Hitting the Trails (& Trail Mix!)

My favorite adventures from our vacation in Tennessee were the hiking trips we took.  Nothing too extreme...we were in an entourage that consisted of multiple toddlers...but so fun, beautiful, and free!  And you can't go hiking without some kind of trail mix.  I made a big batch of trail mix for all.  It's hard to find trail mixes that don't have too much sugar in the form of dried fruit or chocolate.  So here's my basic recipe.  Add in whatever you want!

Trail Mix Ingredients:

1 cup pecans

2 cups mixed nuts

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup almond meal

2 Tb. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. stevia

1/4 cup agave (optional)

Directions:

1. Put the peanut butter and almond butter in a bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds to slightly melt.  

2. Stir in the cinnamon, stevia, and agave if you are using it.  (Most of my friends are used to food tasting a bit more sweet so I did use it for this batch.)  Next, mix in the almond meal until you have a nice thick paste.

3. In a large bowl, mix the seeds and nuts.  Then, pour in the nut butter mixture and coat.

4. Spread the trail mix out on a baking sheet.  (I put parchment paper underneath for easy clean-up.)  

5. Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

7. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

Optional add-ins: dried cherries, raisins, dark chocolate chips, carob chips, dried apricots, etc...

Where is your favorite place to hike?