Fruit and Nut Handy Mix
Three nuts, four dried fruits, and a little salt. Portion it at home and stop thinking about lunch.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 2.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 150
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Blanched slivered almonds | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Macadamia nuts | 1 cup | whole or roughly chopped |
| Cashews | 1 cup | |
| Golden raisins | 1 cup | |
| Dried cherries | 1 cup | |
| Dried cranberries | 1 cup | |
| Diced dried pineapple | 1/2 cup | |
| Fine sea salt | 1/2 tsp | cut to a pinch if the nuts are already salted |
Method
- At home, tip the nuts and fruit into your largest bowl. Chop the macadamias and cashews first if you want the mix to spoon evenly.
- Scatter the salt over the top and stir for a full minute. Fine salt sticks to the oil on the nuts, so it needs contact, not just proximity.
- Measure into bags by the cupful, one cup per person per day.
- On trail, open a bag and eat. Nothing else happens.
This is a fat mix wearing fruit as a disguise. Macadamias and cashews are most of the calories, and the almonds add chew so the whole thing isn’t soft. The dried fruit is there for sugar you can absorb while walking, which nuts alone won’t give you.
The salt matters more than the quarter-teaspoon suggests. Sweet dried fruit gets cloying by the second handful, and salt is what keeps you reaching back into the bag on a long afternoon. It also replaces some of what you’re sweating out. If your nuts came salted, use a pinch and taste before adding more, because you can’t take it back out.
Packing
One cup per sandwich bag, one bag per person per day. Bagging by the serving is the whole point: a shared gallon bag empties from the cherry end first and someone gets a fistful of raisins on day four.
Variations
- Swap the macadamias for pepitas if cost or nut allergies are a problem.
- Dark chocolate chips work below about 70F and become a coating above it.
- Toast the almonds and cashews dry in a skillet before mixing; they hold flavor longer in a hot pack.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/fruit-and-nut-handy-mix