There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of your trail mix and finding that all the chocolate has been picked out. Luckily, I’ve got you covered with these homemade trail mixes, where every ingredient will taste just as good as the chocolate. Here are seven recipes that will please your palate and your pocket.
1. Antioxidant Mix
Eating antioxidants is a delicious and no-brainer way to stay healthy. Boost your immune system by combining goji berries, dried blueberries, dark chocolate, pecans, and cranberries for an immune boost on the trail (or in the library).
2. Energy Boost
If you’re feeing fatigued, munch on pecans, almonds, cashews and peanuts, which all contain lots of protein. Stay away from too much dried fruit, though, as it’ll spike your blood sugar.
3. Post-Run Mix
Replace all the protein you just burned with nuts like almonds, cashews, and pistachios. These nuts have the fewest calories and will restore muscle without all the fat some other nuts contain (even though nut fat is good fat).
4. Bulk Up Mix
Macadamia nuts, pecans, and pine nuts are the most calorie-dense nuts and will help you make those #gymgains. These nuts have the most calories from fat as well, but don’t let that scare you because these fats are way different than those found in processed foods. Actually, the FDA reported that eating 1.5 oz. of nuts a day may reduce your risk of heart disease–so go ahead and pick up another handful.
5. Chocolate Mix
Literally anything tastes good with chocolate, so throw chocolate in to any one of these mixes. If you want to get totally chocolate wasted, mix up chocolate covered nuts and chocolate covered berries and go off the walls.
6. Crunchy Mix
Add Cheerios to any nut and cranberry mix for an extra crunch (but no extra gluten). If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied, try adding caoco nibs for a chocolate crunch or pretzels for a salty fix.
7. PB Banana Mix
Banana chips and peanuts. You’re welcome.