Happy National Trail Mix Day!
Since September begins tomorrow—and the first day of fall is in 3 short weeks—I wanted to celebrate this “holiday” with a fall-inspired trail mix recipe of sorts. (I guess you could say I’m ready to let go of this ridiculously hot summer.) I’m calling it “Harvest Trail Mix” because it includes two ingredients that scream autumn to me: cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Or rather, dried cranberries and pepitas (aka shelled pumpkin seeds). Aside from the specific ingredients, I found the color combo to be fitting for the upcoming season as well.
One thing I hate about a lot of pre-packaged trail mixes is that they’re often the equivalent of candy. While I do love candy more than the average person (we’re talking almost Leslie Knope status), I’m trying to be healthy over hurr. To set myself up for smarer snacking, I like to use mostly raw ingredients when I make trail mix—aka nuts and seeds that aren’t salted/seasoned and not adding a bunch of actual candy. Dried cranberries and chocolate chips obviously have sugar, but if you want some energizing trail mix, a teeny boost of sugar can help.
As you can see, I combined almonds, peanuts, pepitas, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips. Although I used raw nuts/seeds, I bet this would be quite tasty to use salted peanuts and/or almonds for a more intense sweet and salty situation.
See below for the details:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
So throw it in a bag and snack as you please!
This recipe is part of The Fit Dish link-up hosted by Jill Conyers and Jessica Joy, as well as the Meatless Monday link-up hosted by Deborah and Tiny Muir.
This is my kinda trail mix! Love the combo here, and I bet it wouldn’t last very long in my house! Thanks for linking up, am loving seeing you every week 🙂
I don’t know if this will last very long for us either. Haha. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
pumpkin seeds are the best and you can’t go wrong by adding chocolate to anything. Thanks for linking up today!
Amen to that!
I’m so making this!! Perfect for hikes and road trips!! So delish and healthy!
For sure! Love the versatility of trail mix. Hope you like it!
trail mix is my all my goto snack as well..i love the combo of almonds and cranberries. lately, i have been doing dates and almonds right before workout.
I love making my own trail mix chock full of my favorite ingredients. Your flavor combination sounds wonderful. I need to use chocolate chips more often in my DIY trail mix. Thanks for sharing the yumminess!
This looks so lovely, and I also love how you’re ‘trying to being healthy over hurr.’ LOL I hear ya! And, some trail mix can totes be an excuse for candy….especially when you dig the M&Ms out like my 3 year old. Haha. I am feeling so excited for fall…as of this week. Honestly, I didn’t think i wanted it, but after a few inspiring blog posts, like yours, I am excited! Thanks : ) #fitfamlove
I love that you said “totes” hahaha. And yes! Fall! There are great things about summer, but also a lot of awesome seasonal things come with fall. 🙂
This combo looks delicious! I have a trip coming up and I’m thinking I may need to bring some of this with me. Thanks for sharing!
For sure! I love snacks like trail mix when I need some energy without putting forth much effort. Thanks for visiting. 🙂