Apricot Trail Mix
 

Made a batch of this today. I forget how much I love this stuff. I also have a Cranberry Trail Mix recipe on my website for anyone interested. Basically you just sub in 6 oz. unsweetened, dried cranberries for that version.


I absolutely LOVE trail mix. And such a healthy snack to choose! It has the added bonus of being very transportable, so a particularly nice snack for traveling, hiking, biking, camping, or taking to the office in a little baggie. This stuff is so good I have to dip out my ½ cup portion and put the bag away, or I’ll just keep eating and eating it. But it's a very healthy snack. Just check out the stats below! That ½ cup serving packs a heck of a lot of nutrients.

This makes a lovely hostess gift when going to parties or for the holidays. Just place in a pretty clear glass container and affix a pretty bow on top! This very nutritious dessert/snack is not suitable until the highest fruit rung of the Atkins OWL carb ladder (pre-maintenance or maintenance). This recipe is suitable for Paleo-Primal eaters.

INGREDIENTS:

5 oz. pumpkin seeds, hulled, roasted (unsalted)
5 oz. sunflower seeds, hulled, roasted (unsalted)
2 oz. walnuts (about 28 halves), coarsely chopped/broken up
6 oz. fresh coconut meat, slivered thinly
4 oz. sliced almonds
6 oz. dried apricots, no sugar added (I buy them at Sam’s)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 200º and spread thinly sliced coconut onto a sheet pan. Dry for about 1½-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven before coconut begins to brown and cool. You don’t really want to toast it for this recipe, just dry it out a bit. In a large mixing bowl, toss all ingredients together. Using kitchen shears, cut apricots into small pieces and add to the bowl. I had to open up and dry my apricots out some more in a 200º oven before using in this. Some brands will already be dry enough. Stir to mix well. Store in a zipper plastic bag in your pantry.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes about 6 cups or twelve ½ cup servings. Each ½ cup serving contains:

301.6 calories
23.5 g fat
18 g carbs, 5.3 g fiber, 12.7 NET CARBS
53.6 mg sodium
497 mg potassium
10% RDA B6, 37% E, 69% copper, 44% iron, 36% magnesium, 69% manganese, 11% niacin, 50% phosphorous, 14% riboflavin, 22% selenium, 8% thiamin and 26.5% zinc