Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Review/Recipe: My Favorite Trail Mix


There is a fabulous trail mix that my local health food store sells, that is both raw and organic. I tried to find it online so I could link it here, but I couldn't find it anywhere. However, you could easily mix up your own if you could find a store with the right ingredients, or you could order them online.

Shop around, as the prices can really vary. And be sure what you are buying is not only organic, but raw--meaning not heated more than around 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Even organic food is often put through processes that include heat-treatment, and the word "raw" doesn't necessarily mean it is. Look for wording on the labels that confirm the product has not been heated to the point that it is no longer raw, and has not been refined or had sugar or anything else added. You can get some of these ingredients at The Raw Choice, though I can't say if they have the best prices or not.

The ingredients:

Cacao nibs, broken in pieces
Goji Berries, dried
Mulberries, dried
Cashew pieces, sprouted, then dehydrated (you can do your own sprouting/dehydrating)
Pistachio pieces
Raisins (I think they are Himalayan Hunza raisins)

Mix together, then eat! You may want to play around with the amounts, until you get what you like. The raw cacao is strong, so you want to have less of that. It's important to have enough berries in each bite that it gives sweetness to the cacao nibs. Also, be sure to mix it before eating. I eat mine out of a bag, and shake it occasionally as I eat--otherwise, the cacao settles to the bottom, and you get very little til you hit the bottom of the bag. You'll still end up with extra cacao at the bottom, but you can save it for the next batch you make.

I pay almost $10 a pound for it, which is kind of high for me. I have the ingredients to make it at home, but I haven't calculated yet whether or not making it at home is less costly when buying ingredients retail. If you bought the ingredients in bulk online, I would think that it should be much cheaper.

I absolutely love this trail mix. It is extremely delicious, and very good for you too. Raw chocolate (cacao) has a lot of excellent nutritional properties to it, it's good for your heart, and is a mood enhancer--it is MUCH better for you than regular chocolate. Goji berries are really big in Chinese medicine, and have anti-aging properties. This trail mix is great when you want a sweet snack or dessert on the go, and is completely guilt-free.

Enjoy!

3 comments:

The Splitty Family said...

Hi there, me again. I was just wondering if you could give the name of the trail mix so I could see if my HFS carries it. Is it just a bulk blend that they make in the store? Thanks in advance!
<><
Cassandra

Genie Elizabeth said...

I absolutely love both of your blogs! I am beginning with the raw transformation as well and am taking many of your ideas to note as I prepare for matrimony. Keep up the excellent work and enjoy your newest addition.

Mommaroo2 said...

Sorry, I never saw that these comments were posted!

The trail mix is called Take a Hike raw trail mix, by International Harvest, I think. I looked it up on the internet and couldn't find it. I've only seen it at one HFS.

Genie, good luck with your marriage preparations. I hope you tried raw and stuck with it, it's the best.