Okay, so I’ve been trying to eat healthier, and a big part of that is snacking smarter. I used to grab whatever chips or cookies were around, but now I’m all about that trail mix life. The problem? My kid has a nut allergy, so I gotta keep those things outta the house. Store-bought nut-free trail mixes are either crazy expensive or taste like cardboard. So, I decided to make my own!
First, I hit up the bulk bins at the grocery store. This is way cheaper than buying pre-packaged stuff, and you get exactly what you want. I grabbed a big bag of sunflower seeds – those are the base of my mix. Then I found some pumpkin seeds (pepitas, whatever you wanna call ’em). Gotta have that variety, you know?
My Go-To Ingredients
- Sunflower Seeds: The main star. Cheap and cheerful.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Adds a nice crunch and a bit of a different flavor.
- Dried Cranberries: For that chewy sweetness. I try to get the ones with less added sugar.
- Dried Apricots: I love these! Give a richer and deep flavor.
- Raisins: Classic. Can’t go wrong.
- Chocolate Chips: Okay, okay, I know. But a little dark chocolate never hurt anyone, right? I use the mini ones.
- Pretzel Sticks: Gotta have that salty crunch! I break them up into smaller pieces.
- Dried banana chips: Give a nice flavor of fruit.
Next, I looked for some dried fruit. I picked up some dried cranberries – the ones with less sugar, if I can find them. And some dried apricots, because I just love those. Of course, I had to get some raisins too. It’s not trail mix without raisins!
Then comes the fun part – the “treat” part. I added in some mini chocolate chips. Just a handful, though. I’m trying to be healthy-ish, remember? And for that salty crunch, I threw in some broken-up pretzel sticks.
When I got home, I just dumped everything into a big bowl. I don’t really measure anything, I just eyeball it. More sunflower seeds, less chocolate chips – you get the idea. I mixed it all up with my hands, making sure everything was evenly distributed. Easy!
Finally, I portioned the mix into little snack bags. This is key for me, because otherwise I’ll just eat the whole bowl in one sitting. The bags make it easy to grab a healthy snack on the go, and they’re perfect for my kid’s lunchbox too.
And that’s it! My super simple, nut-free trail mix. It’s way better than anything I could buy at the store, and I know exactly what’s in it. Plus, it’s actually pretty fun to make. Give it a try!
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