Since today is National Trail Mix Day, let’s talk about trail mix! There is so much to love about it. It’s salty, sometimes it’s a little sweet and it’s a great on-the-go snack for people of all ages.

While our family loves it, we don’t all love the raisins that tend to be in most store-bought trail mixes. So you’ll often find an extra bowl sitting next to us where we will pick out and throw all of the raisins. It seemed like a waste of money, so instead, we started making my own trail mix.

There are definite perks to making your own trail mix. You can pick and choose what’s in it and it always seems fresh. The biggest perk for us is that we aren’t wasting money or time picking out the one thing we don’t love.

Why did you choose this flavor combination?

We love the flavor combination of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter, so it seemed fitting that we would create a trail mix around those flavors. The sweet and salty combo is unbeatable. Add in the salty nuts and it’s an out-of-this-world snack.

What if I’m limiting my sodium and sugar intake?

If you are looking to cut back on sugar or salt, make sure to select the low sodium or unsalted nuts, use the unsweetened banana chips and swap out the chocolate and peanut butter chips for the dried fruit of your choice. While dried fruit still contains natural sugar, it contains more nutrients and fiber than candy.

How much should be in a serving size?

We definitely don’t recommend sitting down with the whole container and eating a bunch of this trail mix. We recommend 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup a day based on this particular mix.

Is it cheaper to make your own trail mix?

Actually, no. It’s much cheaper to buy ready-made trail mix. But we don’t mind spending the extra money to guarantee freshness and get the ingredients we love the most. The kids also absolutely love making it and since there is no cooking involved, they can do it on their own.

Which peanut butter chips do you recommend?

While there is often a store-bought option, we love Reese’s peanut butter chips. You can find them in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.

Does it matter what type of chocolate chips I buy?

We have tried it with both milk chocolate and dark chocolate and we loved them both. So, that is totally up to you and how much sweetness you want to add to this trail mix. You can also try semi-sweet chocolate chips if you want something in between.

How long will this trail mix keep?

As long as you store it in an airtight container, it should last you for 2-3 weeks, if not longer. Make sure to keep it at room temperature and sealed.