meal ideas for the stove less hiker?

[takethisbread]

I hike stove less mostly bc I just like the convenience , but I have never done more than a 60 mile hike without a stove. my meals mostly consist of pbj tortillas, blocks of cheese and bagels and gorp for snacks. I don't like cliff bars or anything of the sort. I am afraid of encountering food boredom on my thru hike. any suggestions from more seasoned stove less hikers for foods to look for? I mean I can use the bagged tuna , but we both know that might be unavailable in places except in the few towns with real grocery stores. pbj is great and I've yet to tire of it, but 6 months of pbj might be pushing it


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[off-pher]

Salami pepperoni bags of chicken tuna spam cheese trail mix instant mash potatoes poptarts nuts dried fruit M&M's

[burger]

Bring a screw-top plastic container, and you can rehydrate some dried stuff while you're hiking. Just add the water a few hours before dinner time. It works for things like Idahoan mashed potatoes, couscous, or dried refried beans.

[garlic08]

Maybe I'm lucky I don't experience "food boredom." The simpler the better for me. The more I hike, the simpler I want it. I guess I just eat to hike.

Tortillas remain my favorite bread because they pack easily and with because of high fat content they last nearly a week in the pack with some care.

Rolled oats are parboiled in processing, so they can be eaten easily without additional cooking. They make a good base for muesli/trail mix. I add whatever nuts and dried fruit and maybe coconut flakes I can find in the store where I resupply.

Like Burger says above, Idahoan potatoes are good and are available in a variety of flavors. Instant refried beans taste pretty good with corn chips and that's a good meal.

The first day or two out of town you can bring leftover pizza or a sub sandwich, some hardboiled eggs, some fresh greens, or whatever grabs your fancy as you leave town.

[Lucy Lulu]

I have to agree with Garlic. Food is really just fuel while I hike, and I can eat the same thing over and over. I actually enjoy cold Ramen with some spices and chicken or tuna. I eat it day after day. I also never get tired of PB&J. When I get to town every three or four days, I more than make up for the lack of variety on the trail.

[RED-DOG]

You will not get food boredom on your hike, Trust me even the most simpliest things looks good to a hungry Thru-Hiker, Try Spam in the single serve packs with block cheedar on a Tortilla a great sandwich, also Tuna Creations on Tortilla, also a couple of months ago i found Tuna Salad in single serve packs all mixed and ready to go, Summer sausage is a great item, Pepperoni, Pink salmon in single packs, Pop-Tarts, Believe or not potato Chips is a great item to have, Just walk around your local grocery store the possibilities are basically endless, Just use you'r Imagination.

[squeezebox]

sardines, and other canned fish

[Meriadoc]

I will echo others here. Bring interesting food for the first couple of days.

Food boredom doesn't set in for a month or so. By then your pack will be lighter from better gear choices (sending things home :D) and you will be stronger. Carrying a few apples was not a big deal for me and carries its own solution too. Pack too heavy? Eat an apple!

I have brought avocados, apples, good quality bread and other things that folks have already mentioned. One of my buddies would always purchase a box of sausage for the first breakfast and roast them on a fire.

The flavored oatmeals are pretty good cold too. Hunger is the best seasoning.

Also if you are getting tired of something, stop eating it as soon as possible. If you force yourself to keep eating it then soon you will hate it. It will take a long time before you willingly eat it again. But if you just take a little break, you might be eating it again in a week or two.

[Del Q]

Carnation instant for breakfast - 2 chocolate paks
Snickers
Protein bars
GORP - agree on coconut and rolled oats
Tuna packets with oil, peanut butter, pita bread-bagels-tortillas, cheese, hard pretzels, etc for lunch
SPAM single serving, chese, mustard packets, pita bread is my go-to dinner
Dried fruit
Edamame
Raw sunflower seeds are excellent, the "Barefoot Sisters" - staple for them, great food
Ramen noodles - put into a zip loc bag with spices to taste, put water in at lunch time, use a 2nd zip loc, by dinner you will have a HUGE bag of "cooked" noodles. Ramen noodles are pre-cooked, pretty tasty out of the package.
Ham jerkey
Beef jerky
Bacon jerky
Fritos

I went no-cook mode years ago and do not even have thoughts about going back, open my food bag - ready to eat. No fuss, no mess, anywhere, anytime, water not needed.

Have had some GREAT tenting spots due to the fact that I do not need water to cook or clean, if I have enough to drink I am good to go.

Eat cooked foods in town!

[Don H]

Peanut butter and raisin (or other dried fruit) wraps
Foil packed chicken and salmon with cheese wraps.

