My Favorite Trail Mix
Coaching my son's little league team is a hoot. Technically, I am assistant coach. Make that "more than" technically; I am definitely assistant coach. Pete (my friend Blair's husband) is head coach and he is fantastic. All fun, yet full of discipline and focus. It is so great to see how he hustles twelve little 9 year olds around the field, keeping them busy with baseball drills and motivating them to concentrate on the task at hand.
Of course, being a Jewish mother, I am the coach that is very concerned with food and keeping blood sugar stable (you could say I'm head food coach).
Today before practice, I was quite busy, running here, there and everywhere; so on my way out the door to a day full of errands and meetings, I made half a gallon of trail mix for the team. They loved it. If only Coach Pete had given them more snack breaks!
Here is my recipe for what I simply call "Favorite Trail Mix."
Favorite Trail Mix
3 cups macadamia nuts
3 cups dried cranberries (juice sweetened)
2 cups dark chocolate chips 73% cacao
This trail mix is convenient, plenty filling and nutritious to boot. The dried cranberries are rich in simple carbohydrates --much needed energy when exercising, the macadamia nuts have protein, which slows down the aforementioned carbs and makes this mix stick to your gut and the dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants.
Best of all, this trail mix makes for a delicious snack food that pleases the gluten-free as well as those with no food restrictions whatsoever. I can check food off my little league list, now all I have to do is make sure not to embarrass my 9 year old on the field or in the dugout!
Posted on March 31, 2008 in snacks by Elana
other entries you may like: Sesame Crackers
or Power Bars
or Mango Tango
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"Check out Elana's FAQ page for info on substitutions -- there are just too many possibilities so she can't answer all of these : ) But the Forums are an excellent resource and I highly recommend posting your substitution questions there; everyone is friendly and helpful." -Katie
Trail mix with choco drops...I will have to try it the next time I make my own mix.
I have a question regarding the trail mix and caramel cluster recipes. I am not a big fan of macadamia nuts, and wonder nutrition-wise, what is a comparable nut to substitute in these two recipes?
Thanks!
Sharla
Taste-wise the obvious choice for me would be pecans. Since I'm not a nutritionist and mostly cook for flavor, I'm not sure how pecans stack up against macadamia nuts in terms of nutrition. Hope this helps.
Elana
I make a candy (melting it all together and plopping it into small spoonfuls) at Christmas with pistachios (and dark choc & cranberries) and it is is wonderful! I believe pistachios are just as healthy.
Mmmm...I love macadamia nuts and chocolate, I would just grab the chocolate chips we eat, out of the bag, and then grab a macadamia, and eat, but I never thought of adding cranberries. I'll have to try that when I am ready to cheat.
[...] My Favorite Trail Mix Recipe from Elana’s Pantry is a delicious, gluten-free trail mix recipe. It has only three [...]
I just made a trail mix the other day! I soaked some almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds, dried them and mixed them together with some sprouted buckwheat, a bit of honey/stevia mixture, and some cinnamon. I use cinnamon on everything, I have to admit. This time round I will use cranberries, and maybe even some goji berries, as well as macadamia nuts and chocolate chips!