Mountain House theres gota be a better way?????

[jelloitsalive]

I was in walmart today and saw they had mountain house meals 5-6 dollars for only 400 calories..... Im a newbie planing on doing weekend hikes to me this just doesnt sound suffeciant for dinner after a long day of hiking..........DINNER RECOMENDATIONS ANYONE???????????

[Northern Lights]

Make your own meals and check out freezerbagcooking

[leaftye]

I was in walmart today and saw they had mountain house meals 5-6 dollars for only 400 calories..... Im a newbie planing on doing weekend hikes to me this just doesnt sound suffeciant for dinner after a long day of hiking..........DINNER RECOMENDATIONS ANYONE???????????

I'm impressed that you noticed the calories. It's amazing how many people don't. I bet that package said it had two servings, which makes it seems like a lot, but it's really a very little amount of food.

Northern Lights nailed it. You can also add things to it to add calories, like olive oil. Sometimes I'll sprinkle sunflower seeds on my meals.

Check out Dicentra's site and book for dehydrated meals that you can prepare at home and make on the trail using freezer bag cooking.

[leaftye]

Forgot the link:
http://www.onepanwonders.com/

[pafarmboy]

www.hawkvittles.com

[RodentWhisperer]

I'll +1.5 to the idea of freezer bag bag cooking-- try trailcooking.com .

To put this into perspective, when I hike with me wife, she's always happy to eat dishes I prepare for FBC. Why is that a big deal? She's a chef! :)

[Bronk]

A box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese is 1000 calories. Look for any food you can find in the grocery store that can be cooked by just boiling some water...stuffing, mashed potatoes (add cheese and pre-cooked bacon), Lipton dinners, soups. Food that is labeled "camping food" is mostly overpriced stuff that is not necessarily better than regular food sold in a grocery store.

[Del Q]

I went into no-cook mode a few years ago, no stove, no fuel, simpler, mountain house and other food was fine but I prefer not cooking a lot more. On a thru-hike not sure if I would go no-cook the whole way but for section hiking it works for me. My typical dinner is Spam single serving, mustard packet, pita bread, cheese and snacks from everything else in my bag, sunflower seeds, frito's, hard pretzels, dried fruit, etc.

[Ktaadn]

tortillias, pre-cooked bacon, salami, aged cheese, mayo, m&m's. The MH meals are good, but they are expensive and I prefer not having to cook.

[Wise Old Owl]

this ought to be an article... if it isn't already....

getting back to the OP original post - box stores "see" something isn't selling and flags the decision maker to blow it out, I see this over at Dick Sporting goods occasionally too.

[Spirit Walker]

You can buy Lipton/Knorr or Rice-a-roni rice or pasta meals for about $1.25. I add dried milk and a protein - Spam, sausage, tuna, salmon, ham, or chicken. Other inexpensive and filling options are mac n cheese, stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes with cheese, dried bean soup, etc. When hiking with my husband I'll add a Ramen or just plain pasta to a Liptons to add bulk without adding a lot of cost.

[shelb]

You can buy Lipton/Knorr or Rice-a-roni rice or pasta meals for about $1.25. I add dried milk and a protein - Spam, sausage, tuna, salmon, ham, or chicken. Other inexpensive and filling options are mac n cheese, stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes with cheese, dried bean soup, etc. When hiking with my husband I'll add a Ramen or just plain pasta to a Liptons to add bulk without adding a lot of cost.

This is the best way to go! However, mac n cheese doesn't work well for me with FBC. Thes rest does!

[Wise Old Owl]

Shelb if you do find a mac and cheese it deserves a new thread.

[leaftye]

This is the best way to go! However, mac n cheese doesn't work well for me with FBC. Thes rest does!

I have to use microwavable mac n cheese, but it doesn't taste nearly as good.

[Dicentra]

This is the best way to go! However, mac n cheese doesn't work well for me with FBC. Thes rest does!