[Son Driven]

Coffee Mocha mix, instant coffee. coco mix, instant breakfast mixes, Nido (powdered whole fat milk found in the Hispanic section of super markets) , honey or New England Maple syrup. Add mountain spring water shake vigorously, in a screw lid bottle. Play around with the different ingredients until you get it the way you like it. Boost the calories in Ramen & Potatoes with Nido powder, and many other things as well.

[Wise Old Owl]

Quick Energy-packed
Brick Chocolate Fudge Bar or Nuttella Mint Cake Gorp bars - Snickers In late summer use Hershey Kisses – less chance of melt Hard ball Candy Cliff energy bars. Tootsie Rolls Frito's (can start a fire)
Quick Foods
walnuts, cashews Seeds/nuts
Peanut butter
Block Cheese & String Cheese ind wrapped
Boxes of raisins.
Nido – not nonfat mik
Idahoan instant mashed potatoes
Fig newtons,
Wheat Thins & Cabot Cheese blocks (knife)
Beans/legumes
Jerky/sausage
Dried fish
Summer Sausage or Landsjager
Pepperoni / Salami – Long shelf life
Pemmican
Retort Tuna/chicken / Mayo Packs on Rye.
Retort Spam
Instant Breakfast Drink or Protein Drink
Olive oil
Hard Boild Eggs with Salt packets
Apples/Oranges (small)
Focaccia Bread with Vegetables

HIGH CARBOHYDRATE
Pudding mix (fix ahead with Nido and needs a bowl and cold mountain Stream)
Cereals
Home style Baked cookies/breads
Crackers/chips
Granola bars/PopTarts
Flour/baking mix
Dried vegetables
Plain bagel And other hard breads
PopTart
Cliff energy bar.
Tortilla's
Cracklin' Oat Bran
Natr. Valley G’ola
Pringles / Saltines
Granola bar (Many Flavors)
Pretzels
Fig bars
Graham crackers
Dried at the store
*Dried apples
*Prunes
*Dried apricots
*Dried figs
*Fruit leather
+Pemmican
Yogurt covered Rasins

Flavored Water
Gatorade powder
Propel Singles
Crystal Light
Korean Ginsing & Turbinado sugar
Instant Tea / Sugar packets
Instant Coffee & Creamer done cold
herbal and fruit teas apple cider drink








Summer: 1 pound food/day, carbs and protien, little fat, to lose weight.
Spring/Fall: 2 pound/day, mostly carbs, some protien, little fat.
Winter: same as Spring/Fall, plus an extra pound of 50/50 fat/carbs.

My Spring/Summer/Fall food is stuff like:
Milk, Honey, Tea, Citrus, Oatmeal, Raisins, Dates, Almonds, Beef Jerky.

My extra winter food is stuff like:
Fudge
Salami
Fruit and Nuts - More nuts than in Spring/Summer/Fall
Bacon and Scones - Fat to make the scones, scones to soak up more fat
Chocolate Chips and Raisins - They pack well together
Olive Oil and Honey - Simple way to pack extra emergency food
Fruitcake - it's like eating condensed everything, and it WORKS!! (Plus there are plenty of people who'll give them away free at Christmas time!! )


Home-roasted pecans (or walnuts). Spread pecans on a cookie sheet, drizzle butter on 'em, season according to taste (I like hickory salt), and roast @350° until they start to turn a darker brown.

Peanut Butter
Real Butter (add to cooked meals)
Nutella
homemade high-cal baked goods (scones, cookies, etc...top with butter, peanut butter, or nutella)


I haven't edited this in a few years - feel free to add to what works for you! Don't quote this post - I am going to change it in a few hours.

[Wise Old Owl]

Maybe I'm lucky I don't experience "food boredom." The simpler the better for me. The more I hike, the simpler I want it. I guess I just eat to hike.

Tortillas remain my favorite bread because they pack easily and with because of high fat content they last nearly a week in the pack with some care.

Rolled oats are parboiled in processing, so they can be eaten easily without additional cooking. They make a good base for muesli/trail mix. I add whatever nuts and dried fruit and maybe coconut flakes I can find in the store where I resupply.

Like Burger says above, Idahoan potatoes are good and are available in a variety of flavors. Instant refried beans taste pretty good with corn chips and that's a good meal.

The first day or two out of town you can bring leftover pizza or a sub sandwich, some hardboiled eggs, some fresh greens, or whatever grabs your fancy as you leave town.
I agree - nice post Garlic

[daddytwosticks]

You guys are really making me want to try stoveless. But, I said it before and I'll say it again: HOT COFFEE! :)

[Drybones]

High calorie, high protein cereals with powdered milk in a zip lock for breakfast...justv add a little water.

