Father’s Favorite Trail Mix

[#1]

 After his traditional breakfast in bed, my husband Rob has requested that we go on a family hike for his Father’s Day outing. Hikes and trail mix just go together, and trail mix is a snack that’s hard to beat for its portability, fun factor and great taste. I always make my own trail mix instead of buying it; that way, I can control what’s in it –and what’s not. There’s no magic to my recipe. And in fact, it’s not so much a recipe as a what’s-available-in-the-pantry combination of favorite nuts, seeds, pretzels, cereals and dried fruit, with a little handful of chocolate often thrown in for good measure. I generally do equal mixes of the nuts, fruit and seeds, and then double the amount of cereal and pretzels. Here’s my mix for this weekend’s hike: 

• O Organics Dried Cranberries
• Safeway California Dried Apricots, chopped
• Chocolate chips
• Safeway Rice Pockets cereal
• Lightly salted mini pretzel twists
• Safeway Lightly Salted Peanuts 

Per ½ cup serving: Calories: 200; Fat: 8 g (Saturated Fat: 2.5 g); Protein: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Fiber: 3 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 370 mg. 

Try to add a mix of textures and colors to keep your trail mix interesting. Although trail mix can be high in calories, adding in lower-in-calories pretzels and cereal helps keep it reasonable. Once mixed, store your trail mix in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for about a week. 

What’s your favorite trail mix combo?