sugar) to coat the fruit after it’s dried, to prevent it from sticking. Very often, the oil used is a canola or vegetable oil, known to be incredibly toxic.
It gets (even more) sweetened - This one just BAFFLES me. Very often, MORE SUGARS are added to the already super-sweet dried fruit. Our culture has been conditioned to think that dried fruit is “healthy” candy. Unless you can find dried fruit that is not coated with toxic oils and sugars, I assure you dried fruit is not a health food.
Next time you are in the market, look at the ingredients on a bag of dried fruit. Should be just fruit, right? It rarely is.
Your best option is to make your own. But most people are not going to do that (and that’s okay - it’s the world we live in!).
If the best option works for you, then go get it, girl! Most of us need to come back to our “Good, Better, Best” mindset that I teach in the Kitchen Detox Workshop.
For many of us, the Better option is more suitable. Look for dried fruits that use better quality oils, like avocado, or coconut. And look for “unsweetened” on the label (then make sure they actually are unsweetened).
I also recommend choosing fruits that naturally contain less sugar, like tart cherries and cranberries.
Another option is to choose freeze-dried fruits, which are much more widely available than they used to be. They often don’t contain sweeteners or oils, but their texture can be ruined if any moisture gets in your Mix, so, use with caution.
Ooooh, and the SALTY?
Similar to dried fruits, it’s widely known that nuts & seeds are a staple of a healthful eating habit. Full of Omega 3s, fiber, & protein… They’re satiating, crunchy, and have a variety of flavors.
But did you know that, similar to dried fruit, many store bought, roasted nuts, are laden with the same types of toxic oils used to keep dried fruit from sticking: cottonseed oil, canola oil, vegetable oil…
A common method of roasting nuts is called oil roasting, wherein the nuts are soaked in a sodium chloride solution to remove the skins, then submerged in very hot (increasing the toxicity) oil. They’re basically deep fried.
As the nuts are packaged and stored, the oils continue to increase in rancidity and toxins.
SO, it’s pretty safe to say it’s a good idea to stay away from commercially roasted nuts. Dry roasted nuts are slightly less toxic.
Raw nuts have their own downfalls, too. They are much more rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, fiber, minerals… raw nuts are a super food!
But they can be difficult to digest for some individuals, especially when we don’t chew them adequately. They contain something called phytic acid, which binds to the minerals in them, making those nutrients harder for humans to digest.
So what are our choices?
I do sometimes roast my own raw nuts, if I am looking for that lighter crunch factor. It’s fun to mess around with seasonings and make them my own.
But to do that properly can take some time - it’s not difficult, but oven roasting takes a few hours. Not everybody likes to take that time.
The better option is to purchase nuts that are sprouted.
Sprouting the nuts (although not all nuts/seeds can be sprouted) unbinds the phytic acid from important minerals, and allows them to be more easily digested by our human bodies.
👉👉READ MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SPROUTED FOODS
Sprouted nuts & seeds can be store-bought, or easily made at home from raw nuts & seeds. (this is a terrific guide to sprouting)
Now that we’ve got the ‘why’ sorted out, let’s dig into what you came here for!
MAKING THE ULTIMATE TRAIL MIX!
The ultimate Trail Mix, like everything else in my world of nutrition, is going to be up to YOU!
That’s the greatest part!
No more picking out the peanuts and raisins (my two least favorite components of a traditional mix). I also don’t like seeds in my trail mix because they’re more difficult to eat on the run when they are mixed with bigger components, like cashews or pecans. I prefer seeds for topping on salads, bowls, or smoothies.
Point is, YOU are driving the Trail Mix bus this time, my friend!
I say, take what you like, and RUN with it!
So what are the components of a GOOD Trail Mix?
The ratio of salty:sweet is the most important.
My personal preference is about a 4:1 mix of nuts/seeds:fruit.
For me, it’s more about the low-sweetness factor (I don’t prefer it).
For you, that might look more like a 3:1 or 2:1, or maybe you prefer an all nuts/seed mix with no sweet. That’s okay, too!
The first thing you need to figure out is how much Trail Mix to make to suit your needs. In my family, we eat about 3-6 servings a week. Since I am a huge advocate for batch cooking, I typically make a 7-8 cup batch, which lasts us 7-8 weeks. I store it in an airtight container in a dark, cool cabinet.
By that logic (I’m no math major), you could say to use 1 cup of a nut/seed/fruit ratio for every 3 servings you need. Play around with it, and find what works well for your family!
Once you figure that out, gather your ingredients in the ratio that you prefer, and let’s go!
easy healthy trail mix recipe
INGREDIENTS
7 cups organic, raw, sprouted nuts (I like a mix of macadamia, cashew, pecans, walnuts, and a smaller bit of almonds)
1 cup dried, sour cherries
flaked sea salt, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, add the cherries. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, and mix. Since this is primarily where my sweet:salty ratio is coming from (raw nuts are not salted), you want to make sure biting into one of those salty cherries tastes just right!
Add the nuts!
Mix together until well incorporated (the large bowl helps prevent spills)
Pour into airtight container and store in a dark, cool place.
**If opting to flavor your nuts or sprout your own, you will need to make sure they are completely dehydrated prior to mixing, to ensure mold does not contaminate your mix.
What are your favorite Trail Mix components (or what components do you just dread in a mix)?
Share them with other readers in the comments below!
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