Tropical Trail Mix
Spring is on its way, and that means I want to try and eat well and keep my energy up! I love being outside with the kids, and try and take them on nature walks, in the winter go snow shoeing, and in general just enjoy the outdoors… but one thing I need (trying to keep up with two little girls and a baby) is fuel. I don’t know about you, but I find that if i don’t eat well, or end up eating fast food, or prepackaged stuff over a period of time my body just can’t keep up. I will also say, the reason I eat out, go through starbucks for a snack, or grab a bag of chips when i’m paying for gas is because I didn’t plan ahead. Then I get caught HANGRY! Eek!
So to try and battle the hangry attitude that can lurk around any corner, I made some delicious (and super easy) Tropical Trail Mix! I house a jar of it in my pantry, but I will grab 1/2 a cup and stash some in my purse for any day that I know is going to be busy (ie. doctors appointments, errands, etc…).
When I originally came up with this, I stocked up at my local bulk food store, and as I was perusing the aisles, I came upon dried papaya and pineapple… I had some sweetened coconut flakes at home, and I knew this tropical theme would work out perfectly.
The Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dried papaya
- 1/2 cup dried pineapple
- 1/2 cup banana chips
- 3/4 cup unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
- 1 cup pecans (whole or halved)
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
The How-To:
- Measure out all the ingredients
- Add into a jar with a lid.
- Gently stir or shake the jar to ensure everything is mixed well.
note: I found that the dried papaya and pineapple pieces needed to be chopped into smaller pieces. Also since there isn’t a TON of sweetness in this, the sweetened flaked coconut adds a nice touch.
Yes, it’s really that simple! And getting everything at the bulk food store saved major money. We had recently picked up a bag of trail mix at the grocery store when we were in a rsh, and I could believe 1- how much added sweetness there was and 2- how expensive it was. So this really did become a bit of a life saver in the long run. The only down fall is that our school has a strict nut-free policy so I can’t send this on lunches with the kids. DO you have any easy go-to snacks that take little to no time to prep??
I love trail mix and this combination with papaya and pineapple sounds amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!
Definitely give it a try! Thanks for sharing!
I love making trail mix, but have never added dried papaya or pineapple. I definitely need to try that!
Katie,
What a great idea this is! I’m always on the hunt for snack ideas and this is perfect. The coconut flakes are a perfect touch.
I love all the ingredients that you have listed in this trail mix. Great idea for snacks 🙂
Sounds super easy and yummy!
Such a great, healthy snack, perfect!
This looks fabulous! such a delicious snack.
Thanks so much!
This looks like a delicious variation on the usual trail mix! Thanks for sharing!