Homemade trail mix

Trail mix has got to be as close to the perfect snack as you can get. There's a reason why hikers and bikers and sailors and other intrepid explorers take it along on their hard-core, death-defying journeys. It's delicious. It's filling. It's a concentrated source of energy. It's healthy (for the most part, anyway). You can portion it according to the person's size and appetite. It's easy to pack and store. It stays good for a long, long time. Grownups and kids enjoy it. What's not to love?

Alfie keeps a bag of trail mix in his office drawer at all times, we always pack a bag of it when we go on road trips, and there's always a bag of trail mix in our cupboard. Even if there isn't, I can always mix up a batch of trail mix, which is even better than store-bought trail mix because it's much cheaper, and you can customize it to match your tastes. The trail mix in the photo above has almonds, peanuts, chocolate chips and dried cranberries, but you can use any combination of savory and sweet that suits your fancy. Here are some suggestions:
The nutty
raw almonds
dry roasted unsalted peanuts
macadamia nuts
walnuts
cashews

The salty
pretzels
sunflower seeds
popcorn
goldfish crackers*
cheez-it crackers*

The fruity
raisins
dried cherries
dried cranberries
dried pineapples
dried mangoes
banana chips

The sweet
semi-sweet chocolate chips
white chocolate chips
M&M's
Reese's Pieces
yogurt raisins
granola clusters
marshmallows
butterscotch chips
teddy grahams*
cereal*

You can combine ingredients willy-nilly, or go with a theme:

Gorp (good old raisins and peanuts!): raisins, peanuts, M&Ms

Breakfast time: granola clusters, dried cherries, almonds, cheerios

Tropical: macadamia nuts, peanuts, cashews, dried banans, dried pineapples, dried mangoes

At the circus: popcorn, peanuts, marshmallows, M&Ms

Valentines: dried cherries, dried cranberries, pink and red M&Ms, pretzels, peanuts, yogurt raisins

Fourth of July: chocolate covered blueberries (the ones tinted blue), chocolate covered cherries (the ones tinted red), peanuts, popcorn, pretzels





* Many people like to add cereal (i.e. Chex, Honey Nut Cheerios, etc..) or crackers (i.e. Cheez It, Goldfish, Teddy Grahams, etc..) to their mix, but note that hey are easily crushed, and leave a huge mess of crumbs. Kids love them, though, so they're best made in small batches, and consumed the same day they're made.