Recipe: Easy Trail Mix
One of the most common questions that comes up in conversation with clients is healthy snacks. Whether you are trying to optimise your health, manage your PCOS, or improve your chances of conceiving, then you want to do everything you possibly can to make the best dietary choices to make that happen. Well, what you choose to snack on can make a difference when it comes to health, especially as snacks can bring an opportunity to add in nutrients to your overall diet. Aiming for balanced snacks, with a source of protein, fibre, healthy fats and fruit/vegetables is a great way to keep blood sugars under control, inflammation at bay, and hormone levels under control.
One of my go to recommendations is trail mix. It is so easy to make, is packed with nutrients and offers a balance of macronutrients to help achieve your nutrition goals.
I have put together a basic recipe, which you can adapt to suit your taste, as the great thing about this recipe is you can personalise it to include the foods and ingredients that you love, and every batch can be different, depending on what you feel like having at the time!
Number of servings: This recipe makes a big batch which can be portioned off into ziplock bags or mini jars according to your snackable size.
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Trail mix made of nuts, seeds & dried fruit
Ingredients
2 cups of Nuts - anything from cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and pecans to walnuts. Toast them first for extra flavour! Nuts are a powerhouse of healthy fats, protein, fibre and lots of micronutrients like selenium, magnesium, iron and B vitamins.
1 ⅓ cups of Seeds - a mix of your favourite seeds from sunflower, to pumpkin, sesame to chia or flaxseeds. Again you can toast these too if you fancy it. Seeds also add protein, healthy fats, fibre and nutrients like vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and zinc.
1 cup of Dried Fruit - chop up some dates, raisins, dried mango, apricot, figs, etc - these bring sweetness and lots of fibre
1 cup of the Satisfaction Factor - this could be anything from popcorn, or dried chickpeas or corn, to chocolate chips, pretzels, or marshmallows. Here is where you might add something to bring a bit of sweetness, crunch or saltiness depending how you feel.
Added Flavour extras - spices, salt, herbs etc you might want to add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, paprika, or even chilli. A great opportunity to add more flavour and herbs and spices bring some extra antioxidants.
Instructions
Roast the nuts on a baking tray - you can roast them dry or add a little oil. It shouldn’t take more than 10-15 mins to roast them in an oven at 175 degrees celsius.
Allow the nuts to cool completely.
You may want to also toast the seeds you are adding - this can be done on a baking tray or in a pan stirring them often for 1-2 mins.
Allow the seeds to cool completely.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl - nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and .
Toss them with the herbs/spices/salt to ensure they are all well mixed and coated.
Store in a jar or split into individual snack packs - ziplocks, tupperware or jars.
Top tips
Can be stored in a jar for up to a month.
Here’s a trail mix I made today: 2 cups total of cashews, almonds and pecans, ½ cup sunflower seeds, ½ cup pumpkin seeds, ⅓ cup flaxseeds, ½ cup chopped dried mango, ½ cup dates, ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup dried corn, 1/4tsp salt
You’ll need the following equipment: large bowl, baking tray(s), storage Jar(s)/ziplock bags
