Chex mix, trail mix, gorp whatever you call it. It is that crunchy sweet and salty goodness pumped with protein so that a few handfuls can get you through the next mile of the hiking trail, your homework/after hours paperwork, or that long-haul road-trip.

Everyone has their favorite ingredients some like it spicy and salty with wasabi , others healthy with dried fruit and nuts, and some like theirs sweet full of chocolate chips or M and M’s.

With my allergy to barley and to tree-nuts eatable ingredients are more limited the most store-bought trail mixes (for more see Why I am barley free). So I have learned to make my own.

The summer Luke and I started dating we took a road-trip to Yellowstone to spend time with my family and then on to meet Luke’s parents in Oregon (for more see Update on my life 2011). That was the first time I made a homemade trail mix and since then it has been our go-to snack mix providing us with a kick of sugar and protein to keep going.

So here’s what I do:

I start with a carb. base of gluten and barley-free rice squares (aka chex):

Then I add the goodies: For fruit I prefer dried cranberries over raisins; they have a tart kick but also can be sweet. Then also some peanuts (which are not tree-nuts) for protein. And then for some added sweetness a limited dose of butterscotch chips.

Then last of all some seasoning. To balance the sweet and salty I include cinnamon, salt, and a little brown sugar.

And there is the Greene’s simple recipe for trail mix/snack. I know I didn’t give exact portions here just ingredients. But t it really depends on how healthy you want your snack to be and how much you plan to make.

And when your trail mix looks this good it’s not easy to remember it is only a “snack” (especially when you are home with the whole stash of it).

So how about you what is your favorite power snack?

How do you like your trail mix?