Sifting Through Trail Mix

I know the latest rage is creating your own personal granola, trail mix or energy bars for those long excursions across the woods and road trips to visit friends and family.  Sometimes it's best to just pick up a big bag of trail mix to have on hand or maybe there isn't the desire to make a big production when you're buried in planning and preparation for that long weekend getaway.

At one of my local grocery stores, Winco Foods, there is a significant bulk foods section, which has a number of various trail mix types, including traditional to more exotic mixtures and varying prices.  Today, I grabbed a selection of four and thought I'd share a little bit about them.

4 Trail Mixes

Super Deluxe Trail Mix 

Ingredients 
Raisins
Pinepple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots

Caribbean Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Honey Glaze
Pineapple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds

 
Mt. Hood Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Toffee Peanuts
Yogurt Raisins
Yogurt Peanuts
Chocolate Peanuts
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds



 

Mt. Rainier Organic Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Cranberries
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Raw Almonds
Raw Cashews
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Raisins






Now, taking a look at these trail mixes, you'll see that some are a probably considered healthier than others.  I prefer the Mt. Hood mix when I'm looking for something sweet, but I wouldn't recommend that as a health recommendation just because it's labeled as a trail mix.  Some of the benefits of a trail mix are obtaining a quick snack to provide energy in the form of proteins, fats and sugars when energy stores are low.  Getting a solid snack with almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and sugars from friuts and a boost from chocolate can give you the energy needed to continue that last mile or recover some before moving on to your next game plan.

Winco Foods does offer quite an array of trail mixes and as you can see from the picture to the left, there are many more to try.  Additionally, there are other quality products and that are a great value including Costco's Kirkland brand trail mix which comes in a 4lb. bag, or as snack packs ready to tear and share.

Have a look at your favorite store and see what is offered in bulk; it is often quite a better deal than finding the packaged products on the cereal or health food aisles.  Enjoy!

Costco Kirkland Signature Coffee

Several years ago I started my quest to brew a great tasting consistent cup of coffee at home every morning. I was tired of making a fresh pot of coffee that smelled great but tasted as though it was filtered through my gym socks. So I started my quest at the supermarket trying all of the normal offering; Yuban, Folgers, MJB, etc. I carefully measured and charted the amounts of coffee that I used for each pot as I worked my way through the supermarket offerings. I never found a consistent pot. So the next step was whole bean coffee including Millstone, Kivu, Starbucks, etc. At this point Starbucks was the frontrunner albeit at $12.99 per pound, so my search continued.

Enter Costco Wholesale. While I was in the middle of my research Costco started offering whole bean coffee. So I worked my way through every type of whole bean coffee offered by Costco. Many tasted good at first but the consistency was not there. I would have a great pot on Monday but the next two pots on Tuesday and Wednesday would not taste as good.

My last great hope was Costco Kirkland Signature pre-ground 100% Columbian coffee in the 3 pound can. It took me a couple of weeks to test this coffee. As I worked my way through the quest for the perfect amount of grounds to make the perfect cup, my wife and I were both getting excited. Why? Because we were enjoying almost every pot as we worked our way through the  process of adjusting the amount of grounds in each pot. Some pots might be weak or strong, but the rich coffee taste was there without bitterness. We found our coffee!

So here I sit 4 or 5 years later and we are still enjoying a great cup of coffee every morning. I use a Cuisinart pot from Costco set on Medium heat. I scoop 2 rounded (not heaping and not level) ¼ cup scoops of grounds and place them in the white cone filters purchased at Costco. Every morning, every day, every can produces a consistent delicious cup of Joe. The best part? Right now a three pound can is $9.99, or $3.33 per pound. I dare you to find a better deal than that! This price varies for $8 to $15 depending on the current coffee market.

If you are looking for a great cup of coffee look no further that Costco. (by the way, Starbucks roasts this Costco) Shhh. It’s a secret.

Best Men's Tees

Nothing beats wearing a favorite pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt.  If you are looking to get rid of your grungy old graying t-shirts that you've been using for lawn mowing, running, and the occassional undershirt, I recommend picking up a fresh premium t-shirt from Costco.  The Kirkland Signature Men's Premium T-shirt is a great shirt, and the quality by far outshines that of the Gap, Old Navy, Hanes, or any of the store brands offered by Target, Walmart or Fred Meyer to name a few.

The Kirkland Signature Premium Tee is 100% Pima Cotton, which is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton and is extremely durable and absorbent according to WiseGeek.com.  All aspects of these shirts indicate quality from the thread count down to the stitching.  As with most cotton clothing, it is recommended to wash in cold water and dry on low heat in order to increase the overall life and reduce the harsh wear caused by the washing cycle.  The shirts at Costco run approximately $12 each, which is about 3 times the cost of your Hanes shirt at Walmart, though I say after buying many Hanes tees, you get what you pay for.

To reduce your cost, locate a liquidation center that specializes in obtaining returned items or items that are unsold at Costco warehouses.  In Spokane, you will find Spokane Discount, where you can purchase the Kirkland Tees for up to 70-80% off the listed price, bringing your total each shirt closer to $3-4, which for the quality is a great deal.  Be careful when searching through that you don't pick up an item that is permanently stained or has a hole, which can happen in the large quantity of liquidated products.

All-in-all, the Kirkland Signature Premium T-shirt is a great product that is highly recommended.  A follow up will be written after a few months to address the overall wear and any discoloration that may be seen, in order to provide additional information to the reader on the lasting quality of the product.