Healthy Trail Mix Recipes for Tweens

Snack Ideas for Class Parties, Holidays, Sports or on the Trail

Nov 5, 2008 Kirsti A. Dyer

Instead of buying the prepackaged trail mixes, mix your own healthy trail mix or gorp. These recipes are great for sport snacks, school parties and easy holiday gifts.

Trail Mix or Gorp (good old raisins and peanuts) is an easy way to get children and tweens eating more dried fruit and nuts, healthier options to candies and cookies. Trail mix is a healthy snack for school parties and for sport teams. It is even a great snack when out hiking on the trails.

Not only are nuts a good snack food, but research is supporting eating nuts as being good for your heart health. Current dietary guidelines suggest eating 1 to 2 ounces (a small handful) of nuts each day.

Make Your Own Trail Mix

Children and tweens who have a hand in the cooking or preparing are more likely to eat what is prepared. Get your children and tweens involved in mix their own special trail mix for their sport team or to give as an easy gift to teachers, then let them name their special mixture.

Start with some of the recipes and the ideas below and see what fun treats your own children and tweens can come up with.

Put their special trail mix in a jar, add a bow and you have an instant customized present.

Adjusting the Trail Mix Recipes

People can adjust the ingredients used to meet their particular health needs, fruit and nut preferences, accommodating those have peanut or other nut allergies, are concerned about too much salt or extra sugar in the mixes.

Starter Healthy Trail Mix or Gorp

• 1 large container of Black Raisins (16 ounces)
• 1 jar of peanuts (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of natural almonds (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of roasted soy nuts (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of natural sunflower seeds (16 ounces)

Directions:

1. Mix all of ingredients in a very large bowl.
2. Measure into individual bags, cups or other containers.

Yield: 10 cups of Starter Trail Mix

Note: The amount of mix made and nutritional information will vary depending on the ingredients used.

Starter Healthy Trail Mix without Peanuts

• 1 large container of black raisins (16 ounces)
• 1 jar of peanuts (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of natural almonds (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of roasted soy nuts (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of natural sunflower seeds (16 ounces)

Directions:

1. Mix all of ingredients in a very large bowl.
2. Measure into individual bags, cups or other containers.

Yield: 8 cups of Starter Trail Mix

Note: The amount of mix made and nutritional information will vary depending on the ingredients used.

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Soccer Trail Mix – For the Team Trail Mix

For an easy soccer or hockey team snack put together a health trail mix combination. To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix recipe above add:

• 1 bag of mini twist or nibbles pretzels (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of craisins, (dried cranberries) (8 ounces)

Yield: 13 1/2 cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

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Tropical Trail Mix – A Taste of the Tropics Trail Mix

For a tropical treat to the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add:

• 1 bag of golden raisins (16 ounces)
• 1 bag of fruit bits or chopped dried apricots, mangoes and pineapple (8 ounces)

Yield: 13 1/2 cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

If you don't want added sugar, carefully read the ingredient packages. Many of the mangoes and pineapple have added sugar.

Avoid dried bananas because they are made with oils.

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Christmas Trail Mixes

Two options for Christmas Trail mix are a Snowman mix or a "Tis the Season" mix. With the extra chocolate and marshmallow, these are not the healthiest of the trail mix recipes, rather a fun Christmas treat.

Snowman Trail Mix, Snowman Poop Trail Mix

You can even call this "Snowman Poop" trail mix for the marshmallows.To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add:

• 1 bag mini marshmallows (8 ounces)
• 1 bag of mini chocolate chips (dark chocolate) or dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) bar broken into pieces (4-6 ounces)

Yield: 11+ cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

Tis the Season Trail Mix

Christmas is a season for chocolate. To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add:

• 1 bag Christmas colored M&M's (16 ounces)

Yield: 11+ cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

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Halloween Trail Mix – Goblin Food, Gremlin Grub

Goblin Food or Gremlin Grub is another a mixture of Fruit, Nuts and Seeds. To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add:

• 1 bag of golden raisins (8 ounces)
• 1 bag of dried apricots cut into small pieces (8 ounces)
• 1 bag of pumpkin seeds or pepitas (8 ounces)

Yield: 11 1/2 cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

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Valentine's Trail Mix – Heart Healthy Trail Mix

Research is showing that nuts and dark chocolate are good for the heart. Mix up this Valentine's Trail Mix for your Valentine. To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add something red and something with dark chocolate:

• 1 bag of craisins, (dried cranberries) (8 ounces)
• 1 bag of dried cherries (8 ounces)
• 1 bag of mini chocolate chips (dark chocolate) or dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) bar broken into pieces (4-6 ounces)

Yield: 11+ cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

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Easter Trail Mix – Rabbit Food Trail Mix

To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add something that looks like rabbit food. You might also consider adding in Easter season M&M's. To the Starter Healthy Trail Mix add:

• 1 bag of pumpkin seeds or pepitas (8 ounces)
• 1 bag Easter colored M&M's (16 ounces)

Yield: 11 1/2 cups

Note: The amount of mix made will vary depending on the ingredients used.

More Information:

Mayo Clinic Staff. Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health. MayoClinic.com. May 2007.

Dyer K. Chocolate Can be a Healthy Treat: The Heart and Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder. Suite 101.

The copyright of the article Healthy Trail Mix Recipes for Tweens in Parenting Tweens is owned by Kirsti A. Dyer. Permission to republish Healthy Trail Mix Recipes for Tweens in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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