Trail mix without nuts?

[DawnM]

Is there one I can BUY (not make) for my college kid?

One of his new roommates has a nut allergy.  Now, the parent did tell us we can have nuts if they keep them in their ind. rooms, wash hands and all utensils separately, etc.....but I think if we could find an alternative to trail mix, my son could go fairly nut free too.

He has a little 8-10 ounce Rubbermaid that he fills every day before class and sticks in his backpack with Trail Mix.  He likes different ones (from Target) but they all have nuts in them.  He eats it on the shuttle on the way to class or between classes while he is out.

I really don't think he will be good at making it and mixing things, so I thought I would ask if there is one he could buy.

And he is going to have a hard time with no PB.  Although we may have a talk about him keeping that in his room, washing the knife in his bathroom sink (he doesn't share a bathroom with this particular person) and see if that works.  Trail mix might work the same way......but still want to find an alternative too.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Chex Mix?

[almondbutterandjelly]

Oh, and Wowbutter, often carried by Walmart, is peanut free and tastes about the same.  It's made from soy.  You would want to let his roommate see it so as not to freak him out, since it looks identical, but it is peanut free.

[AmandaVT]

Looks like Enjoy Life has some: https://shop.enjoylifefoods.com/Not-Nuts-Mountain-Mambo/p/ENJ-00580&c=EnjoyLife@Mixes&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adtype=pla&kw=?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItd76qvqZ3AIVVIGzCh1yKAqmEAQYASABEgJuGfD_BwE

[Jean in Newcastle]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enjoy-Life-Nut-Free-Mountain-Mambo-Trail-Mix-1-63-oz-Pack-of-24/33655298

[AmandaVT]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enjoy-Life-Nut-Free-Mountain-Mambo-Trail-Mix-1-63-oz-Pack-of-24/33655298

 

Looks like we found the same one at the same time. ?

[Tap]

Is he allergic to peanuts? Treenuts? or Both? The are different allergies and often people who are allergic to one, can still have the other. 

Peanuts are legumes like peas and beans, we just eat them like nuts.

Tree nuts are true nuts.

[Hilltopmom]

What Tap says ?

find out- there’s a difference.

dh can eat peanuts but not tree nuts but is fine with others eating them nearby, everyone is different.

on a different note- the roommate is an adult now and is going to have to figure out how to deal with people in the world consuming nut products... no longer in public school where there are school regulated Nut free classes and tables, kwim. He should probably start realizing that others are not always going to keep the nuts away from him. (Not trying to be harsh, I do understand the concern)

[itsheresomewhere]

Enjoy Life has two kinds.  Both are very good.

Sunbutter is good. Most stores carry it and my PB loving kid likes it. 

[Tap]

24 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

What Tap says ?

find out- there’s a difference.

dh can eat peanuts but not tree nuts but is fine with others eating them nearby, everyone is different.

on a different note- the roommate is an adult now and is going to have to figure out how to deal with people in the world consuming nut products... no longer in public school where there are school regulated Nut free classes and tables, kwim. He should probably start realizing that others are not always going to keep the nuts away from him. (Not trying to be harsh, I do understand the concern)

I am glad that someone who has a child with allergies gave this advice. I have kids with food allergies but not severe allergies.

One of my daughters has a friend with severe allergies (sometimes anaphylactic or oral ingestion) to tree nuts and she is in our home all the time. We have at least 3 open bags of tree nuts in our pantry at all times. She is used to her restrictions and just makes sure to wash her hands after handling anything in our pantry. She helps herself to food there all the time, so I know in her case she can have light skin exposure and be completely fine.  I have another friend with a daughter who was so sensitive that she had to wear gloves at all times when she was in public to be able to safely touch doorknobs and such. She would have not gone to college and lived in a communal environment. She would have had to wear gloves to even move about her own house if it was communal. (She did online school)  Everyone is different, but unless you have been told that he is highly reactive, I wouldn't modify your son's diet to accommodate another college students restrictions. Follow what the parents suggested and trust that they know how much exposure is safe for their son.

[DawnM]

We have already found out the allergy.  He cannot touch it.  The parent has asked that if they have nuts, they keep them in their ind. rooms and wash all utensils or items with nuts with a separate sponge, which also should be kept in their rooms.

And any time a student touches nuts, they need to wash their hands so they don't contaminate items that the student might touch.

My concern is that my son not remember all of that.

It is ALL NUTS, peanuts, and all other nuts.

[Jean in Newcastle]

34 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

What Tap says ?

find out- there’s a difference.

dh can eat peanuts but not tree nuts but is fine with others eating them nearby, everyone is different.

on a different note- the roommate is an adult now and is going to have to figure out how to deal with people in the world consuming nut products... no longer in public school where there are school regulated Nut free classes and tables, kwim. He should probably start realizing that others are not always going to keep the nuts away from him. (Not trying to be harsh, I do understand the concern)

While I agree that adults need to deal with people who consume nut products, I think it is different in one's own "home".  And that is what a dorm room is.  A place where people should be able to relax their diligence a little bit without worrying that they are going to have a life threatening emergency. 

