Iโ€™ve mentioned before that Iโ€™m a champion grazer when it comes to my eating habits. I am horrible when it comes to sitting down and eating a meal, especially for breakfast and lunch, and often times grab a few crackers here, a cookie there, a handful of something else a half hour later. I started a couple of weeks ago with a conscious effort to eat something healthy and somewhat substantial for breakfast and have done well making a habit of it over the last 10 days or so. Next up, I am tackling lunch and healthy snacks. If I actually plan what Iโ€™m going to eat and have it on hand, there is a much, much higher chance that Iโ€™ll eat it instead of just grabbing something thatโ€™s not very good for me. Enter trail mix.

When my mom, sister and I drove to New York back at the end of April, I picked up some snacks for car and found a big jug of tropical trail mix at Target. I fell in love with it and probably ate my weight in it. When I started thinking about the different types of healthy snacks I could throw together, I remembered that trail mix and decided to recreate it with some changes to suit my tastes.

The trail mix was delicious, but there were definitely some things I knew I would change up for my homemade version. For one thing, there were way too many raisins for my taste. I love raisins in my bagels, oatmeal, and cookies, but I donโ€™t particularly enjoy eating them by the handful. I basically took a mix of my favorite dried fruits โ€“ papaya, mango, pineapple, dates and bananas โ€“ and added healthy nuts and some scoops of unsweetened coconut. The key to keeping this as healthy as possible is to use dried fruit that doesnโ€™t have any sugar added and nuts that are raw (unsalted).

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Iโ€™m excited and motivated to have secured at least one healthy snack to keep on hand, plus it will come in handy as a complement to our favorite granola when my Chief Culinary Consultant and I make our next road trip! Itโ€™s the perfect balance of sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, and has so many amazing flavors. Best of all, this is an incredibly forgiving โ€œrecipeโ€, so feel free to substitute your favorite dried fruit, nuts and seeds for a completely customized version.

What are some of your favorite healthy snacks?

One year ago:ย Buttermilk Doughnuts
Two years ago: Homemade Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Three years ago: Spumoni Ice Cream Terrine
Four years ago: Strawberry Mirror Cake

Homemade Tropical Trail Mix

Yield: 24 ยผ-cup servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
A tropical twist to homemade trail mix
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Ingredients

  • 1ยฝ cups (127.5 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 cup (143 g) almonds
  • 1 cup (123 g) pistachios
  • 1 cup (85 g) dried banana chips, broken in half or quarters if large
  • ยฝ cup (73.5 g) chopped dried dates
  • ยฝ cup (118.29 g) chopped dried mango
  • ยฝ cup (70 g) chopped dried papaya
  • ยฝ cup (80 g) chopped dried pineapple

Instructionsย 

  • Toss all ingredients together until evenly combined.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Notes

Note: You can usually find unsweetened coconut in the organic/health food section of your local grocery store, or in the bulk bins if your store has them (you can also order from King Arthur Flour). I would ideally use the large flakes of coconut vs. the shredded that you see here, but I was all out!
Nutritional values are based on a 1/4 cup serving
Calories: 153kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 167mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 570IU, Vitamin C: 3.6mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

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Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American