One of my favorite snacks back in the day were raisins coated in yogurt that you scoop out of the communal bins in the supermarket. This was partly because at that time I considered bin food to be, essentially, free, and partly because I thought yogurt covered goodies were healthy. I would have been far better off with my own healthy homemade trail mix.
Not-So-Healthy Snacking
It wasn’t long into my master’s program in nutrition that I learned to read a food label and figured out that there really wasn’t any yogurt in my yogurt-covered raisins. But there was plenty of other stuff I really didn’t care to eat, such as partially hydrogenated fat and corn syrup. I stopped snacking on them, and I stopped stealing from the bins; I was in graduate school, after all.
Make your Own Healthy Homemade Trail Mix
It’s ingredients like yogurt covered raisins, along with artificially colored candies and sugar-sweetened dried fruit, and nuts that taste like they are two years old, that got me making my own trail mix instead of buying the pre-mixed kind at the supermarket. Plus, my way is cheaper, and I have a say in what goes into it. I hate picking around all those sunflower seeds.
How to Make Trail Mix
When it comes to making our own healthy homemade trail mix at home, here’s how it to get it done:
Get out a big bowl
Add any or all of the following:
- Nuts
- Seeds, such as sunflower or pepitas
- Unsweetened dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, and chopped dried apples
- Whole-grain pretzels
- Whole-grain breakfast cereal
- Dark chocolate chips if you like (we do!)
Mix it Up Well
Transfer to a Tightly Sealed Jar
- Alternatively, you can pack it up in single-serve bags or little covered containers.
You can turn up the fun factor by turning it in a group activity whereby everyone makes up their own favorite mix. With that kind of goodness around, the likes of yogurt-covered raisins isn’t nearly as tempting as it once was.
If you like Healthy Homemade Trail Mix, you might like:
5 Wholesome Snack Bars for Kids
This post on Healthy Store-Bought Granola Bars
Homemade Granola Bars from Simply Recipes
Healthy Homemade Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup cereal such as Cheerios, Wheat Chex, or Barbara's Puffins
- 2/3 cup whole-grain pretzels (or GF for gluten-free option)
- 2/3 cup favorite nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, etc)
- 1/3 cup seeds such as pepitas or sunflower
- 2/3 cup dried fruit such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries, or dried apples
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
-
Put all ingredients together in a large bowl and use your hands or a spoon to combine. Transfer to an airtight container or resealable bag.
