Superfood Trail Mix Clusters (Nut Free)

 

 

Superfood Trail Mix Clusters

 

Well, it's back to school tomorrow for the kids here in Queensland, and we've been tossing around lots of healthy lunch box ideas here on my Facebook page. While we were chatting, I remembered I'd been meaning to come up with a trail mix my kids would like... they're not too keen on the usual nuts and sultanas ones. So I dashed off to the kitchen and emptied half my pantry onto the bench, had a bit of a brainstorm, and this is what I came up with. Instead of a traditional trail mix, I made the mixture into little clusters, as I think it's easier to eat this way.

I used superfood berries and dried cherries instead of sultanas; seeds and shredded coconut instead of nuts; and Cacao Crunch instead of chocolate chips. (Cacao Crunch is cacao nibs rolled in a liquified form of the roasted nibs, then rolled in panela (Rapadura) - so yum! Very lightly sweet, but chocolatey and full of antioxidants!)

Cacao Crunch

For a great energy boost, munch on a small handful of these... but beware, don't eat them before bed, or you won't sleep! (I know this by experience...lol)

If you don't have the berries and cherries, just substitute with whatever you have - dried apricots or peaches chopped in bits, sultanas, currants, etc. I would suggest you try the goji berries and goldenberries, though, if you possibly can, as they're lovely and tart and SO good for you! (And again, very high in antioxidants!)

Here's some of the ingredients I used in my trail mix clusters...

 

 

Goji Berries, Cacao Crunch, Goldenberries, Organic Dried Cherries, Coconut Butter (homemade from shredded coconut) and Organic Shredded Coconut (all available from most health food stores or online)

 

 

Goldenberries, goji berries and Cacao Crunch - yum!

Superfood Trail Mix Clusters (Nut Free)

1. First, make a batch of coconut butter and remove to a jar or bowl. Or if you like, you could use bought coconut butter. (You'll need 150g.) I don't mean coconut oil, I mean dried coconut which is ground up to make a paste (like a nut butter) which sets hard as it cools. (Keep coconut butter in a jar in the cupboard - it gets too hard in the fridge.)

I used coconut butter I already had in a jar, and just chopped it up a bit with a knife so it was all crumbly. (See photo below)

 

 

2. Weigh coconut butter into Thermomix bowl:

- 150g coconut butter

 

3. Add remaining ingredients to Thermomix and mix on reverse, speed 3, for about 10 seconds or until well combined:

- 15g shredded dried organic coconut (or coconut flakes), unsweetened

- 35g goji berries

- 50g Cacao Crunch

- 40g Goldenberries

- 60g pepitas

- 30g sunflower seeds

- 60g dried organic cherries

- 50g coconut oil (extra virgin)

- 10 to 15 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or plain), or to taste

 

Mixture should be damp, and sticking together, like this:



 

 

3. Pour mixture out onto a tray and flatten a bit with your hands. Pop it into the freezer for a bit, until coconut oil solidifies.

 

4. Break apart gently into little clusters. Place handfuls into little ziploc bags and keep them in the freezer to put into lunchboxes, or to grab as you run out the door for an on-the-go snack.

 

 

 

Note: If the weather is hot and there's no cold pack in the lunch box, these clusters may fall apart. Don't worry, they can just be eaten crumbly like a 'normal' trail mix, too. :)

 

 

Variation:

 

Instead of letting mixture set on a tray in the freezer, press mixture firmly into chocolate molds, then freeze for a while. Pop them out of molds and keep in a bag in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!