You will never buy the supermarket variety again once you've tried this sweet and crunchy trail mix recipe.

I'm always on the look out for a healthy, kid friendly snack - particularly snacks that are easy to make AND can be popped in school lunchboxes. Homemade Trail Mix ticks all the boxes.

More Healthy Kid Tips

Kids LOVE to snack. Well, mine do. Actually I do to. Problem is, those little snacks can start to add up. And before you know it - you have a extra pound or two sneaking onto the waist.

So. It's important to see snacks as, well, only snacks.

There are only TWO reasons we should be snacking:

We are hungry and need a LITTLE snack to tide us over to our next meal
Looking for a way to add some extra nutrients into our diet.

If we find oursleves snacking for any other reason (boredom, habit, mindless eating etc) thats when the weight starts creeping on.

When it comes to kids, it's hard to determine whether they are hungry or not. Keeping track of what they snack on can be hard, specially if they have free reign in the kitchen.

It was easy when they were little. I was in control of everything they ate. They didn't go scratching through the pantry or fridge on their own.

As my kids have grown a little bigger, though... hmm.. keeping track of what they are snacking on is a whole lot harder. I guess, that's when everything gets a little harder, doesn't it?

I did consider banning them from the kitchen a few times, but this is their home and that didn't feel right. What I did do though, was set snacking boundaries.

My Snacking Rules

We have two snacks a day. One at morning tea and one at lunch time. This works for school days and home days too.

Morning Tea Snack:
1. Pick any fruit. I limit the kids to one piece of fruit each snack time only because my youngest would happily munch his way through 4 apples if I let him, OR
2. Unlimited Fresh Veggies (in our home this normally means carrot or celery sticks). As you can imagine, this rule never gets over used.
Afternoon Snack:
1. Pick a snack out the snack box (usually home baking for the week - this is where this trail mix would be hanging out), OR
2. Crackers and Cheese, OR
3. Piece of Fruit OR
4. Veggies and Dip OR
5. Popcorn

The Snack box changes regularly as it depends on what I bake/make for the week. Here is a list of 50 Healthy Snack Ideas if you're looking for some inspo on what to stock in your Snack Box.

How To Make Homemade Trail Mix

Keep it Simple: The trick to making a good kid friendly trail mix is to keep it simple. It's tempting to add every nut and and dried fruit you can, but limiting it to a few key ingredients is important. I recommend keeping your trail mix limited to only 5 ingredients per batch. You can always try another mix next time.
Add a little Sweetener: A little drizzle of honey will sweeten an entire batch of trail mix and make it feel like a treat rather than just another one of Moms healthy food recipes. Kids are way more inclined to actually eat it if they feel as if it's a little bit 'naughty'.
Make it Crunchy: Baking your trail mix gives it a crunchy texture and the roasted nuts and seeds take on an amazing flavor.

To keep your trail mix crunchy all week, choose a good quality air tight container. I use these glass containers for everything. You can bake in them, freeze, refrigerate and the best part is you can actually see what leftovers you have sitting in the fridge. We have drastically reduced our food waste since investing in these containers.

Clean Eating Trail Mix Recipe

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Clean Eating Trail Mix

A crunchy, sweet trail mix made with 5 whole food ingredients. Perfect for school lunch boxes or after school snack.

Course Lunchbox

Cuisine Clean Eating

Keyword Clean Eating, Clean Eating Snacks

Servings

Calories 335kcal

Author Carey

Ingredients

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw cashews
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins or sultanas
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

line a baking tray with parchment paper
Heat oven to 150'C / 300F
Spread the uncooked trail mix on the baking sheet and drizzle honey over the top. Use your hands to mix the honey into the nuts as much as possible. Spread out evenly on baking sheet.
Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until crunchy. Stir once or twice during baking.
Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

Ovens can be finicky. Keep and eye on your trail mix as you want to bake on low, not burn. You know your oven better than anyone. If it cooks a little hot, then reduce the temperature you bake your mix at.
This recipe makes 3 cups of trail mix. Recommended serving size is ¼ of cup.