[Wise Old Owl]

Quick Energy-packed
Energy Bars: The best energy bars are compact and have reasonable caloric density and nutrition. They are expensive though. I like Bars, and Lara Bars & Special K.- I like Nature Valley They have healthy, natural ingredients, less sugars and good nutrition. The Pro Bars are 125 calories per ounce. Brick Chocolate or Mounds In late summer use Hershey Kisses – less chance of melt since the Gulf War. (Reformulated) Fudge Bar or Nuttella Kendall Mint Cake Gorp bars - Snickers Hard ball Candy Cliff energy bars.
Tootsie Rolls (wont melt)
Frito's (can start a fire)
Peanut M&M's (or even better almond) are still great. Cheap, tasty, high in calories, easy to pack and eat

Quick Foods
walnuts, cashews Seeds/nuts
Peanut butter
Humus and Pita Chips
Block Cheese & String Cheese ind wrapped
Boxes of raisins.
Nido – not nonfat mik
Idahoan instant mashed potatoes
Fig newtons,
Wheat Thins & Cabot Cheese blocks (knife)
Beans/legumes
Jerky/sausage Summer sausages and cheese from Hickory Farms
Spam & Cheese
Dried fish
Summer Sausage or Landjaeger hikers companion
Pepperoni / Salami – Long shelf life
Pemmican
Retort Tuna/chicken / Mayo Packs on Rye. Choose packed in oil!
Retort Spam
Instant Breakfast Drink or Protein Drink
Olive oil
Hard Boild Eggs with Salt packets
Apples/Oranges (small)
Focaccia Bread with Vegetables


HIGH CARBOHYDRATE
Dense Breads. These are good vehicles for eating the peanut butter and cheese. Some crackers can be quite high in vegetable fat (good) and approach 130 calories per ounce. Breads have low caloric density (higher water content and little fat), rarely getting over 85 calories per ounce. The honey sesame sticks mentioned below are 130 calories per ounce.

Pudding mix (fix ahead with Nido and needs a bowl and cold mountain Stream)
Cereals
Home style Baked cookies/breads
Crackers/ Potato chips Suggest Pringles/Honey sesame Sticks /Fresh Pretzels with butter
Granola bars/Pop Tarts My Favorite - streusel cake
Flour/baking mix
Dried vegetables
Plain bagel And other hard breads
PopTart
Cliff energy bar.
Tortilla's
Cracklin' Oat Bran
Nature Valley G’ola
Pringles / Saltines
Granola bar (Many Flavors)
Pretzels
Fig bars
Graham crackers

Cream of Rice to be tested 160 kcal and introduced vitamins… ( I am on a fence )
Rice has the least nutritional value per weight cook time and whatever. IMO

Dried at the store
Apples
Prunes
Dried apricots
Dried figs
Fruit leather
Yogurt covered Raisins (avoid imitation)

Flavored Water
Gatorade powder
Propel Singles
Five Hour Energy (Don’t knock it!)
Korean Ginsing & Turbinado sugar Clearly a fav – best damn drink and its granular!
Instant Tea singles & Coffee & Creamer done cold Check out Mini Moo’s
herbal and fruit teas
Hot apple cider drink (no nutrition – just for fun) also works cold.

Made at Home
Pemmican
Dried apples- soaked in lemon & water sprinkle Brown sugar or a watered down honey on a dryer.
Nutella
homemade high-cal baked goods (scones, cookies, etc...top with butter, peanut butter, or nutella)
Hard Boiled Eggs


Rolled oats are parboiled in processing, so they can be eaten easily without additional cooking. They make a good base for muesli/trail mix. I add whatever nuts and dried fruit and maybe coconut flakes I can find in the store where I resupply.

Idahoan potatoes are good and are available in a variety of flavors. Instant refried beans taste pretty good with corn chips and that's a good meal.

The first day or two out of town you can bring leftover pizza or a sub sandwich, some hardboiled eggs, some fresh greens, or whatever grabs your fancy as you leave town.





