Trail Mix

Have you noticed that trail mix can be rather expensive when you buy it from the store? It seems like I'm not getting much for my money. And, well...there's usually something in those pre-made versions that I don't particularly care for. You know me...I'm pernickety. So I make my own. Occasionally.

I sometimes get into cycles, or phases, if you will. Sometimes I want nothing but crackers as snacks for a while. Then I'll move on to chips of some sort, or something sweeter. I went through a rice cake phase for a while. It all kinda comes and goes. So right now, apparently, is my semi-healthy sweet and salty snack phase. So I made trail mix. Haha.

Trail mix is really good, though, to satisfy both salty and sweet cravings. And it's not terrible for you since it has decent ingredients. So...as long as you're not gorging yourself on it, it's not all that bad. Which is better than, say...eating half a bag of potato chips in one sitting. Not that I've done that...recently. Nope. Not this gal. Anyway...

This is ridiculously easy. And you can mix together pretty much anything you want to. My favorite mix is below, but feel free to change it up a bit. For instance...I like peanuts, but they're not the healthiest nut out there. Almonds are much better, but I'm not a big fan of them. Dried fruit is never really all bad, but perhaps you don't like craisins and would rather dried apricots or something. Go for it. Not a fan of chocolate? You can buy all kinds of candy chips these days...caramel, white chocolate, etc. My point is, you can mix and match all kinds of sweet and salty bits to make trail mix, and it will be just as lovely as my blend below. So have fun and be creative!

Ingredients:
-1 lb bag pretzels (minis or bite size are best)
-1 bag chocolate candies (approximately 10 oz)
-2 cups(ish) peanuts
-1 1/2 cups raisins
-1 1/2 cups craisins (dried cranberries)

Directions:
In a large zip-top bag or mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; Pretzels,

peanuts,

chocolate,

craisins,

and raisins.

Gently toss to incorporate all ingredients.

Store in an air-tight container.

For quick snacks on the go, you can portion out 1/2 cup or so into individual servings, in plastic sandwich baggies or small storage containers. Send these in lunches to school or work, snack during the day with portion control, or take them with you wherever you happen to be going that day. Easy cheesy!