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How to Make Your Own Trail Mix

How to Make Your Own Trail Mix

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Trail mix came about because backpackers prize lightweight food that packs a lot of energy. A basic trail mix recipe combines dried fruit with nuts (and sweets, if you like), so you get lots of calories and vitamins in a small package.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:
  • Nuts Dried fruits Sweets (optional) Mixing bowl Plastic jar or bag
  • Nuts
  • Dried fruits
  • Sweets (optional)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Plastic jar or bag
Step 1
Choose the nuts you want for your mix. You can buy cans of mixed nuts or buy an assortment of the kind you prefer. The only rule is simple: Unless you want to do the work of shelling them beforehand, don't buy nuts with big, air-filled shells (such as walnuts and peanuts). Almonds, cashews, and peanuts are good choices.
Step 2
Pick out your dried fruits. Raisins are a classic, but dried cranberries, apricots, cherries and even pineapple and coconut are good for a trail mix.
Step 3
Include some sweets if you want more variety. Use items that won't spoil or melt quickly. M&Ms and mini-cookies are good choices.
Step 4
Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Ideally, use at least twice as many nuts as fruits and treats. Nuts are your main energy source, and they have an average calorie-to-ounce ratio of 160 to 1, double that of dried fruit and 50 percent more than table sugar. A good mix is five cups of nuts, two cups of dried fruit, and one-half to one cup of sweets.
Step 5
Pour the mix into a lightweight plastic jar or resealable bag for storage.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

Write for Trails.com

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