It goes beyond the realm of casual snacking, too. Put it in your morning or nighttime oatmeal. Add it to Greek yogurt for any time. Encourage kids to munch on this instead of eating candy, drinking soda and lying awake with thought racing through their minds, to the point that sleeps eludes them.

Could it be that some of the major difficulties we experience in our lives, even outside the confines of poor health and physical conditioning, have poor nutrition at their core? Let that sink in for a few minutes. I’ll wait. Now ponder this:  what if wars, and the political and religious craziness that often starts wars, could all be resolved with better nutrition? What a day that would be!

 

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

⅛ tsp sea salt

⅔ cup pecan halves

⅓ cup pepitas (or roasted pumpkin seeds)

⅓ cup sunflower seeds

⅓ cup sliced almonds

⅓ cup dried cherries

⅓ cup dried apricots

¼ cup golden raisins

⅓ cup cinnamon chips (optional)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Add maple syrup to a large sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat until just beginning to boil. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, salt, and nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts have caramelized and the syrup has reduced. About 3-5 minutes.

Spread mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. The candied nuts will harden as they cool.

Once hardened, add the cherries, apricots, raisins and cinnamon chips to the pan, and stir until ingredients are evenly distributed, breaking the candied nuts into clusters as needed.

Store in an air-tight container.

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Quick Tip:  Make sure that you cook your syrup long enough, or the trail mix will be sticky and you will have a big mess on your hands. Cook the syrup, stirring constantly, until it has reduced and nearly evaporated. They should harden up into little clusters as they cool.

Recipe and image courtesy of Amber at Slim Pickin’s Kitchen