[Hilltopmom]

46 minutes ago, DawnM said:

We have already found out the allergy.  He cannot touch it.  The parent has asked that if they have nuts, they keep them in their ind. rooms and wash all utensils or items with nuts with a separate sponge, which also should be kept in their rooms.

And any time a student touches nuts, they need to wash their hands so they don't contaminate items that the student might touch.

My concern is that my son not remember all of that.

It is ALL NUTS, peanuts, and all other nuts.

Ah that’s difficult for everyone involved.

i would avoid all nuts for the dorm too, that’s easiest

im surprised he’s not getting a medical reason for a single room 

(how is he going to be sure no student in any of his classes washed their hands after touching nuts? You don’t have to answer- that’s for his family to figure out obviously. I was just ruminating )

[almondbutterandjelly]

1 hour ago, Arctic Mama said:

I believe that is called “m&ms with a raisin box on the side” ?

 

That sounds delightful!

[Jean in Newcastle]

49 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

Ah that’s difficult for everyone involved.

i would avoid all nuts for the dorm too, that’s easiest

im surprised he’s not getting a medical reason for a single room 

(how is he going to be sure no student in any of his classes washed their hands after touching nuts? You don’t have to answer- that’s for his family to figure out obviously. I was just ruminating )

Not the OP, but the person I know who cannot touch anything that has been touched by someone who had nuts, wipes down chairs and tables with a wipe before he sits at them.  And he doesn't shake hands with people unless he asks them if they've had nuts or have washed their hands.  (Not that most college students would be shaking hands.) 

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

Ah that’s difficult for everyone involved.

i would avoid all nuts for the dorm too, that’s easiest

im surprised he’s not getting a medical reason for a single room 

(how is he going to be sure no student in any of his classes washed their hands after touching nuts? You don’t have to answer- that’s for his family to figure out obviously. I was just ruminating )

 

Well, he is going to be in his own room.  It is an apartment (on-campus) with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  Each boy will have his own room.  However, they will have a shared kitchen.

[Loowit]

I have always just made my own at home.  I make my own granola because it is really hard to find (and afford) nut free granola in my local area.  I just add in things that DS, who is allergic to nuts, likes such as chocolate chips (Guittard and Enjoy Life brands are good), some dried fruit (can be hard to find nut free).

DS likes the Enjoy Life foods.  Vermont Nut Free Chocolates sells trail mix, but it is expensive.

[Hilltopmom]

I was thinking about this last night while eating trail mix!

maybe it would be easier for him to switch to a nut free granola/ protein bar instead of little containers of finding nut free protein trail mix for his snack.

Or one with nuts might even be ok since it would be individually wrapped  & not handled or moved into Tupperware and he eats them out of the apt anyways.

[Junie]

As someone with a severe food allergy, my recommendation is to buy individual servings.  You said that he eats them when he is out.  Individual servings would be easy to manage without having the roommate exposed to nuts.

[Ravin]

Look for substitutes with seeds: pumpkin, chia, and/or sunflower seeds. Pine nuts also are unrelated to deciduous tree nuts.

Sunbutter is good. Wowbutter is gross.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Junie said:

As someone with a severe food allergy, my recommendation is to buy individual servings.  You said that he eats them when he is out.  Individual servings would be easy to manage without having the roommate exposed to nuts.

 

He likes the Costco trail mix too.  It comes in ind. sizes.  We have purchased them, BUT, for some reason, the ind. packages are far more salty.  He doesn't like them.  

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Ravin said:

Look for substitutes with seeds: pumpkin, chia, and/or sunflower seeds. Pine nuts also are unrelated to deciduous tree nuts.

Sunbutter is good. Wowbutter is gross.

 

Yeah, we can try some, but overall, he doesn't like seeds much.  

[kbutton]

9 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

He likes the Costco trail mix too.  It comes in ind. sizes.  We have purchased them, BUT, for some reason, the ind. packages are far more salty.  He doesn't like them.  

Could he get individual unsalted nut packages and mix one package of unsalted nuts with the salty trail mix? 

[DawnM]

22 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Could he get individual unsalted nut packages and mix one package of unsalted nuts with the salty trail mix? 

 

And how would he mix it?  By that time, he has to have two packages, and a bowl to carry to class with him, or mix in his room, where it would have been a heck of a lot easier to just but the large container that wasn't too salty to begin with.

[kiwik]

Dry nutragrain is not a bad snack.  Surely it is not to difficult for him to get a large zip lock bag, pour boxes of whatever in then shake up?

[DawnM]

2 minutes ago, kiwik said:

Dry nutragrain is not a bad snack.  Surely it is not to difficult for him to get a large zip lock bag, pour boxes of whatever in then shake up?

 

Sigh.....It isn't that it is difficult.  But it will have to be done in his bedroom, with several containers of various things, spills, clean up, crumbs, etc....

[kiwik]

2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

Sigh.....It isn't that it is difficult.  But it will have to be done in his bedroom, with several containers of various things, spills, clean up, crumbs, etc....

