#NationalTrailMixDay

Hey everyone! Happy Monday – and a very happy Monday it is since it is #NationalTrailMixDay!

I am a HUGE fan of trail mix for so many reasons. Firstly, it’s nostalgic. I remember my sleepaway camp days when every afternoon I’d get trail mix from the store. They made it special, M&M’s clearly the highlight (they tried to keep candy to a minimum), and the most fun part was that they would serve it in an ice cream cone! It’s all about the presentation, even when you’re young. Secondly, I get really bored of eating things. Some people can mindlessly eat a bag of chips until they’re gone, but a few bites in, I’m bored. Call me lucky, but this just means I move onto the next snack in the cabinet. I only wish this worked as a dieting technique! Third and last – I love the variety that comes with trail mix – not only the ingredients within, but the fact that it can be sweet, it can be salty, it can be spicy, it can be all 3 – love it! It’s an easy, generally healthy, snack that you can tweak to almost ANY taste.

That being said, I have a few recipes that I’ve found via Pinterest that have REALLY tickled my fancy that I’d like to share with you. Try them out, let me know what you think! Let me know what you’d change! Let me know YOUR favorite recipe! I’m all ears 🙂

1. Sweet & Salty Trail Mix

This stuff is pretty awesome, and CLASSIC. If you’re looking to get your feet wet in the world of trail mix, this is certainly where you should start. Firstly, and this goes for all recipes, go to your local bulk store for ingredients. This is going to be MUCH more cost efficient than pre-packaged ingredients. Now, down to business. This is crazy easy – 2 cups California raisins, 1 cup lightly salted sunflower seeds, 1 cup whole natural almonds, 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, 1 cup roasted and salted pistachios, 1 cup dark chocolate M&Ms. Yep, just mix them all up…you’ve got your trail mix. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

2. Martha Stewart Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix

I am eternally a supporter of savory>sweet, so I absolutely love this recipe. This recipe requires a little bit more work than your average trail mix – even…gasp…an oven. Don’t worry – crazy simple! Ingredients include rice cereal (Crispix? Chex? Your call!), pretzels (this recipe recommends the sticks), oyster crackers, roasted unsalted peanuts, melted butter, Worchestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, and hot sauce of your choice. Combine all dry ingredients, and drizzle the spices and liquid combo over top. Bake an hour at 250, stirring every 15 minutes – allow to cool & voila! Delicious.

3. Hit the Trail Granola

The beauty of trail mix is that it can really be anything you make it. In my head, trail mix is any combination of ingredients that can be transferred easily and happily from hand to mouth. Granola – sure! I love this recipe – its crunchy with a fun texture – and I feel just…really healthy eating it. Perfect as is or top your yogurt with it! Ingredients include old-fashioned rolled oats, whole unsalted almonds, whole salted cashews, cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond butter, an egg white, vanilla extract, dried cranberries or raisins, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. This is another oven recipe – preheat to 300, toss almonds, cashews, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Microwave the syrup, coconut oil, and almond butter for about 30 seconds, allow to cool, and toss in the egg white and vanilla – pour over oats to coat and ensure that all are moistened. Spread onto baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely and toss in the dried cranberries, raisins, and chocolate chips – yum!

So there you have it – 3 amazing trail mix recipes. Don’t forget – if you don’t like a certain ingredient, if you want to try something new in terms of a spice – have at it, go crazy! Trail mix is the perfect snack to experiment with. Enjoy!