Whole Fat Powdered Milk: Nestle Nido is a whole-fat powdered milk that is 140 calories per ounce and tastes great. It can usually be found at Hispanic markets. I use it to mix my own custom hot chocolate, and add it to breakfast cereals. Powdered milk is an animal protein that will complement vegetable proteins like soybeans and grains. Wonderful in coffee. Good source of calcium.
Whole Grain Cereals: I alternate between two breakfast cereals mixed with Nestle Nido whole-fat powdered milk. 1) Grape Nuts or the similar Kashi Seven in the Morning with freeze dried strawberries and other dried or freeze dried fruits. 2) Whole grain muesli (the high quality organic sort like Bob's) mixed with dried cherries, dates, strawberries and raspberries (dried or freeze-dried), dried blueberries, walnuts and almonds, etc.
Morning Caffeine — Tea: I make loose leaf tea, connoisseur style.. Coffee afficiandos may choose to make “Cowboy Coffee.” Starbucks singles Via




Freeze dried dinners are an interesting subject. Some can be quite tasty. But most dinners are bulky, very expensive, high in sodium and many have low caloric density. It is probably best to minimize their use to a few dinners on a trip. Try to make some simple dinners of your own based on ingredients like instant mashed potatoes or whole wheat cous cous (not my taste) I tend to use the simpler freeze dried meals that are lower in sodium and higher in fat (e.g. Backpackers Pantry Mac and Cheese). To them I add hot, freeze dried veggies from JustTomatoes.com to spice up meals and some olive oil to boost calories.



There are various curry pouches out there that just need to be heated in a pot of water and you could eat out of the pouch itself, just add either the summer sausage or maybe canned chicken for protein. One of my best sources is Trader Joes!

Don't carry extra food: I figure I can make it at least 3 days without any food. I've had to do this before and feel comfortable with my choice. Some mainstream outdoor training courses (NOLS, Outward Bound) have two to three food-less days in their programs. This is not a recommendation for others to do the same. You'll have to make your own decision on extra food. Maybe you will bring a bit less next trip.

"Skip" one day of food: I eat a huge breakfast or lunch before I start hiking the first day and I eat a huge meal when I get out. By boosting my off trail calories on the first and last day I eliminate carrying a whole day's worth of food in my pack. So for a weekend trip (three days and two nights) I might carry 3.4 pounds or less of food.





Some backpackers may choose to take meat jerky that will keep virtually forever and/or hard, dry salami. The protein in these meats will complement grain proteins (grape nuts, crackers, grains in energy bars, etc.). Many of these meats are also high in fat, increasing your calories per ounce.



Notes
Summer: 1 pound food/day, carbs and protien, little fat, to lose weight.
Spring/Fall: 2 pound/day, mostly carbs, some protien, little fat.
Winter: same as Spring/Fall, plus an extra pound of 50/50 fat/carbs.

My Spring/Summer/Fall food is stuff like:
Milk, Honey, Tea, Citrus, Oatmeal, Raisins, Dates, Almonds, Beef Jerky.

My extra winter food is stuff like:
Fudge
Salami
Fruit and Nuts - More nuts than in Spring/Summer/Fall
Bacon and Scones - Fat to make the scones, scones to soak up more fat
Chocolate Chips and Raisins - They pack well together
Olive Oil and Honey - Simple way to pack extra emergency food
Fruitcake - it's like eating condensed everything, and it WORKS!! (Plus there are plenty of people who'll give them away free at Christmas time!! )

Demetri Coupounas did this on his recent JMT through hike:

As an experiment, I tried carrying 100% raw, no-preparation required foods with me. The staple was mangoes, but there were also plenty of dates, pecans, macademia nuts, and kelp. The experiment went fantastically. I found that I needed far less raw food than I do cooked food to keep me feeling great and moving well. I consumed only 1.6 pounds per day. Having packed almost 3 pounds per day for an 11-day itinerary, I soon started looking for people I could give food to. These I found, thanks mostly to the fact that I was giving away macademia nuts I suppose. Over the trip, I parted with 12 pounds of food and still had 2 pounds left over at the end! I will pack far less next time. Basic strategy was to (1) eat all the fruit I wanted at each rest stop; (2) then have a handful of nuts to keep my body burning fat all day long; and (3) finish with a piece of kelp for electrolyte mineral balance and to keep my teeth pretty clean in between brushings/flossings. I’d follow this trio up with lots and lots of water. This routine made for twice daily glorious gifts to the Earth in GoLite’s official “Sun” color – too bad they had to go into cat-holes."


Home-roasted pecans (or walnuts). Spread pecans on a cookie sheet, drizzle butter on 'em, season according to taste (I like hickory salt), and roast @350° until they start to turn a darker brown.
Tortillas with the Laughing Cow cheese wedges (various flavors) and pepperoni or salami. You'll have to add something that's calorie dense since the cheese is only 35cals per wed

[takethisbread]

I appreciate the advice Wise Old Owl, but most of that is impractical on the AT and a lot of it requires boiling water . I also emphasized no energy bars. they are my least favorite food .

that said I read the part about the raw food and it intrigues me. that might be an area I can concentrate on. so thank you for that!
bagged nuts are easy to find and even sketchy looking convenience stores will have a couple bananas or a red delicious apple . I don't cook because it's less complicated on a thru hike, at the same time I don't do food drops for the same reason. I make do with what I can find.