If it is but free though shouldn't he be able to do it in the kitchen? Although given the number of peanut/but contaminated items it seems they may have trouble eating anything.  Nutragrain is nut free, dried fruit, chocolate chips.  Might not be wildy healthy but many of the mixes aren't.  Does he like the hard dried pretzels -they may be a good substitute too.

[DawnM]

30 minutes ago, kiwik said:

If it is but free though shouldn't he be able to do it in the kitchen? Although given the number of peanut/but contaminated items it seems they may have trouble eating anything.  Nutragrain is nut free, dried fruit, chocolate chips.  Might not be wildy healthy but many of the mixes aren't.  Does he like the hard dried pretzels -they may be a good substitute too.

 

Gotcha.  Yeah, we can try it.  He will have to like it.  

Are you talking about the cereal?

[DawnM]

36 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I think she means a prepackaged mix that is made by Chex. I found some online. 

Also this might be another alternative? 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Munchies-Cheese-Fix-Snack-Mix-Party-Size-15-5-oz-Bag/24529886

 

Ah, ok.  

 

[DawnM]

Thanks all. I am going to go get some options this weekend so he can try them.  He really doesn't want anything that is more like crackers or a crackers mix.  No pretzels, cheese its, etc....he doesn't care for them.  And he really likes the protein the nuts give.  

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, Patty Joanna said:

Nature Valley Granola / Bars / Cereal -- Honey and Oats.

Bobo's.  These are hard to find; Whole Foods has them, usually.  Spendy.  

 

 

 

He takes granola bars too.  Cereal is harder to eat in class or on a bus.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have an Aspie so I do understand that it can be difficult starting new habits. But I would try focusing on him developing a hand washing routine when he first gets to his dorm room. It just seems like the simpler solution might be to address that rather than the snack itself. 

[DawnM]

2 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

 The Nature Valley Honey and Oat "cereal" is more like "nuggets"--about as big as half a thumb.  So they could easily be "finger food."

The bars are available at Costco and Cash and Carry in massive quantities, which is about the portion I eat.

 

 

Yes, we get those bars.

I will see if I can find the cereal to try.

[Frances]

19 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

I was thinking about this last night while eating trail mix!

maybe it would be easier for him to switch to a nut free granola/ protein bar instead of little containers of finding nut free protein trail mix for his snack.

Or one with nuts might even be ok since it would be individually wrapped  & not handled or moved into Tupperware and he eats them out of the apt anyways.

I think protein bars might be the best alternative. Most of the alternatives mentioned for trail mix ingredients don’t have nearly as much protein as nuts. It becomes more like eating sugar. Honestly, while out and about on a college campus, I wouldn’t even eat anything like trail mix unless I could always wash my hands right before or eat it without touching it with my hands. Otherwise, it seems like a good way to pick up cold and flu germs.

[DawnM]

The granola bars aren't an alternative though.  He typically carries then AND his trail mix.  He still needs something else.  He is often gone a while with studio classes and needs more

[DawnM]

6 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

Hmm if the items don’t go bad fast (stale or melt) it *might* be worth creating a cereal container’s worth that he puts into a travel side container. I know he wants something premade but if he seldom has to make the batch it might not be so bad. The small container could even be a ziploc sandwich bag. I’m a little stumped as to what to use for the mix, though. Dh has done a mix with raisins and chocolate or butterscotch? chips, pretzels, and nuts. I guess you could try some of the substitutes mentioned like dried fruit. 

Mayve he could switch to Slim Jims for a protein snack? 

 

Unfortunately,  he doesn't like Slim Jims.   He doesn't mind jerky too much, but man is that expensive for a daily amount (and you really need the small ind. serving bags or it gets hard fast.)

 

[Clemsondana]

If your son has a mix that he likes and he eats it outside of the apartment, it seems like his biggest concern is getting it into the container and cleaning up spills.  Could he get some extra daily use containers and then get a bag of his preferred mix and fill 1-2 week's worth of snack/meal portions in a friend's kitchen?  People have to borrow so many weird things in college, we wouldn't have thought twice about a neighbor popping in every week or 2 to fill containers in our kitchen due to a roommate's allergy.  Then he could just grab his container each morning, and at the end of the day he could return the empty one to the bag in his bedroom so that he wasn't contaminating the house.  

[thessa516]

On 7/12/2018 at 1:15 PM, Arctic Mama said:

I believe that is called “m&ms with a raisin box on the side” ?

 

I’m totally no help as to where to buy such a product, but the request made me smile.

 I was thinking M&Ms, as well. 

Forgive my ignorance, but do peanut allergies include things like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds? Those could be good with some crispy chickpeas. You get crunch and protein.

[KungFuPanda]

I’m surprised they have a peanut allergy kid sharing a kitchen with non-allergy kids. You’d think they’d give him a private apt or room him with other nut allergy kids. I’m all for not taking nut products into public spaces, but trusting college kids not to bring any allergens into their home seems unnecessarily risky. 

[Pen]

I would probably stick with the same trail mix and container that is working now for him, but also send a box of inexpensive food handlers gloves that he can put on while transferring it to his Rubbermaid.