Trail Mix Library: Eight Nourishing Blends, Plus How to Serve Them with Kefir or Yogurt

Eight sweet and savory trail mixes made from sprouted and roasted nuts, seeds, and dried fruit with no added oils or refined sugar. Eat them by the handful, pack them for a hike, give them as gifts, or spoon them over a bowl of grass-fed yogurt or kefir for a quick, nourishing breakfast.

Yield: About 4–5 cups each · Active: 5–15 min · Year-round · Best eaten: morning or midday

1. Forest Berry Hazelnut

• 1 cup roasted hazelnuts (roasted in olive oil, with salt)

• 1 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• 1 cup dried blueberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• Optional: ¼ cup dried black currants (unsweetened and no added oils)

Earthy hazelnuts and tart, deep berries. Unsweetened cranberries are very tart, so the blueberries balance them, and black currants add an even deeper berry flavor.

Serve with: plain whole-milk yogurt and a drizzle of raw honey.

2. Black Forest

• 1 cup roasted hazelnuts

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup sprouted pecans

• 1½ cups dried tart cherries (unsweetened, with no oil)

• 1 cup raw cacao wafers (100% cacao)

Like a Black Forest cake in a handful: rich, toasty nuts, tangy cherry, and bittersweet dark chocolate.

Serve with: plain kefir or yogurt, with a little maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon.

3. Tropical Sunrise

• ½ cup sprouted almonds

• ½ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds

• ½ cup cashews

• ½ cup macadamia nuts

• ½ cup pecans

• ½ cup toasted coconut flakes

• ½ cup dried goldenberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup dried mulberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup dried mango, chopped (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup dried pineapple, chopped (unsweetened and no added oils)

Bright, sweet, and tangy, with buttery macadamias, toasted coconut, and sunny goldenberries.

Serve with: coconut yogurt or plain yogurt, with a squeeze of lime and fresh mint. Lovely in summer.

4. Orchard Harvest

• ½ cup roasted hazelnuts

• ½ cup roasted almonds

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup pistachios

• ½ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds

• ½ cup dried cranberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup golden raisins (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup red flame raisins (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ¼ cup currants (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup dried pear and apple, chopped (unsweetened and no added oils)

A fall orchard in a jar: five kinds of nuts and seeds, with sweet dried pears and apples and three kinds of raisins.

Serve with: plain yogurt, warm cinnamon-stewed apples, and a dusting of cinnamon. Cozy in fall and winter.

5. White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan

• 1½ cups sprouted pecans

• 1 cup cacao butter wafers (they taste like white chocolate)

• ½ cup dried cranberries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup dried tart cherries (unsweetened and no added oils)

• ½ cup sprouted macadamia nuts

• ½ cup toasted coconut chips

• Optional: ¼ cup freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, for a tart, pink pop

• Optional: a pinch of Ceylon cinnamon or vanilla bean powder, tossed through

Creamy, buttery, and festive, like a white chocolate cranberry cookie. Lovely as a holiday gift in a jar.

Note: Cacao butter melts at around body temperature, so keep this mix cool, and skip it for hot-weather hikes.

Serve with: plain yogurt or kefir with a few drops of vanilla. It tastes like dessert.

6. Golden Chai

• 1 cup sprouted pecans

• 1 cup cashews

• ½ cup golden raisins

• ¼ cup currants

• ½ cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• ½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cardamom

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• A pinch of ground cloves

Toss everything together until the spices coat the nuts and fruit.

Warm and cozy, with the flavors of a cup of chai. A companion to my Golden Chai Granola.

Serve with: kefir or plain yogurt, with sliced pear and a drizzle of raw honey. Cozy in fall and winter.

7. Mediterranean Fig and Pistachio

• 1 cup pistachios

• 1 cup roasted almonds

• ¾ cup dried figs, chopped

• ¾ cup dried apricots, chopped

• ¼ cup currants

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• A pinch of flaky sea salt

Elegant and sun-kissed, with sweet figs, apricots, and currants, buttery pistachios, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame. Lovely on a cheese board or as a gift in a jar.

Tip: The sesame seeds settle to the bottom of the jar, so give it a shake before serving, or spoon the mix over yogurt, so you get them in every bite.

Serve with: thick Greek yogurt or labneh, with a drizzle of raw honey and a little orange zest.

8. Savory Rosemary and Sea Salt

• 1 cup roasted almonds

• 1 cup cashews

• ½ cup roasted hazelnuts

• ½ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

• Optional: a pinch of black pepper or red pepper flakes

• Optional: 2–3 tbsp currants, added after toasting

Heat the oven to 300°F. Toss the nuts and seeds with the olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper, spread them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and toast 10–12 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant. Let them cool completely, so they crisp up, then toss in the currants, if using.

A savory option for road trips, hikes, or a cheese plate, fragrant with rosemary and olive oil, with a touch of sweetness from the currants, like a Sicilian nut mix.

Serve with: labneh or thick plain yogurt, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za'atar, for a savory snack bowl. It's also wonderful on its own.

How to Serve with Kefir or Yogurt

For a quick, balanced breakfast or snack, spoon ¾ cup of grass-fed yogurt or kefir into a bowl, and top it with ¼–⅓ cup of trail mix. Add fresh seasonal fruit and a drizzle of raw honey or maple syrup, if you like. Add the trail mix just before eating, so the nuts stay crunchy.

