Make Healthy Trail Mix
You see a plastic bag in a store full of "trail mix" and look in it. It's full of candy and corn syrup and other unhealthy items––even the dried fruit is coated in hydrogenated oil. None of this is likely to conjure up images of healthy bodies and the great outdoors. Yet, it doesn't have to be this way. By making your own trail mix, you can sidestep the unhealthiest elements found in commercially produced trail mixes and make some mix that will guarantee you nutritionally balanced energy that tastes just great.
This recipe makes a very large batch (4 pounds/1.8kg) of extremely addictive trail mix that will always vanish quickly. This version suits most dietary restrictions and is best eaten in moderation, unless you're on a very intensive polar hike!
Contents
Ingredients
- 1 lb /450g of raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 lb/450g of raw, unsalted almonds (these are sweet almonds––bitter almonds need to be cooked before they're eaten, and it's illegal to sell raw bitter almonds.)
- 1 lb/450g of white raisins (check they're not coated in hydrogenated oil)
- 1 lb/450g of unsweetened, unsulfured dried pineapple rings
Steps
- Wash your hands properly in preparation for handling the ingredients.
- Collect the ingredients together.
- Get a large bowl or other container.
- Dump in equal portions of white raisins, raw sunflower seeds and raw almonds.
- Tear the final equal portion of unsweetened, unsulfured dried pineapple rings into bits, however big or small you like. To do this, just follow the texture of the rings and pull them into little segments (the rings are often clumped together and will need a bit of effort to pull apart). Add these bits to the bowl as you tear them off. Be aware that this is the time-consuming part of the process, as it can take 20 minutes if done by yourself. It might be a good idea to get a helper here.
- Mix everything thoroughly by hand. Break up any sticky clumps of raisins.
- Store. The trail mix should be stored like any dry product. Put it in whatever container(s) it will keep dry in. When you go hiking, trekking, boating, etc., add to small sealable bags for ease of use.
- Finished.
Tips
- You can add other fruit or nuts to taste (such as dried cranberries, walnuts, etc.). Just make sure to check the ingredients for added salt or sugar and any hydrogenated oil coatings.
- You can add this trail mix to to oatmeal, yogurt, or fresh cut fruit salad.
- Add one part instant plain oatmeal to two parts this mix, fill to top of contents with water, and nuke for a couple of minutes for a really good breakfast.
- If you live in the USA, Trader Joe's usually has all the ingredients. The dried, sliced pineapple is the only one they occasionally fail to have in stock.
- If you still love the classic M&Ms, try dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is more healthy.
- You certainly can find the ingredients online, but you'll have to shop around a bit. There might not be a single website with all of the ingredients, and some of these sites only sell in bulk quantities.
- One handful is one serving.
- The ingredients may be found in the health food section of your local grocery store, highway fruit and nut stands, or the bulk section of a health food store. Food unadulterated by sugar, salt, frying, etc. can be hard to find.
- Kitchen shears work on the pineapple, however they get gummed up and require constant cleaning. It is much quicker to tear the pineapple rings up by hand.
Warnings
- Be mindful when eating this. It's extremely satisfying, yet people can't stop eating it. You will regret it if you eat from the big bowl and then discover it's empty and then realize you've eaten four pounds of food! Guaranteed to spoil appetites if you have something else to eat later.
- Fiber, good fat, low cholesterol, but high calorie; this is more of a fuel for activity than a light snack for in front of the TV.
- Roasted and/or salted ingredients will make this recipe unpleasant. Don't use the wrong ingredients or you will spoil it.
- Don't add sugary or candied dry fruit or the purpose of a healthy mix is defeated. Once you've eaten raw, sweet almonds, roasted and salted almonds could really begin to disgust you.
- Wash your hands thoroughly at the start and any time you leave the task and return to it.
Things You'll Need
- One big bowl or other container
- Something to put the resulting mix in and keep it dry/fresh.
Nutritional Information
- Percentages based on 2000 calorie daily diet
- 12 oz Dried, Unsulfured Pineapple Rings
- 9 Servings/Container
- Calories: 110
- Calories from Fat: 0
- Total Fat 0g/0%
- Saturated Fat 0g/0%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg/0%
- Sodium 0mg/0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 26g/9%
- Dietary Fiber 1g/5%
- Sugars 22g
- Protein: 1g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 6%
- Calcium: 2%
- Iron: 8%
- 16 oz California Golden Raisins
- 11 Servings/Container
- Calories: 130
- Calories from Fat: 0
- Total Fat 0g/0%
- Saturated Fat 0g/0%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg/0%
- Sodium 10mg/0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 31g/10%
- Dietary Fiber 2g/9%
- Sugars 29g
- Protein: 1g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 2%
- Iron: 6%
- 16 oz Raw Almonds
- 16 Servings/Container
- Calories: 180
- Calories from Fat: 120
- Total Fat 14g/21%
- Saturated Fat 1g/5%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg/0%
- Sodium 0mg/0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 7g/2%
- Dietary Fiber 3g/14%
- Sugars 0g
- Protein: 7g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 6%
- Iron: 6%
- 16 oz Raw Sunflower Seeds
- 14 Servings/Container
- Calories: 190
- Calories from Fat: 150
- Total Fat 16g/25%
- Saturated Fat 1.5g/8%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg/0%
- Sodium 0mg/0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 8g/3%
- Dietary Fiber 1g/5%
- Sugars 0g
- Protein: 8g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 4%
- Iron: 10%
Totals/Averages
This is completely unscientific and approximate, based on tallying up everything and averaging the nutritional information. This could probably be worked out more precisely based on weight in a given serving, but it's a 'handful', so your hand may vary.
- 60 oz yield
- 50 Servings/Container
- Calories: 153
- Calories from Fat: 68
- Total Fat 8g/12%
- Saturated Fat 0.75g/3.25%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg/0%
- Sodium 2.5mg/0%
- Total Carbohydrates: 18g/6%
- Dietary Fiber 1.25g/8.25%
- Sugars 12.75g
- Protein: 4.25g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 1.5%
- Calcium: 3.5%
- Iron: 7.5%
