The Ultimate Road Trip Snack: Trashy Trail Mix
I love organic kale and homemade granola as much as the next guy, but I also count on processed foods as a source of whole grains and happiness. This sweet-salty trail mix brings back the classic snacks of my youth, and it can be tailored to match your own sugar-coated nostalgia. I love the combination of light and sweet kettlecorn, salty pretzel sticks, crunchy cheddar Goldfish crackers, cute Cookie Crisp cereal bites, good ol' Teddy Grahams and, of course, chocolatey and colorful M&M'S.
The recipe requires no cooking or specific measurements and can be assembled by a 1-year-old. Our little Ramona worked in tandem with our 5-year old, Archer, which was cute for a minute but then led to a wooden spoon battle. (The battle is not pictured because I had to drop my camera to save the trail mix.)
We're not spending much time on hiking trails yet, but this snack mix is essential for our long car trips. It takes about 2 and a half hours to get from Brooklyn to our place in the Catskills, and I find that a mixture of munchies keeps the kids occupied for at least 5 minutes longer than a stand-alone snack. And as the parent in the passenger seat, who is responsible for answering Archie's endless stream of philosophical questions, while picking up the toys/shoes/socks/blankets that Ramona drops every 90 seconds, while adjusting headphones and car-TV programming, while monitoring carsickness and occasionally whipping a bucket into the backseat just in time, I'll take 5 minutes of solitude any way I can get it.
Here's the recipe for my sanity-saving snack mix:
Trashy Trail Mix
- 2 scoops kettlecorn
- 2 scoops pretzel sticks
- 1 scoop Goldfish Crackers
- 1 scoop Cookie Crisp cereal
- 1 scoop chocolate Teddy Grahams
- 1 scoop M&M'S
Pour all ingredients into the biggest bowl you've got. Mix together. Store in sealed containers or plastic bags.
Make as much as you want, and feel free to swap out my ingredients for the snack foods you hold closest to your own heart.