The ones that are just-add-hot-water that come in a cup are OK for FBC. I don't think they taste very good though. You can make your own by pre-cooking and dehydrating the pasta, then combining that with the cheese powder, a little milk powder and maybe some butter powder.

[Wise Old Owl]

Ah haaa Dicentra is a morning person!:cool:

What I ment by my post after trying ones with as little sodium and quick noodles - its awe full it never gets fully cooked and remains watery. eeewwwww.

[fenderbenderfc]

Cook whatever you like to eat in advance and dehydrate it. Cheaper and tastier.

[Dicentra]

And that, mah dear, is why you make your own! Add *just* enough water to cover.


Ah haaa Dicentra is a morning person!:cool:

What I ment by my post after trying ones with as little sodium and quick noodles - its awe full it never gets fully cooked and remains watery. eeewwwww.

[sarbar]

For mac and cheese I cook and dry pasta and then u8se this sauce mix:
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/cheddar-cheese-sauce-mix
or:
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/parmesan-cheese-sauce-powder-mix

Also:
http://www.trailcooking.com/dehydrating101/diy-meal-vs-commercial-freeze-dried-meal
http://www.trailcooking.com/content/diy-trail-spaghetti

:)

[oldbear]

Jelloitsalive
Cooking time is one thing that you must always take into account when you're using supermarket foods bc cooking times becomes fuel needs which in turn becomes weight and volume
One way that you can significantly reduce the amount of fuel need to cook something as fuel intensive as dried pasta is to passively rehydrate the pasta first
Place the pasta in a container that's 4x the volume of the pasta
Fill w/ cold water
Leave alone for about an hour
Your product is done when it smells really wheaty and has the texture of a 2 minutes before al dente state
Drain
Bring enough lightly salted water to cover to a boil
Add pasta
Cook until it looks like cooked pasta and is at the al dente state....it will only take a couple of minutes
Drain and add what you will to it

Bring enough lightly salted

[gunner76]

Check out the Hungry Hammock Hanger for lots of excellent meals you can make at home and dehydrate for the trail. http://hungryhammockhanger.com/

[Jim Adams]

I'll use lipton or Knorr dinners with dehydrated veggies and / or fruit plus some meat, cheese and oil...lots of calories and good taste.

geek

[Moose2001]

All the comments about making your own or dehydrating are great! However, what works best on a thru? Do you really want to do 20 something maildrops so you can have your own meals? I don't. Liptons dinners, potatos (scalloped), stuffing, chicken packages, cheese, peanut butter, etc are all things you can buy in any market. No mail drops and life is much simpler!

[Odd Man Out]

And if you want to cook from scratch, you can always simmer up some rice and lentils with curry.

[BigRing]

Check the links previously posted in this thread, do some internet searches; backpacking recipes, etc., and start looking at food items in the grocery store from the perspective of,....how can I eat this when backpacking.

[Papa D]

Occasionally, I'll pack a Mountain House meal - especially, if it's free or nearly free, something someone gave me, etc. but most backpackers subsiding on a ton of Mountain House are newbies that got sold a bill of goods (literally) at an outdoor store (like REI) - - most real backpackers make their own freezer bag meals or just know what to purchase at regular grocery stores. I've probably backpacked about 20 days in 2012 so far (the year is young) and I don't think that I've had one Mountain House meal yet -- but, the year is young.

[sweeper]

The new Coleman freeze dried meals are pretty good, available at wallmart lots of packaging tho
boost with tuna, salami etc

[LDog]

I carry some combo of whole wheat cous couse, bulgar wheat (fine milled), instant brown rice, and oatmeal - All cook by adding hot water and waiting 5 mins. Bring dried milk, sliced almonds, raisins and cinnamon to make any of them a hot breakfast. Add tomato powder and either chili powder or italian seasoning for a couple of options. Cheese powder for another. A package or two of tuna, salmon or chicken. Peanut butter or dried humus, and tortillas for lunch. Fruit nut bars and a bag of mixed nuts (Almonds, pecans, cashews and peanuts) for snacks.

