Hiking is one of the best activities you can participate in for your health. It’s an excellent way to burn some calories while being in nature. You’re on the right track if you like to snack right after your hike. However, when trying to be fit, we don’t always know what is healthy. So, we’ve listed some healthy hiking snack recipes that can help make your hikes even better.
After a hike, you want to ensure you’re replenishing your body with the right nutrients. You don’t want to just eat a lot of added and processed foods right after a hike. The best way to avoid these is by ensuring you make your snacks at home. Some of our favorite healthy hiking snack recipes are given below.
Espresso Date Balls
Dates are packed with protein and energy. Skip the caffeine and go straight for the espresso with these date balls. You need equal measures of dates, cocoa powder, oats, and walnuts for the recipe. Add two tablespoons of almond butter to the bowl and two teaspoons of espresso powder. You can sweeten the mixture with maple syrup and cocoa nibs if that’s something you enjoy.
You can blend all these ingredients in a food processor until they all come together. Once they do, you can simply roll them into balls and put them in the fridge. Pack them in a little baggie for your hike and eat them when you’re at the top. Each ball has 109 calories and about 2g of protein.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Bars
Chocolate and peanut butter are a great combination. However, you don’t have to do a lot to make these bars. The best healthy hiking snack recipes don’t require you to do a lot of work. You will need dates, peanut butter, peanuts, chia seeds, and unsweetened cocoa powder for this bar. You can just put all the ingredients in a food processor and then take them out on a baking tray. Let it cool in the fridge, and then cut up the squares. Each square can provide you with sustenance as you make your hiking journey.
Everything Spiced Nuts
If you want to eat healthier fats, nuts are a great way of getting some fat into your system. While most hiking snack recipes focus on energy and sweet bars, this savory option can give your something salty to look out for. This recipe doesn’t even take much. You will need an egg, an assortment of nuts like cashews, walnuts, almonds of your choice, and everything spice from the grocery store. Take an egg white and blend it up.
Add the nuts to the egg white and then use a slotted spoon to remove the excess egg and move the nuts to a baking tray. Once on the baking tray, sprinkle the everything-spice on the nuts. Let it bake for a bit. Once done, allow the baking tray to cool and collect the nuts. You can have spicy nuts without adding any extra salt. These are healthy and delicious to eat when you’re wild. You can also carry them easily.
Brown Butter-Pecan Granola
Granola can be a hit or miss with hikers. However, if you’re looking for ways to turn up the flavor factor on your granola, there are ways you can do so. You can look at brown butter-pecan granola, which is everything you want in granola. It’s nutty and crunchy. You can make this granola as over-the-top as you want.
You will need to brown your butter and add brown sugar and honey to it. Once you do this, you can pulse the pecans in a food processor and then make the granola in any way that you want. Add different dried fruits to it. Then take a bowl and mix all of the ingredients with the brown butter emulsion. After this step, toss the mixture on a baking sheet and layer it out. Bake it for fifteen minutes or until the mixture is dry and crunchy. You can break the granola into clusters and add different fruits into the mixture. Save it in an airtight container or sealed bags for your next hike.
Healthy Homemade Peanut Butter Fudge
You will need some natural peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. All you need for this recipe are a saucepan and a silicone spatula. You will add the natural peanut butter to the saucepan, add the coconut oil and maple syrup and mix it all.
Once this is done, you can take the mixture out in cupcake molds or simply take it out in a baking tray and then cut them all up. Healthy homemade peanut butter fudge is nutritious, and it will give you a lot of energy after your hikes.
Black Pepper Jerky
We know you can buy jerky anywhere, but why does it have a lot of salt and preservatives that can be disastrous for your health. Instead, get this black pepper jerky that can suit your digestive system better, and you can also make it at home on your own. Add some lager to soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, and cracked black peppercorns in a large bowl.
Cut your beef into ¼ inch slices, and add the beef to the marinade. Cover the beef completely and then refrigerate it for 6-8 hours. Once you feel like the marinade has fully steeped into the beef, you can prepare the meat in the oven. Set a large wire rack and pat the meat dry with paper towels. Once that is done, bake for around four hours until the beef is completely dry but has a little chew. You should let it cool completely before you pack it for your hike. This is a much healthy way of eating some jerky.
Final Thoughts
Healthy hiking snack recipes are all the rage but mostly what makes these recipes healthy is the fact they’re homemade. You don’t have to constantly look at what goes into them, as you will already know. It also gives you a chance to flex your skills in the kitchen and nourish your body in the way that you prefer.
