All you have to do to make nourishing any a delicious DIY trail mix is pick some goodies from three categories: protein, texture and sweets. From there, you can build an epic snack to fuel your next adventure!
Did you ever read the Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up? When I was a kid, I thought it was just the bee's knees to be able to direct the story the way you wanted it to go. And you could read the book over and over again, with a new adventure each time!
Of course, I love going on adventures outside of books too. A day trip to a new beach town, a hike along forested trails, a plane ride to a far off land full of new faces... adventure is out there! Just think - some of the very best adventures in this life are yet to come!
One of the simplest joys of adventuring that I've found is a nice long hike. Meandering through trees, trekking up the side of a mountain, cooling off barefoot in a river. It's relaxing listening to nothing other than the birds chirping, the water trickling by and the strong swish of the trees swaying in the wind.
Ahh everything is bliss and peace. Until your tummy starts grumbling. After all this hard work adventuring and enjoying the views, you might find yourself with a mountainous appetite! Cue the stage for DIY trail mix!
Making your own DIY trail mix is as simple as reading a Choose Your Owner Adventure book. You can literally put whatever you want in yours! Just remember to not put anything in your adventure pack that could (1) stink, (2) melt, or (3) explode.
Pick some goodies from each of the following three categories and you are on your way to an epic (and well-fueled) adventure! Bon Voyage my fellow adventurer!
pick some protein
- walnuts
- cashews
- peanuts
- almonds
- pistachios
- pumpkin seeds
- sunflower seeds
- pecans
- beef jerky
- Brazil nuts
- macadamia nuts
- hemp seeds
pick some sweets
- M&M's
- banana chips
- dates
- dried apricot
- raisins
- dried mango
- dried berries
- dark chocolate or peanut butter chips (if you aren't going somewhere hot)
- dried ginger
- gummy bears
pick some extra flavor
- mini pretzels
- popped popcorn
- coconut flakes
- cacao nibs
- dry cereal
- puffed rice
- granola
- cinnamon
- chili powder
- chocolate-covered coffee beans
- wasabi peas
- marshmallows
What to Put in Trail Mix
1. Beach Day
Make some trail mix full of tropical flavors perfect for a day at the beach with macadamia nuts, hemp seeds, banana chips, dried mango, and coconut flakes.
2. Mountain Climb
Walnuts, almonds, raisins, cranberries, granola, and chocolate-covered coffee beans are full of healthy fats, potassium, and a little caffeine to fuel a climb.
3. Into the Forest
Immerse yourself in a forested world with cashews, almonds, dried blueberries, mini pretzels, and puffed rice cereal.
4. Campfire
Gather everyone around the campfire for s'mores-inspired trail mix with pecans, dark chocolate, marshmallows, and popcorn.
4. Peanut Butter and Jelly
A mixture of peanuts, peanut butter chips, dried strawberries, dried cherries and the perfect sweet-and-salty combination, just like a pb & j sandwich!
5. PB & B
Maybe you've tried pb & j before, but have you had pb & b? That's peanut butter and banana, the best flavor combo! Mix peanuts, peanut butter chips, dark chocolate, banana chips, and coconut flakes for this epic treat.
6. Drive-in Movie
Load blankets, pillows, and this delicious trail mix for your next drive-in movie night. Combine M&M's, raisins, peanut butter chips, popcorn, and pretzels for the perfect movie night snack.
7. Pumpkin Patch
"Fall" into Autumn flavors with pumpkin seeds, pecans, dark chocolate chips, cinnamon, and dried cherries.
8. Spicy
Sometimes you want something with some heat to snack on. When your spicy-cravings hit, mix cashews, coconut flakes, wasabi peas, ground cumin, and spicy Cheetos.
9. Salt of the Earth
When you want something a little more grounding and salty to munch on, combine peanuts, sunflower seeds, mini pretzels, puffed rice, and wasabi peas.
10. Kid in a Candy Store
Look, snacking on healthy trail mix is great and all. But sometimes you just want to let loose and satisfy your inner child's sweet tooth. For these occasions, mix gummy bears, sour gummy worms, M&M's, popcorn, and mini pretzels.
Yum-number1
This is so awesome!! It's kind of like chipotle but for trail mix hahah! Healthier of course, will try it this weekend! 🙂
strawberryandcream
Hahaha yes! You can just throw together a couple things for protein, a couple things for sweetness and a couple things for extra texture. Then you're ready to set out on your quest for adventure knowing you won't go hungry! 😉😋
jimerzen
Amazing photos of your hike on Mt. Hood. Yummy trail mix with so many choices!
strawberryandcream
Nearly infinite options for trail mix = tons of snacks for tons of adventures! â¤ï¸ðŸ§—ðŸ»ðŸš´ðŸ½ðŸ•ðŸ”