[Papa D]

Fantastic Foods Parmasan Cous Cous with curry powder
Bags of Tuna Fish with Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
Dehydrated vegetables
Ramen, Peanut Butter, Soy sauce (trail thai) - you can add coconut milk, baked tofu, hot sauce, etc. if you want to gourmet-up
Annie's Mac and Cheese
Fantastic Foods refried bean mix
Knorr Instant Taco Rice
Tortillas - make above 2 in to burritos with taco bell sauce
Knorr Pasta Sides (formerly lipton)
Block cheese
Instant grits with block cheese grated in
Oatmeal
Powdered Milk
Spiruteen Protein Shakes
Primal Strips (vegetarian jerky for me)
GORP (I make mine with raisins peanuts chocolate covered coffee beans, and banana chips)

man, I could keep going - there is just plenty of food to eat ......

[wicca witch]

Richmoor foods. LDP Camping.com has all the right foods for u

[LDog]

Not normally a fan of expensive freeze dried meals, but AlpenAire has freeze dried stuff in bulk that appeals to my "food bag as pantry" approach. They carry tomato powder, cheese powder, various veggies ... They carry freeze dried beef, chicken and turkey. 5.3 cups weighs 8 ozs and represents 16 1/3 cup servings for $30 on sale. Also instant pasta which would make mac and cheeze easier ...

http://www.alpineaire.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9_22

[Veetack]

For the record, it's 5 AM, I'm at work, and I am now starving thanks to this thread.

On the bright side, I was having some issues in deciding what foods to pack and this has helped me greatly, and I now have a good grocery list.

[JAK]

Also, consider eating differently on the trail than at home. Go back to basics. See what dried foods are available in grocery stores, like oatmeal, raisins, currants, nuts, seeds, lentils, dried vegetable mix, dried onion mix, herbs, spices. Herbs like parsley and spices like paprika have alot of vitamins and minerals, and taste. Oatmeal in morning with dried fruits and nuts and seeds and spices, and lentil and vegetable soup in evening with herbs and paprika. Throw in some treats and whatever and you have a meal plan, cheap and easy to resupply.

[WIAPilot]

Dicentra's One Pan Wonder sounds great! I ordered it from Amazon yesterday.

[LDog]

Also, consider eating differently on the trail than at home. Go back to basics. See what dried foods are available in grocery stores, like oatmeal, raisins, currants, nuts, seeds, lentils, dried vegetable mix, dried onion mix, herbs, spices. Herbs like parsley and spices like paprika have alot of vitamins and minerals, and taste. Oatmeal in morning with dried fruits and nuts and seeds and spices, and lentil and vegetable soup in evening with herbs and paprika. Throw in some treats and whatever and you have a meal plan, cheap and easy to resupply.

This is pretty much how I ate for my first foray on the AT. My concept is "food bag as pantry." My challenge is to balance my desire to carry the herbs and spices, and a variety of grains, nuts and legumes, without overloading the food bag!

I'm still working on that. I have to rework my drop boxes before I head out again ...

[Deacon]

Check out the Hungry Hammock Hanger for lots of excellent meals you can make at home and dehydrate for the trail. http://hungryhammockhanger.com/

+1 for the hungryhammockhanger. Better than freeze-dried at low cost.


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[moownbey]

I have found that pasta takes awhile to cook and alot of fuel is wasted. If I'm craving mac and cheese I will use the powder from the mac and cheese, leave the pasta at home, and use ramen noodles without the seasoning. Seems to save energy and still get the mac and cheese

[Another Kevin]

And if you want to cook from scratch, you can always simmer up some rice and lentils with curry.

Rice and lentils with curry. Definitely a winner! I cooked that up on the trail a couple of weeks ago. The best part is that I now have enough dehydrated lentils to do it a bunch more times. And it's only a tiny bit more work and fuel than simply boiling water and rehydrating something, although you do have to clean your pot afterward rather than just packing away a dirty freezer bag.

Pity the hiker behind me the next day. ;)