Anyone else ever looked at those teeny little packages of trail mix they sell at c-stores and wondered why they cost so much?
Yeah, I'm with you!
I understand the individual packaging costs something, but the amount of money my husband was spending on these little packets of trail mix was making my head spin.
One day, I finally asked myself, "Why can't I make trail mix?" So I did!
My Husband's Trail Mix Recipe
We started pretty basic, and I let my husband choose the blend because he's a much bigger fan of trail mix than I am. I told him to pick five items that make a great trail mix, and here's what he chose:
- Raisins
- Cashews
- Chocolate
- Sunflower seeds
- Cranberries
Trail Mix Cost Break-Down
If you're buying single-serve trail mix packages at a c-store, you can pay a couple dollars an ounce, and even if you buy it in larger quantities, it often costs 50 cents to $1 an ounce – and the quality of the ingredients might still be questionable.
I purchased these five ingredients in bulk and got 1-pound bags of each, except the cashews came in 2-pound bags. So that's six pounds of trail mix!
Let's break it down (Note that these prices are as of December 2023):
- 1 pound organic sunflower seeds – $4.45
- 1 pound organic dark chocolate covered cacao nibs – $15.92
- 1 pound organic raisins – $4.46
- 1 pound organic dried cranberries – $9.31
- 2 pounds organic raw cashews – $12.80
Of course, there was shipping in there, too, but since it was only $14.43 for my whole order, and that included 80 pounds of chicken feed, I'm considering the shipping costs for these six pounds negligible.
The grand total was $46.94, so that's $7.82 per pound and less than 50 cents an ounce. Not bad at all for organic, non-GMO trail mix!
Other Trail Mix Ideas
I will definitely be making more trail mix in the future. This six-pound batch will last my husband a while, but I'm already thinking about making my own blend since I don't enjoy raisins or cranberries.
I'm thinking almonds, peanuts, dried dates, and banana chips.
Customize It
Other ideas for ingredients include:
- Pretzels (could even be chocolate covered)
- Dried mango slices
- Dried pineapple
- Coconut flakes
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Peanut butter chips
- Pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- Popcorn
- Cereals like Chex or Cheerios (make sure to check the ingredients – I don't necessarily recommend these)
Spice It Up
Also, you could play around with different seasonings on your trail mix. You go either sweet or savory with your base ingredients and season to match. You could add a dash of black pepper or ranch seasoning to a savory base or cinnamon to sweet ingredients. The possibilities are endless!
A Good Source for Trail Mix Ingredients
If you're looking for organic, non-GMO trail mix ingredients, like I was, Azure Standard is what I recommend. That is where I got my 1-2 pound bags of ingredients for my trail mix.
I get a lot of my bulk foods from Azure – flour, oats, sugar, rice, beans, cheese, pasta, frozen peas – and even my chicken feed and garden seeds. They have an extremely wide variety of quality products (though I would not recommend their essential oils since real oils don't come that cheap – just being honest).
You can either choose to ship directly to your house or meet the truck at your local drop point on the designated day, which is what I do to get the cheapest shipping. This company has been a lifesaver for me since I've always lived in rural, ag-heavy areas where it's not always easy to find organic, non-GMO options.
Use this link to check out Azure Standard and let me know which products you fall in love with, so I can try them, too!
(Note: The link is a referral link that doesn't cost you any extra but gives my family and business a little bit of extra support. I appreciate it and will happily answer any questions I can!)
0 Comments