Today is National Raisin Day! In honor of this former grape, throw them into a healthy trail mix! When you’re on the go or in need of a quick, non-messy, and no-frills snack, a trail mix will do the trick. Raisins provide taste and textural balance to the salty ingredients like peanuts or nuts. Celebrate their sweetness with these steps to making a healthy raisin trail mix:

1. Grab a variety of raisins

In honor of this raisin food day, start your mix by buying several varieties of raisins. Depending on the type of grape used, raisins can vary a lot in color and taste, from black and purple to green yellow. Choose golden raisins, Muscat raisins, Thompson raisins, and Sultana raisins.

2. Add more dried fruit

In the spirit of the day, you can stick to just raisins for this mix, but if you want to add another flavor, use cranberries or dried mango, blueberries, pineapple, or banana chips.

3. Add nuts

Next, mix those raisins with almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, and any other nut your heart imagines. The saltiness will taste delicious with the sweet tanginess of raisins, and those nuts will provide omega-3 fatty acids that raise good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol.

4. Add hemp seeds

Get some protein and several other health benefits from hemp seeds. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of hemp seeds into your mix for five grams of protein, 86 milligrams of magnesium, 10 percent daily value of iron, 1,245 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids, and 436 milligrams of Omega-6 fatty acids. Try them in this Goji Berry and Hemp Seed Granola.

5. Add raw cacao

Who doesn’t love the delicious taste of a chocolate-covered raisin? The crème-da-la-crème finish to the perfect raisin trail mix is adding some raw cacao to the mix. The chocolate taste pairs well with the sweet, chewiness of raisin and the salty, crunchiness of nuts. Using cacao in specific, rather than chocolate, is a sure-fire way to make your trail mix healthier. There are several benefits to eating raw cacao; it’s the most nutritionally complete food on the planet that can improve your mood, help you lose weight, and protect the cardiovascular system.

6. Mix together and enjoy!

Your trail mix will be balanced in taste, texture, and nutrients. Serve this delicious mix with a group and celebrate the sweet taste of raisins.

We also highly recommend downloading our Food Monster App, which is available for iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 15,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

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