Angie’s Raw Energy & Antioxidant Trail Mix

In honor of America’s favorite junk-food holiday, Super Bowl Sunday, I thought I would write about a healthy snack alternative.  I watched the game today, and even though I was disappointed that my Green Bay Packers didn’t even come close to being in the game, I am happy for New Orleans and hope this win will bring cheer to a city that has seen some pretty rough years.  I opened up a bottle of my favorite gluten-free beer, whipped up a batch of delicious mayo-less deviled eggs, made a spread of raw goat cheese & gluten-free crackers, and fixed a bowl of my favorite on-the-go snack, a raw high-energy and super-antioxidant chocolate trail mix.

Many of you have written that the hardest part of being on a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet is that it is difficult to find easy foods to snack on.  But, as basic as it sounds, trail mix is such an easy treat to throw together for a party, to take with you on the go, or just for munching on at home.  I make a batch every week and take a little container with me when I am out working, and it totally sustains me and gives me energy between meals.  I like to make my own mix and generally avoid any prepared store-bought trail mixes, because they tend to contain dried fruit with sugar & sulphur dioxide added, the nuts are often salted and roasted in cheap oil, or they use peanuts, which I have a sensitivity to and which consist of poorer quality oils & proteins (and may carry mold).  I use a mix of raw nuts, choosing ones that have high omega-3 content (walnuts, hazelnuts & almonds), unsweetened chocolate (for energy & antioxidants), and dried cherries for natural sweetness.  I cannot eat dried fruit on its own, because it messes up my blood sugar levels, but in combination with the extra fiber in the nuts, the natural sugar is more slowly absorbed and I don’t have that problem.  Eating nuts on their own also tends to make me bloated, but the combination with the fruit alleviates that problem.  (Eating dried fruit and nuts together is one of nature’s genius food combinations for healthy digestion.)  And chocolate, what can I say, that is my one vice I allow myself…but it’s guilt-free as long as it’s unsweetened.  And if you get a piece of chocolate and a cherry in the same bite, it makes the chocolate taste as if it’s sweetened.  

Angie’s Raw High-Energy, Super-Antioxidant Chocolate Trail Mix

1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate drops

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup raw unpasteurized (nonpareil) almonds

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts

1/2 cup hazelnuts

 
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