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Healthy Homemade
Trail Mix Recipe
With an easy trail mix recipe in your repertoire, you'll never again have to wonder what to take for an easy camping snack.
Trail mix is the ideal snack food for any camping trip. Here's why:
Trail mix is
- filling
- tasty
- easy to pack
Trail mix supplies lots of food energy.
It is easily tailored to your own taste and needs. Use your favorite ingredients and make it as nutritious or as decadent as you choose.
Basic trail mix recipe: GORP
GORP is the classic trail mix recipe. GORP stands for Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts, and the recipe couldn't be easier: throw some raisins and peanuts in a bag, and off you go!
If you're a purist, take some GORP on your next trip. If you're more adventurous, use GORP as the base and throw in some add-ons.
How to make homemade trail mix
1. Buy a selection of trail mix ingredients. See my list below for some ideas, and feel free to use your own creative ideas.
2. Give each person a ziplock bag. (Freezer ziplocks are the sturdiest.) Have each person fill the bag with favorite ingredients.
3. Give the bags a good shake to mix things evenly.
Letting each person make his or her own batch of trail mix ensures that everyone gets a snack that s/he enjoys, and there are no issues with allergies or food intolerances.
There's another advantage to having a separate bag for each person: it eliminates the risk that someone will mine out all the M&Ms from the group's snack!
Trail mix ingredients
nuts
- peanuts
- cashews
- almonds
- macadamia nuts
- pecans
- walnuts
dried fruit
- raisins
- yogurt covered raisins
- cranberries
- blueberries
- cherries
- apricots (cut in small pieces)
- mango cubes
seeds
- pumpkin
- sunflower
rice crackers
soy nuts
granola
wasabi peas
banana chips
candy
sesame sticks
What not to put in trail mix
- chocolate chips
- butterscotch chips
- chocolate covered nuts or raisins
All of these will melt on a hot day, leaving you with a sticky mess. Instead, use candy-covered chocolate morsels, like Smarties or M&Ms. I've found that M&Ms are sturdier. You might also be able to find a healthier alternative at a natural food store.
Backpacking
Trail mix is especially well suited for a backpacking trip since it is lightweight and nutritionally dense.
It provides lots of food energy for its weight. If allergies are not an issue, put lots of nuts in your trail mix snack for backpacking to maximize its protein and food energy.
Let kids carry their own trail mix in an accessible pocket and snack as they hike.
For a multi-day hike, make one bag of trail mix per person per day. You may want to make a rule that you have to finish yesterday's before you can start on today's. This helps to avoid the temptation to eat just the tastiest bits and leave the rest.
Visit The Camping Family's home page for information on every aspect of your next camping trip.
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