4 Simple "Elimination Diet" Trail Snacks

Starting in July 2013, fellow contributor Andrew Stohner and I embarked on a 10-week “elimination diet” of sorts, completely cutting out gluten, eggs, legumes, most nuts, nightshades, dairy, processed sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Although our diet was restricted, summer adventures flourished. With me training for the Portland Marathon, Andrew planning multiple mountaineering trips, and a 10-day backpacking trip through Idaho scheduled for the end of August, we were forced to get creative with our snacks. Finding little in the grocery store that fit our dietary restrictions, I hit the kitchen! Below you will find a few of our clean-eating, go-to recipes that kept us fueled throughout our many summertime activities. 

Trail Bars

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
½ cup dates
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor process until well mixed.
2. Mold mixture into 4 rectangular bars.
3. Bars are best stored with wax paper separating them.
4. Bars can be frozen prior to a trip to help maintain shape while packed.

Yields 4 bars.

Nutritional Facts:

• Serving size 1 bar
• Calories 123
• Fat 4.25g
• Protein 2.8g
• Carbs 21g
• Fiber 3g

Dehydrated Cinnamon Apples

5 granny smith Apples
½ lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Peel apples.
2. Quarter and cut into ¼ inch wide slices.
3. Place in bowl, combine with  juice of ½ lemon and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
4. Mix until evenly coated.
5. Lay out on food dehydrator, set to 135 degrees, and dehydrate for approximately 5 hours.

Nutritional Facts:

• Serving size 1 cup
• Calories 209
• Fat .3g
• Carbs 56.7g
• Protein .8g
• Fiber 7.5g

Paleo Fig Newtons

Filling Ingredients:
6 ounce/1 cup dried black mission figs
2 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Pinch of cinnamon

Filling instructions – remove stems from figs, place all ingredients into food processor, and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Dough Ingredients:
3 cups almond meal
½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
¾ cup agave nectar
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Dough instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients (note – dough will feel wetter than typical).
3. Chill dough in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
4. Divide dough into four sections and place each between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
5. Roll dough into 10 inch x 4 inch rectangles.
6. Spread fig filling down the middle of one side of the dough; fold over length-wise.
7. Using parchment paper to line the cookie sheet, bake for 11-13 minutes until dough is golden brown.

Yields 20 1-ounce cookies.

Nutritional Facts:

• Serving size 1 cookie
• Calories 129
• Fat 9g
• Carbs 11g
• Protein 3.1g
• Fiber 2g

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Beef Jerky

1.5 pounds grass-fed beef (any low fat cut, such as london broil, works well)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoon salt

1. Trim off all meat fat.
2. Slice beef into 1/8-inch wide strips, generally cutting the beef diagonally to obtain the longest pieces.
3. Mix remaining ingredients to form a rub.
4. Coat strips of beef with rub and refrigerate covered overnight, or at least 4 hours.
5. Using a food dehydrator set to 165 degrees, dry meat for 8-10 hours.
6. At 8 hours, check jerky every 30 minutes until desired texture is reached. Jerky should not be raw inside and should be of a deep brown color.

Yields 10 ounces.

Nutritional Facts:

• Serving size: 3.5 ounces
• Calories: 150
• Fat: 1.9g
• Protein: 31.1g
• Carbs: 2.8g
• Fiber: .5g