My Favorite On The Go Snack (bonus, it is Healthy too)

What’s your go to healthy snack recipe?

I love having an apple with almond butter; I slice the apple and use it as a toast to spread the nut butter on it. It’s delicious and nutritious but now ideal when you are hiking or in the go and it can get messy quickly (I *may* be talking from experience there.)

Calling all nut lovers!

A find that trail mix is a great alternative snack that I can bring in hikes or when I am on the go. Nuts are good protein sources for vegetarians. Often the ready-made sachets from the shops have too much salt or sugar for my taste so I like to make my own from nuts and dried fruits bought in bulk.

There are many advantages to make your snack from scratch. First of all, you only add what you really enjoy eating. I personally do not like raisins and it seems there is a raising frenzy in the “world” of trail mix. I love grapes but there is something about raisins that does not agree with me. So when I make my own, I ditch them and add dried apples, cranberries, pears or apricots; it allows me to make a choice and bring variety to my snack.

Another bonus, you can make it zero waste.

Another good reason to make your own trail mix is that if you buy in bulk, you are only purchasing what you need and therefore reducing waste. It is also fresher to buy only what you need, because yes, nuts can go rancid. The zero waste movement is very popular right now, at least in Toronto. There are many places allowing you to buy in bulk and a great supportive community.

If you need another reason to make your own, just think about the price. As soon as something is labelled, healthy, vegetarian or vegan, the price tag goes up. It is certainly cheaper to make snacks from scratch. It is also super easy and fun to do.

In this specific batch I mixed walnuts, peanuts (non-salted), almonds, coconut shavings for taste and good fats, dried mulberries, and dried apples cut thinly.

I stored it in my medium size Kids Konserve container. These are super handy: they come in a nesting pack of 3, are food grade stainless steel (therefore light weight) and if you happen to tear the plastic lid, they send you new ones for free.

If you are interested in learning more about the vegetarian diet or more specifically about protein combining, try and get hold of Diet for a Small Planet book from Frances Moore Lappe. It is really interesting and has great easy recipes as well.