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[Wise Old Owl]

I understand that you may think it needs to be cooked - but much of this is no - cook. Minute oats can be drank! Horses eat it... might need some flavor.

Here is the rub there isn't any weight savings. There isn't any calorie savings when it comes to raw food, in my mind... There was a Nat Geo program where they compared a Neanderthal to a Human at the same time... Neanderthals had to forage for raw food 6-8 hours a day. Eating raw foods caused Neanderthals to have a huge belly and had from the pelvis bones that supported them. Humans do not have the belly or similar intestines as they clearly cooked their food... Cooking reduces the energy needed to extract the calories and nutrients from the food. This reduces the need of the length of intestine.

So yes my list is mostly raw or uncooked and has been tested on the AT. Which ones did you think you had to cook?

[MuddyWaters]

I understand that you may think it needs to be cooked - but much of this is no - cook. Minute oats can be drank! Horses eat it... might need some flavor.



I often scoop a cup of dry oatmeal out of the can , and eat it at the computer. I like the way it turns to a gooey mess when you chew it a bit. Regular oats are perfectly fine uncooked.

Dont discount drenching any dry granola or oatmeal with olive oil or canola oil to boost calories either.

Store bought tortillas last for 3+ weeks in a ziplock. Its a staple. I only eat them on trail. Im somewhat of a tortilla afficionado, cook them at home a couple days per week. We always have fresh tortillas , and were not even mexican. Anything you can eat, is better in a fresh warm tortilla. Kids devour them with just honey.

[Wise Old Owl]

MW I am guessing this is a comfort level... if it's too windy-rainy-cold to cook what is your back-up plan?

[MuddyWaters]

MW I am guessing this is a comfort level... if it's too windy-rainy-cold to cook what is your back-up plan?

Eat food that doesnt need to be cooked?
Around 85% of my food doesnt require cooking, so its not hard to eat something else.
It helps if its tasty, so a big part of my food is junk food snacks, probably 75%.

Normal days food for me would be:

Bkfast-convenience store pastry, oatmeal raisin cookie, honey bunn, granola with powdered milk, etc.
Mid morn snack - MMs, jerky, little debbie snack of some kind
Lunch- tortillas with tuna salad, extra mayo or peanut butter/jelly, pepperoni and cheese, little debbie snack
Mid afternoon snacks - trail mix,little debbie snacks
dinner - pasta side with bacon, jerky, tuna, etc. Snack food dessert, usually a brownie

Not much cooking in there, one 600 cal pasta dinner basically.
If the weather is cool enough, there will be lots of chocolate, snickers, etc. Warmer weather necessitates oatmeal pies, fig bars, fudge brownies.
Drench whatever can in olive oil too.

[takethisbread]

I understand that you may think it needs to be cooked - but much of this is no - cook. Minute oats can be drank! Horses eat it... might need some flavor.

Here is the rub there isn't any weight savings. There isn't any calorie savings when it comes to raw food, in my mind... There was a Nat Geo program where they compared a Neanderthal to a Human at the same time... Neanderthals had to forage for raw food 6-8 hours a day. Eating raw foods caused Neanderthals to have a huge belly and had from the pelvis bones that supported them. Humans do not have the belly or similar intestines as they clearly cooked their food... Cooking reduces the energy needed to extract the calories and nutrients from the food. This reduces the need of the length of intestine.

So yes my list is mostly raw or uncooked and has been tested on the AT. Which ones did you think you had to cook?

I have only had rice and ramen uncooked. gross. a texture thing. I prefer to keep it very simple as some of my ressupply points early on especially, (NOC, neels gap , Fontana, dollar general in Hot Springs, mountain harbor) have very limited options although hiawasee , Franklin, Gatlinburg, and Erwin offer a wider array of options (although we are talking Ingles, Whites, ect, not exactly talking Market Basket, Whole Foods or Wegmans!) you have layed out which I appreciate . thanks so much.



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[Wise Old Owl]

Well tad awkward... I won't begin to "know" non cook but only made one FD meal on my last AT hike and gave up when the wind and chill prevented the alcohol stove was a disappointment. The trip was noooo-cook. Last two days I tied up a few loose ends and retried a few of the above list and it still works... it still needs a few ideas... but dense breads calories are the way to go.