Melissa Jones

For my trip last month I bought some raw power berry trail mix (Navita, I think). It was expensive, but better than the toxins I would have eaten without it. It had dried goji berries, dried mulberries (not rated, but more tasty than I expected), dried aztec berries (not rated on the diet, and not my favorite), cashews, and cocoa nibs. I pawned off the cashews to my family for the most part.

What excited me about this was how good the cocoa nibs are in a trail mix! They work really well, with no sugar or other toxins, like chocolate chips have, and they won't melt in the heat. I don't like them by themselves, but when eaten with a handful of slightly sweet dried fruit, they really hit the spot. Their crunch is also a nice contrast to chewy dried fruit.

If you make your own trail mix (and chocolate is allowed for your type), try it with cocoa nibs. You can easily crush the whole cocoa beans into nibs, if needed. I've since made it with just goji berries, pecans, and cocoa nibs. Even though it's not a chocolate bar, it really satisfies.