Healthy Trail Mix, A Simple Snack

[highlight]This is the perfect snack to have on hand for when hunger hits. It’s simple, healthy and filling. [/highlight]

I am a big believer in setting yourself up for success, whether that means making your lunch the previous night, pre-packing your gym bag so it’s ready to go, planning your week’s worth of meals in advance (you can see our weekly menu here) or having pre-made snacks on hand, ready to grab when hunger hits.

You can do everything in your power and have the best of intentions to prepare yourself a healthy dinner when you get home, but sometimes life just has other plans. There is traffic, meetings run late, your kids can’t find their shoes (they are always missing shoes!), you get a flat tire, etc. Having snacks ready to tide you over until you can prepare your pre-planned meal can be a lifesaver. And prevent you from devouring an entire loaf of sourdough bread (just me?).

This Healthy Trail Mix is super simple snack. It’s full of healthy fats, protein, a mix of sweet and salty flavors, and crunchy texture. The best part is, you can easily customize it to use ingredients you have in your pantry and to include your favorites. Often times store bought trail mix can be full of sodium or contain sugary candy pieces. I’m also a little picky when it comes to trail mix because there are a lot of nuts I don’t like (cashews!) and find it hard to find prepared trail mix that only comes with ingredients I like.

My weekly batch in this cute little container from Home Goods.

I make a big batch of this Healthy Trail Mix each week and just having it sitting on the counter to grab when I get a craving for something sweet. One word of advice, nuts are very healthy but nutrient dense, meaning a small amount has a good number of calories and fat. I keep a little 1/8  measuring cup next to my stash and use that to portion out a small amount when I’m having some. That keeps me from under-estimating how much I’m actually eating.

The possibilities for this trail mix are endless….pistachios, walnuts, almonds, unsweetened dried fruit, so many choices! Be sure to try and use unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruit to avoid adding excess sodium or sugar to your snacks. I found that a little bit of dark chocolate and unsweetened coconut flakes add a great flavor!

What’s one of your favorite snacks to have on hand?