I never used to be a big fan of trail mix.
The stuff you by in the store is loaded with salt, unnecessary added fat, and crummy quality chocolate. My version of trail mix uses raw nuts and seeds, and good quality dark chocolate chips.
Sounds like it would be expensive, right? Not so. For 24 servings I paid just 42 cents per serving for a healthy trail mix that will stick with you for a few hours and give you a big nutrition boost.
Each serving is 1/4 cup, but I usually just have a few tablespoons a day. Be careful with these kinds of snacks, because while they are a healthy snack choice, they are also high in fat and calories.
The good things is you really don’t need much to feel satisfied. The combination of crunch, and sweet chocolate goes a long way.
Happy snacking!
Serves 24 ea 1/4 cup servings
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds, raw ($2.30)
- 1 cup almonds, raw ($1.64)
- 1 cup sunflower seeds, raw ($0.70)
- 1 cup walnuts, raw ($1.14)
- 1 cup dried cranberries ($1.17)
- 1 cup chocolate chips, dark ($3.25)
Instructions
- Combine ingredients and seal in an airtight container.
What’s good for me in this dish?
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids and protein. Not only that, they provide 50% of the manganese you need in a day, as well as magnesium, phosphorus, tryptophan, iron, copper, vitamin K and zinc.
Walnuts are very high in omega 3 fatty acids, manganese, copper and tryptophan. Omega 3 fatty acids contribute to a healthy heart. They are known to lower bad LDL cholesterol levels, and raise good HDL cholesterol levels. They also improve and control high blood pressure.
Dark chocolate of at least 70% cocoa provides The flavonoids with antioxidant effects, helping protect against heard disease. Flavonoids also help with blood pressure.
Calories: 184
Total Fat: 13.46g
Cholesterol: —
Sodium: 1mg
Total Carbs: 12.52g
Dietary Fiber: 2.88g
Sugars: 7.59g
Protein: 4.99g
Old Weight Watchers Points 4
Nutrition details obtained from whfoods.org, nutritiondata.com, about.com, and abouthomecooking.com I am not a licensed nutritionist, nor a medical professional, and do not mean this information as medical or nutrition advice. See your medical professional if you have questions regarding your nutritional needs.
I love mixed don’t mind adding raisins .
I like raisins too. I wanted to find some golden raisins in the bulk bins, but they didn’t have any at the store I was shopping at. Next time. 🙂
Mmm trail mix! Oh and I have to tell you I love the “What’s good for me in this dish?” portion of the post. I like being able to see the good stuff I’ll be getting when I make it 😀
Thank you! I started the “What’s good for me . . . ” because I wanted to be more informed regarding the nutrition in the foods we eat. It’s been a lot of fun!
Love trail mix! I also love to make it myself so I can add in my favorite items and proportions.
So true. Sometimes I add a whole grain cereal into the mix. That’s good too, and reduces the calories a bit.
This would be perfect for our camping trips. I am very surprised how cheap it was to make!
I bought everything in bulk bins, and used the items that were on sale. It really was that cheap to make. I have to admit I was surprised too. 🙂
It really was. I bought from the bulk bins and several of the items were on sale. The most expensive item was the dark chocolate chips.
I love making my own trail mix too and make mine very similar to yours, I also add dried blueberries. Everything’s better when it’s homemade!
So true. Less, salt, less fat. Better for you. Do you have a brand of dried blueberries you like? The brand I tried, had sugar added.
What a great idea. You make jars of that for Christmas gifts. In fact, I know someone who needs some. He’s called Mr. P!
Lovely idea, seriously. It’s like homemade granola, only without turning on the oven, and not just for breakfast.
I am not fond of dark chocolate, but then I maybe haven’t had a good one. Any suggestions of brands to try? I also am not a huge walnut fan, can I use any other nuts.
I also am wondering if there is a way to pull out all of the favorable Weight Watcher menus? I really need to get back to it.
Love, love, love the picture. Not sure that I have seen that before. Did you do all of your own website building? If you did the Northshore School District may not be paying you enough, lol!
Hey Marci! I make this trail mix from the bulk bins at the Fred Meyer at Thrasher’s Corner. They have all kinds of raw nuts and a bin of dark chocolate chips. I’m a big fan of all RAW nuts – almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, peanuts. I like to buy raw, so that I can roast them myself. I don’t like the salt added to roasted nuts. Most of us need to reduce the sodium in our diets.
If you’re looking for the most popular recipes, I think you’ve come up with a great blog post series to turn those into menus. I have links at the top menu that will direct you to lower point meals, but it doesn’t tell you reader favorites.
Regarding the picture, I paid a wonderful company to make header and logo for me. Otherwise, the rest is WordPress and a really good theme.
Look forward to Friday!
Kristi
Totally agree with you about store bought trail mix! It’s sugary/salty and SO addictive! I’m bookmarking your recipe and making it this weekend!
You’ll have to let me know what additions to make to it – I love to hear how people improve my recipes. 🙂
I’m getting ready to go on a ski trip-thanks for the reminder to make a batch of trail is for the trip :-). Looks delicious!
Don’t you love making your own trail mix where you can add all your favorite nuts and seeds? Not to mention a few dark chocolate chips. Have a good time!