What's my go-to traveling snack? Trail mix!
Marni Sumbal, MS, RD
While in Denver for the OPS Fitness event with Oakley Women and Shape Magazine, I was asked,
"What's your favorite go-to, quick snack?"
That was easy....TRAIL MIX!!!
Although I put a little thought into every meal and then snack with a purpose, I know I can always count on trail mix to keep me energized, satisfied and happy. And all those things are important on a daily basis but very important while traveling. With delays and a schedule that is off from the normal routine, I always rely on homemade trail mix to keep me fueled while traveling.
That was easy....TRAIL MIX!!!
Although I put a little thought into every meal and then snack with a purpose, I know I can always count on trail mix to keep me energized, satisfied and happy. And all those things are important on a daily basis but very important while traveling. With delays and a schedule that is off from the normal routine, I always rely on homemade trail mix to keep me fueled while traveling.
I prepared many goodies for our trip to keep us healthy and happy while traveling as I know we will be enjoying lots of indulgences in Czech....all prepared with love, of course and enjoying every bite!
The good thing is that on Tues, we are leaving around noon from Tampa International and will be flying through the night when we land in Prague on Wednesday around lunchtime. We have a stop at JFK (3 hour layover) first and then our long flight to the Netherlands to connect. However, I know that even with the best intentions to sleep on the plane, it won't be easy and likely our body will be off and we will need some snacks to help control blood sugar in between meals.
I put together this delicious trail mix and portioned out to 8 bags. Four for the flight to Czech and four for traveling home (or to munch on in Czech - unlikely seeing that we are staying with Karel's family so we won't be without food but instead, filled with lots of yummy Czech food). I divided my creation into 1 cup servings to make it easy to snack but to not overdo-it on calories as trail mix can be very calorie dense and I want to leave room for meals and for snacks like fruit and PB mini sandwiches.
The good thing is that on Tues, we are leaving around noon from Tampa International and will be flying through the night when we land in Prague on Wednesday around lunchtime. We have a stop at JFK (3 hour layover) first and then our long flight to the Netherlands to connect. However, I know that even with the best intentions to sleep on the plane, it won't be easy and likely our body will be off and we will need some snacks to help control blood sugar in between meals.
I put together this delicious trail mix and portioned out to 8 bags. Four for the flight to Czech and four for traveling home (or to munch on in Czech - unlikely seeing that we are staying with Karel's family so we won't be without food but instead, filled with lots of yummy Czech food). I divided my creation into 1 cup servings to make it easy to snack but to not overdo-it on calories as trail mix can be very calorie dense and I want to leave room for meals and for snacks like fruit and PB mini sandwiches.
Trimarni (Going International) Trail mix
(feel free to swap out any ingredients or add your own)
Cheerios - 6 cups
Trail mix (raisins, M&Ms, cashews, almonds, peanuts) - 3 cups
Sunflower seeds (unsalted) - 1 cup
Coconut Flakes (unsweetened) - 1 cup
Trail mix (soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, dates, cranberries) - 1 bag
Cinnamon - 1 tbsp
Baggies
Trail mix (raisins, M&Ms, cashews, almonds, peanuts) - 3 cups
Sunflower seeds (unsalted) - 1 cup
Coconut Flakes (unsweetened) - 1 cup
Trail mix (soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, dates, cranberries) - 1 bag
Cinnamon - 1 tbsp
Baggies
I sprinkled with a little cinnamon and then tossed with my (clean) hands in a large bowl.
Delicious!!!
8- 1 cup servings.
I did not figure out calories and only estimated on measurements.
If you are interested in calories for your own homemade trail mix, I recommend to make the trail mix "cereal" dense but using more cereal than nuts/raisins for more volume, less energy density. Keep in mind, many cereals are fortified (like Cheerios) to provide the body with vitamins and minerals which may be lacking while traveling or eating on the road (in other words, a yummy multi-vitamin). Combine your calories (total) from your cereal of choice with the total calories of each of your "additions" based on the serving size of the label on your bags. If using raw nuts/raisins/dates/cranberries from a bin at the store, you can look up nutrition facts online and portion control.
I did not figure out calories and only estimated on measurements.
If you are interested in calories for your own homemade trail mix, I recommend to make the trail mix "cereal" dense but using more cereal than nuts/raisins for more volume, less energy density. Keep in mind, many cereals are fortified (like Cheerios) to provide the body with vitamins and minerals which may be lacking while traveling or eating on the road (in other words, a yummy multi-vitamin). Combine your calories (total) from your cereal of choice with the total calories of each of your "additions" based on the serving size of the label on your bags. If using raw nuts/raisins/dates/cranberries from a bin at the store, you can look up nutrition facts online and portion control.
Enjoy!
One last Campy pic before we travel. He's worked really hard in the past week to use all of his cuteness in hopes that we are taking him with us wherever our suitcases are going. Little does he know, Campy and his two sisters get to stay at the "resort" (aka "my parents") for a amazing 11 night stay in New Port Richey, Florida.
