Home made trail mix

Homemade Trail Mix

Snacks are by far the number one “food group” that I get asked for help with.  As it goes we are ready to put in the time for the three main meal preps but when it comes to snacking we are still in the grab and go mindset.

So with that in mind I offer up to you the Homemade Trail Mix.  No fixed recipe to follow and virtually no preparation time.  Mix and match your favourite nuts, seeds and berries.  You can make a large batch and dip in to it as needed.

Have this on hand all of the time.  The good fats, protein and fiber in your trail mix will satisfy you when hunger pangs begin and will help to stabilize your blood sugar as it begins to dip between meals.  In doing so you will avoid the need for a mid afternoon nap or the urge to tear a strip off of a bad driver on your way home.

Just to give you a glimpse of the healthy benefits of the trail mix that I made, here is today’s creation (I use raw, unsalted nuts and seeds):

Brazil Nuts

Most notably brazil nuts are a good source of selenium.  As with most nuts they contain healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber.

Cashews

Cashews are a source of monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.

Almonds

Almonds are a source of vitamins, notably vitamin E, minerals, monounstaturated fats, fiber and protein.

Goji Berries

Goji berries are a power packed little berry.  They contain fiber, vitamins, notably A & C, minerals and are great antioxidants.

Manuka Raisins

I LOVE Manuka raisins.  My favourite trail mix sweetener.  They are good source of fiber, contain calcium, antioxidants and they contain oleanolic acid.

Dried Aronia Berries

A nice counterbalance to Manuka raisins,  these berries are a little bit on the bitter side.  Their benefits include being high in antioxidants, high in anthocyanin concentration and high in proanthocyanidins.

Dried Pomegranate berries

These are a treat.  Really tasty and high in antioxidants and fiber.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds are a good source of vitamin E, selenium and magnesium.

So be creative.  You can used pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate chips, puffed quinoa.  The sky is the limit and changing things up means you won’t get tired of it.

 

sweet potato muffins

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins

Last night social media and left over sweet potatoes came together and we enjoyed delicious sweet potato protein muffins thanks to a timely posting by Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health.  I followed her recipe in every way except for the type protein powder used. I used NaturePro Grass-Fed Australian Vanilla Whey protein and it definitely worked out just fine!

These muffins contain complex carbohydrates and fiber from the sweet potatoes, good fats from the coconut oil and protein, vitamins and minerals from the eggs and protein powder.  Even the sweetener, maple syrup, offers a host of naturally occurring minerals. Not your everyday sweet treat!

I do recommend making your own almond milk to use in this recipe.  Store bought almond milk, in most cases, contains added ingredients that you just don’t want to be consuming.  And making your own almond milk is easy and extremely cost effective. You can find the recipe for almond milk right here.

Here is Joy’s recipe.  You can enjoy these muffins for breakfast, as a mid-day snack, quite honestly whenever you get a hankering for a little sweet treat.

I got 12 muffins from this mixture.

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins

by

Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health

Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup coconut flour
  2. ¼ cup Vanilla protein powder
  3. 2 tsp baking powder
  4. 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  5. 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  6. 2/3 cup sweet potato puree
  7. 1/3 cup maple syrup
  8. 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  9. 5 eggs, whisked
  10. 3/4 cup almond milk
Instructions
  1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
  2. Then add the wet to the dry ingredients.
  3. Place batter into muffin tin cups.
  4. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or until a fork inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.