For busy families, snacks that can be eaten on the run are a necessity. This toddler trail mix is a great way to get your little ones a healthy, filling snack that will keep them going strong.I officially became a soccer mom this week. I don’t know the rules of soccer much better than my four-year-old player, but I figure we’ll learn together. The important thing is that he has some awesome cleats and matching shin guards, so at least he looks the part. Plus, when we went to his first practice on Wednesday, he found out that his team is the purple team, which is his favorite color, so he is beyond thrilled about that. I think I’m gonna like this stage of life.

With school starting and soccer season ramping up, I’m realizing that life is going to be a lot busier around here for the next few months. We are going to spend more time driving in the car from one place to another, and I know I need to be prepared with snacks to keep everyone from getting hangry (I love that word…so accurate).

I hate to just throw a bunch of processed stuff at my kiddos all the time though, so I’ve been looking for some homemade, portable, wholesome (mostly) snacks that we can eat when we’re out and about. We still regularly eat these granola bites, but when I don’t have those on hand, our go-to snack is trail mix.

This toddler trail mix started with me throwing random things from the pantry into a snack cup one day when we had to run out the door quickly before my boys had time to eat an afternoon snack.

P.S. – Do you use snack cups? I think they’re pretty much the best invention ever. I have these (affiliate link) which are great and cheap, but I’m thinking about investing (if you can call $8.00 an investment) in the deluxe version (affiliate link) that has a top to keep crumbs from getting all over the diaper bag and a screw-on lid that my toddler can’t pop off with his teeth. Anybody have a favorite snack cup out there? (These are life-changing decisions, after all.)

Little Brother has a serious obsession with his snack cup. You’d think it was his prized stuffed animal or something.

Okay, back to the trail mix. We have since made “trail mix” countless times, because my boys love it. They think it’s especially fun to help me think of what to put in the snack cups. (I also think they just think it’s fun to eat out of the snack cups rather than using regular dishes).

We don’t really use a specific recipe to create our trail mix, but below are some ideas for the types of things I regularly include. I try to have a balance between grains, dried fruit, protein, and sometimes I trow in some extra treats.

Toddler Trail Mix

Notes: You can use any combination of the following ingredients (or whatever else you can think of that is non-perishable). We vary our trail mix “recipe” all the time. If you’re way on top of things (I’m not), you can also make a big batch and save it in an air-tight container to save yourself time when you’re heading out the door. 

What to put in your toddler trail mix:

• cereal (Cheerios, Chex, Kix, puffed wheat, etc.)
• Goldfish crackers (cheese or graham cracker flavored)
• plain popcorn
• pretzels
• nuts
• dried fruit (raisins, Craisins, apricots, etc.)
• yogurt melts
• mini M&Ms
• marshmallows

Mix everything together and pour into a snack cup, tupperware container, or good ol’ plastic baggie. Enjoy!

We use these as snacks on car rides, while hiking, when we go to the park, and SO many other times. It’s a super easy, low-mess way to feed the kiddos a solid snack without a lot of effort.

What quick snacks do you feed your family when you’re on the go?

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