Trail mix takes me back. Waaaay back…

…to the early 90’s, when my friends and I would slump-huddled around the front porch, discussing our fifth-grade concerns while shoveling handfuls of the stuff into our mouths.

Back then, the extra salty, super sugary combo of glazed peanuts, sweet raisins and brightly colored M&M’s was the perfect snack to mindlessly munch on as we stewed over our pint-sized problems.

Fast forward a few decades, I still love trail mix.

But as a health-conscious adult, I couldn’t let that old school combo of not-so-good-for-you ingredients (like processed hydrogenated oil, excess salt and refined sugar) put a damper on my trail mix game.

So, I did like I do and gave the ol’ snack an upgrade.

Making your own crunchy, chewy trail-mix-y concoction means that you get to control the ingredients and keep things uber healthy.

I loaded this particular batch with protein-packed cashews, heart-healthy pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, nutrient-dense apricots and fiber-rich popcorn.

From sweet to savory, there are as many variations of trail mix as there are drops in the ocean.

Simply mix together your favorite:

raw or roasted, unsweetened nuts (my faves are: cashews, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts)
seeds (like: pumpkin, sunflower, flax, hemp, chia or sesame)
unsweetened dried or dehydrated fruit (think: cranberries, apricots, dried apples, cherries, goji berries, figs, pineapple, dates, banana chips, blueberries and strawberries)
fun add in’s (such as: popcorn, coconut, dark chocolate chips or chocolate covered coffee beans, pretzels, rice crackers, cacao nibs, wasabi peas and spices)

And that’s it!

Tropical Popcorn Trail Mix

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups popcorn (you can pop your own popcorn or use your favorite brand)
1 cup roasted cashews
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS:

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.

OPTIONAL TOPPING: For an extra punch of protein, top with chia and/or hemp seeds.

MAKE IT A GRAB-N-GO SNACK: To make this snack portable, simply divide the trail mix evenly into pint-sized mason jars. Seal em’ up and have them ready to go as you head out the door.

print recipe

Then, after you’ve mixed up a batch, let me know…

1// What you thought.

2// What ingredient combo you went with.

3// How it turned out.

Or feel free to reminisce about your favorite old-school snack in the comments below! 😉

Happy Snackin’!