Make-Your-Own Trail Mix

A lot of us came of age in the carbophile era: Indoctrinated by the idea that fat was the enemy, we stuffed our faces with rice cakes, plain bagels, and low-fat cookies, and sluggishly made our way from the dining hall to class, wondering why we felt so tired and bloated all the time. Snackwells? Perhaps never in human history have we collectively snacked so poorly.

Over the past decade, there’s been mounting research suggesting that fat is, in fact, our friend, and what we really should be avoiding are these so-called “simple carbs”: quickly digested starches and sugars, often found in pasta, rice, potatoes, and processed snacks. These foods can cause our blood sugar to spike and our energy, not long after, to plummet. If you’ve read or seen the news last week, you’ve probably come across the latest study showing that a diet that’s low in simple carbs is better than one that’s low in fat when it comes to weight control, heart function, and other health markers.

Now, this presents a real snacking conundrum. With things like olive oil, lean meats, eggs, and dairy, it’s fairly easy to work some more healthy fats into mealtime. But if you’re like us, your pantry is stuffed with questionable pouches of shelf-stable carbs: pretzels, chips, puffs, graham crackers, fish crackers, bunny crackers, and some round, unidentifiable crackers I’m quite sure no one has touched since I purchased them in July. These white, tan, and orange snacking staples have been in regular rotation since we gleefully presented our first child with finger foods, and it’s hard to break the habit. Kids like salty, filling, quick-to-digest snacks, and to be honest, I do too—they require no preparation, are easily transportable, and placate a growling belly quickly.

So, I’ve been thinking about ways to satisfy that crunchy-snack craving with some more healthy fats and protein, and landed upon one potentially satisfying solution, particularly for high-activity days when their bodies require a little extra energy: trail mix. But I didn’t present it to my kids in those exact terms. For many of us, “trail mix” conjures up visions of the dusty raisins and shriveled almonds wasting away in vending machines and airports. I rounded up and, in some, cases, purchased a variety of fresh nuts I know they liked, as well as dried fruit, semi-sweet chocolate chips, plain popcorn, and low-sugar cereals. In the spirit of the sundae bar, I lined up the ingredients in little bowls on the kitchen table, handed them some Ziploc bags, and let them go to town. I even sprung for a few airtight acrylic canisters and wrote my kids’ respective initials on my fave chalkboard labels so each child had their own special mix to draw from at snack time.

The possible combos are almost endless. A trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joes will give you a dozen ideas, many nut-free, as may be required in your family. Here are some potentially kid-friendly inclusions:

Nuts (peanuts, macadamia nuts and Marcona almonds tend to go over big in our house)

Seeds (sesame, pumpkin)

Dried fruit (golden raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried apricots)

Coconut chips (we like the Dang brand; and dang, they are addictive)

Sweet chips (to sprinkle in judiciously: semi-sweet chocolate chips, yogurt chips, peanut butter chips, M&Ms)

Low-sugar cereal (Cheerios, Kashi Go Lean crunch)

Plain popcorn (it’s a whole grain, you know)

Bringing your child to the store to help you pick out ingredients can be part of the fun. My sister recently took her daughter shopping for trail mix ingredients in anticipation of a weekend soccer tournament. They came up with the sweet-and-salty combo below, and made individual bags for all of my niece’s teammates. Now, for a rainy Sunday on the couch, a calorie-dense mix like this might not be the best choice. But for a busy day of sports and other activities, it’s hard to beat.