Dried cranberries, candied walnuts, almonds, and M&M’s
Everybody knows trail mix is essential on a camping trip. You need fuel on those long hikes and appetizers while you’re waiting (forever) for the fire to get going for dinner. You’re gonna go through a lot of trail mix and if you buy the packaged variety, suddenly your low-budget camping getaway can become a financial burden. Luckily, there’s no secret to making your own trail mix in bulk, and you’ll get to customize the exact ingredients and ratios you want. Ever feel like there were a whole lot more raisins than M&M’s in your trail mix? We’ve all been there, but now if you’re a chocoholic (and be honest, you are), you can tailor your mix by amping up the M&M volume. Just peruse the dried fruit and nut selection at your grocery store and pick up some things that interest you. If you buy 2 cans of nuts, 2 types of dried fruit, and one bag of M&M’s, you will save about $0.08/oz and end up with 3 pounds of trail mix for just over $10. My favorite combination is dried blueberries, dried cherries, almonds (cocoa dusted if you please), walnuts, and dark M&M’s.
$10 for a weekend’s worth of munchies
Some tips:
- I have found that dried cherries, blueberries, and cranberries have much more flavor than raisins. And, as a bonus, they’re more nutritious too.
- If you’re guilty of sifting through the mix to pick out the colored M&M’s, get the bag of entirely brown ones so that the chocolate lasts through the whole batch.
- Mix the ingredients in a large Zip-loc, but then portion out your trail mix in sandwich bags for easier packing. Be sure to double bag for durability and to keep critters out!
- M&M’s are the best chocolate option—anything without a candy coating will turn into a mess.
I have to admit that I am guilty of being a trail mix sifter so I like the idea of making it yourself. I like the header picture and layout of your page as well.
This is such a helpful post! Whenever I have trail mix, I have to pick out the raisins because I absolutely hate them. Your post gives great tips on picking out the things that people actually want to eat and the best candies to include.
LOVE THIS BLOG! What a cute idea!! I like that you add the tips section (it’s very helpful!), and your comments on the M&Ms are both entertaining and (I think) a universal truth. 🙂
I love the in-tents pun! This is a really interesting blog idea, and I think it’s great that you started with trail mix, because it’s definitely a staple. Your post is very relatable, because I know that I’ve eaten all of the chocolate out of my bag waiting for a stupid old fire. I also thought your tips were very helpful; they were not something I would have thought of myself.
I really like the header and logo/picture! This is a good idea, I need to get on this…
And I appreciate how this blog does have a very clear theme that can not only establish a niche audience, but also introduce outdoor-esque cuisine to the rest of us, haha.
Great tips! I know that a lot of people who would find this extremely helpful!