21st Century Revamped Trail Mix ~ Nuts & Seeds

It’s all about the Base… Nuts and Seeds
(Living Trail Mix recipe below!)

It’s time that trail mix had a make-over, don’t you agree?  Raisins and peanuts are just plain tired, and let’s face it, freaking boring!!

There are so many awesome power foods to add to trail mix these days. Every week there seems to be a new and must-have superfood of the moment. Why not take advantage of them and give yourself a daily dose of awesomeness?!

This is the beginning of a 3 part post on constructing your very own modern trail mix with the world’s latest and greatest superfoods. Today it’s all about the base, nuts and seeds:

Nuts  & Seeds

Nuts and seeds are an important component of trail mix because they give you a boost of heart healthy, brain-boosting Omega 3 & 6 oils, protein for long lasting energy, and they’re the component of trail mix that keeps you full.

Tip: Choose raw nuts and seeds over roasted at least most of the time. The omega oils in nuts and seeds are delicate and their quality degrades when they are exposed to high roasting temperatures.

You can go with the more classic nuts like:

  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Cashews
  • Pecans

But why not throw in something crazy like:

  • Hazelnuts
  • Brazil nuts
  • Unsalted pistachio
  • Macadamia nuts

Super Seeds

  • Pumpkin seeds – try spicy pumpkin seeds for a savoury trail mix
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Savi Seeds or Sasha Incha are the latest seed to hit the market . They are rich in omega 3 oils, protein and fiber, and have a nutty flavour. They must be roasted to become digestible and absorbable so you’ll always see them sold this way, which is too bad but still worth it. The brand Vega sells Savi Seeds which are roasted only very lightly to maintain as much of the Omega 3 oils as possible.

There are other super-duper-seeds such as hemp, chia and flax, but they are too small for a trail mix.
Nuts & Seeds Final

TIP!

Soak your nuts and seeds to release their enzyme power making them more digestible. This essentially brings them back to life because it’s the beginning of their sprouting process.  Soaking also releases tons of extra vitamins and minerals so you’ll get an extra boost of nutrition, and soaking decreases the amount of phytic acid in nuts and seeds making their iron and calcium more absorbable. Simply soak them overnight in water, drain and rinse in the morning.

Below is a recipe for what I’m calling ‘living trail mix’, it incorporates fresh soaked nuts and seeds, and fresh fruit.  Remember that once you make your trail mix with a soaked seed it dramatically reduces the shelf life and you’ll need to keep the mix in the fridge to prevent mold growth.  It’s therefore best to consume the mix within about 4 days, so just make small batches and sprinkle any extra nuts and seeds on your daily salads (you are having a salad every day, right?!).

Living Trail Mix

¼ cup    Soaked Sunflower Seeds
¼ cup    Soaked Almonds
¼ cup    Soaked Pumpkin Seeds
¼ cup    Blueberries
½ cup    Grapes, halved

Soak nuts and seeds overnight in water.
In the morning, drain water and rinse.
Add the blueberries and grapes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and consume within 4 days keeping the extra mix in the fridge.

Living Train Mix

 

OK come on back over to Kate Matthew Culinary Nutrition for tomorrow’s exciting post on the latest superfruits to add to your modern-day amped up trail mix!

 

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