Trail mix certainly lives up to it's name. It's perfect for hiking or taking out on the road with you because it's lightweight, easy to store, tastes great, and if made right, provides a decent energy boost! Occasionally, trail mix is also called gorp, which some people think stands for Granola, Oats, Raisins, and Peanuts, or sometimes Good Old Raisins and Peanuts! Wherever it comes from, you don't have to stick to that one plain recipe, although it does provide a great starting point! A good trail mix should include your 3 basic macronutrients:
-Protein
-Carbs
-Healthy fats
This nutritionally balanced blend will give you energy, fill you up, and hopefully taste good! Naturally sourced sugars from fruit can be a good thing to add as well, but use processed sugar sources sparingly.
Below I'll provide a list of good trail mix ingredient ideas, and the nutritional requirement they'll fill for you!
Disclaimer: Just because an ingredient doesn't have a checkmark next to a certain nutrient, doesn't mean it's not a source of that nutrient. I mainly focused on the MAIN category they'll fill for you, this is by no means be-all end-all, and I'm not a nutritionist. It's a very simplistic guide meant to be helpful for you!
Don't be afraid to experiment and see what combination tastes best together. At the bottom, I'll also provide a few of my favourite recipes if you want something already tried and true.
Recipes
Monkey Mix
Granola
Chocolate Chips
Dried Banana Chips
Chocolate Protein Powder
Cashews
Tropical Treat
Coconut Flakes
Dried Mango
Dried Goji Berries
Macadamia Nuts
The Naturalist
Pumpkin Seeds
Dried Cranberries
Granola
Almonds
Enjoy and let me know your favourite combinations! Tara