Want to make your own? See my Raw Milk Kefir post for how to culture kefir at home.

Yogurt and Kefir Brands

• Maple Hill: 100% grass-fed, organic whole-milk yogurt and kefir

• Alexandre Family Farm: regenerative, A2/A2 yogurt and kefir

• Straus Family Creamery: organic, whole-milk yogurt from pastured cows

• Painterland Sisters: organic, Icelandic-style skyr from their family farm in Pennsylvania, thick and high in protein

• Bellwether Farms: sheep's milk yogurt, gentle for many people sensitive to cow's milk

• Sierra Nevada Cheese Company: goat's milk yogurt, another gentle option for those sensitive to cow's milk

• From Amish farms (raw dairy, through private membership):

  • Dutch Meadows Farm: raw, grass-fed yogurt and kefir from an Amish family farm in Pennsylvania

  • Miller's Bio Farm: raw, grass-fed yogurt and kefir from an Amish family farm in Pennsylvania

  Look for whole-milk, plain yogurt or kefir with just milk and live cultures, with no gums, thickeners, or added sugar. Raw-milk yogurt or kefir from a farmer you know and trust is the gold standard.

Where to Buy Sprouted Nuts and Seeds

• Blue Mountain Organics: a wide range of organic sprouted ("activated") nuts and seeds, sold online in bulk

• Living Intentions: organic sprouted ("activated") nuts, seeds, and superfood mixes, sold online and in natural grocers

• Wilderness Poets: organic sprouted nuts, plus raw nut and seed butters

• Go Raw: organic sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, widely available in natural grocers

• Local co-ops and natural grocers often carry sprouted nuts and seeds in their bulk or refrigerated sections

Brands and products change, so check the label for "organic," "sprouted" or "activated," and a short ingredient list: just the nut or seed, and salt.

Make your own: Soak raw nuts or seeds in filtered water with a little salt (about 7–12 hours for most nuts, or 7 hours for pumpkin seeds), then dry them in a dehydrator or your oven at its lowest setting (about 150°F) until completely crisp, 12–24 hours. These are often called "crispy nuts." Store them in the fridge.

Where to Buy Dried Fruit and Cacao

• Dried fruit: Made in Nature, Eden Foods, Terrasoul, Navitas Organics, and Sunfood (especially for mulberries and goldenberries), and Stoneridge Orchards for cherries and cranberries sweetened with apple juice

• Raw cacao wafers and cacao butter wafers: Navitas Organics, Terrasoul, or another organic, food-grade brand, ideally tested for heavy metals

Storage

Store the mixes airtight in glass jars, in a cool, dark place, for up to 1 month, or refrigerate them for up to 3 months to keep the nuts fresh. Keep the White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan mix especially cool, so the cacao butter doesn't soften. The Savory Rosemary mix keeps up to 2 weeks, since it's toasted with fresh rosemary and oil.

Nourishment Notes

Sprouted nuts and seeds are soaked and then dried, which helps reduce phytic acid, so they're crisper, lighter, and easier for many people to digest.

Pumpkin seeds — magnesium, zinc, and iron.

Hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, and pistachios — vitamin E, manganese, copper, and monounsaturated fats.

Macadamias — monounsaturated fats, manganese, and thiamine.

Walnuts — ALA omega-3s.

Sesame seeds — calcium, copper, and sesame lignans.

Tart cherries, blueberries, and cranberries — anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.

Mulberries — iron, vitamin C, and fiber, with a naturally sweet, fig-like flavor.

Goldenberries — vitamin C and carotenoids.

Raisins and currants — potassium, iron, and natural sweetness. Dried black currants are also rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins.

Dates and figs — potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fiber.

Dried apricots — beta-carotene, potassium, and iron.

Coconut — lauric acid and fiber.

Raw cacao — magnesium, iron, and flavanols.

Chai spices — Ceylon cinnamon helps moderate blood sugar, and cardamom and ginger are traditionally used to support digestion.

Rosemary — rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid, which also help protect the nuts' oils from going rancid.

Yogurt and kefir — live cultures, protein, and calcium. Pairing them with nuts and fruit makes a balanced snack, with protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep your energy steady.

For your cycle: The pumpkin seeds' zinc and magnesium and the cacao's magnesium make these especially supportive in the luteal phase, and the dried fruits' iron is helpful during the menstrual phase.

Sourcing

• Nuts and seeds — organic, sprouted or raw, with just salt added

• Dried fruit — organic and unsulfured, with no added oils or refined sugar (unsweetened, or sweetened with apple juice)

• Currants — organic, unsulfured Zante currants, with no added oils; organic dried black currants, if you can find them

• Raw cacao wafers and cacao butter wafers — organic and food-grade, ideally tested for heavy metals

• Coconut flakes and chips — organic and unsweetened

• Freeze-dried berries — organic, with no added sugar

• Spices and rosemary — organic, non-irradiated spices (Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka); organic fresh rosemary

• Sesame seeds — organic, toasted, from a source with good turnover (bulk-bin sesame is often rancid)

• Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass

• Labneh or Greek yogurt — organic, grass-fed, and full-fat, with no gums

• Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing

— Anna aka Food Marshall