View Full Version : What is your main meal on trail and why?
The Miracle Man
06-21-2022, 19:16
Lots of suggestions, descriptions and methods of preparation for many different foods endemic to long distance hiking.
let's keep it short here, no long in depth responses please.
What is your staple main meal on trail and why. Not what gets feasted on in town. I'm asking the everyday most go-to, relied on and carried the most?
Cheers :)
MM
One Half
06-21-2022, 19:34
my every day breakfast on trail is 3 scrambled eggs with some combo of veggies, salsa and breakfast sausage. I make my own. See in my signature link to my freeze dried meals!
Packitgourmet.com , my favorite is Dotties chicken and dumplings and the Texas state fair chili. Why because it's the best I've ever had!!
TJ aka Teej
06-21-2022, 20:48
Stovetop stuffing and a packet of chicken.
Thru hiking, dinner
Freeze dried if available in town stop
Instance mashed potatoes with Fritos, and some add’l fat when freeze dried not available. Multivitamin and Clif Builder Bar for dessert. Instant potatoes are just that—ready to eat as soon as water hits them with a couple of stirs. .
B&M Brown Bread w/Raisins, peanut butter and Medulle dates. It's easy peasy and is delicious.
Dehydrated refried beans with some spices and Fritos. Jerky, peanut butter, cheese, pepperoni log.
Dehydrated steak or hamburger mixed with dehydrated vegetables and dried cheddar cheese. Add a tablespoon of olive oil.
High protein, low carb, moderate fat, intense savory flavor, high satiety per calorie.
Odd Man Out
06-22-2022, 00:20
Red lentils, basmati rice, curry, salt, olive oil.
Because these are raw beans and grain that cook quickly. Also, lentils and rice (dal bhat) is what fuels Nepalese porters.
my every day breakfast on trail is 3 scrambled eggs with some combo of veggies, salsa and breakfast sausage.
Eggs are just about the perfect trail food because of the protein. But I prefer mine in omelette form which is hard to prepare in camp, and eggs don't pack well anyway, so usually I get my egg fix during town stops. However, there's nothing stopping you from dropping a raw egg into a hot prepared meal.
I try to mix it up with Mountain Home, Knorr sides, PackItGourmet, instant ramen, instant potatoes, Stove Top stuffing, &c. for my hot meals so I'm not just eating cold snacks all the time.
Squeezable peanut butter is a packaging revelation. No more jars.
garlic08
06-22-2022, 07:45
Muesli, mixed in a bag outside the grocery store, with rolled oats, walnuts, and raisins.
somers515
06-22-2022, 07:54
Great question! My favorite is my home-made chilimac that I dehydrate at home. I have that quite often.
But I probably carry most often ramen tuna noodler (ramen, olive oil, parm. cheese, tuna packet)
Honorary mention to stuffing or couscous and chicken pouch, instant beans with instant rice, mashed potatoes and bacon
Basically, anything I can just FBC. Looking forward to checking back on this thread later and getting more ideas.
For dinner, my two go-to meals have been:
1) A dehydrated refried bean (Santa Fe) and rice (Knorrs) combination, often with tortillas to make burritos.
2) Dry tortellini (trader joes if possible) with pesto seasoning packet and full fat dry milk (nido).
Both with plenty of olive oil.
When I’ve resupplied in trail towns, usually I opt for knorrs sides, instant mashed potatos, stuffing, Mac & cheese, etc.
I try to eat healthier in my day to day life and resolved to try to do better on trail in the future. But I haven’t done a trip more than an overnight in almost three years.
peakbagger
06-22-2022, 08:54
Lipton (now Knorr) pasta side with a handfull of mixed dehdrated veggies from a selection I carry, followed by a half of Jello Instant pudding premixed with Nido or powdered milk with coffee creamer for supper. It works for me ;)
Breakfast, 2 oatmeals, one hot chocolate pack prepped in the same cup as the oatmeal to rinse the cup up partially, Lunch varies but someon on this hike posted long ago a mix of chewy sweet and salty. Usually jerky,fruit roll ups and gorp seems to be the standby. When backpacking the stomach really does not do much digestion or nutrient absorption except for simple sugars so while load it up?
Kittyslayer
06-22-2022, 15:26
Well my preferred main meal is typically freeze dried options with my favorites being Mountain House Beef Stroganoff or Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai with Chicken. I often add just a little bit less water than called for as I can always add more later.
Recently added the Knorr Power Rice Blend Burrito Bowl to my rotations. Ignored their long simmer times and practiced at home a few times for alternative cooking. Presoak with water in my cookpot, bring to a boil, then set aside in cozy for a while to finish.
As with any trail meals I like to add a bit of fresh ingredients. Garlic, ginger, onion, carrot, and if I am lucky enough a morel mushroom from the trail. And of course some soy sauce or spices. All served on a Tyvek placemat instead of eating in the dirt.
49435
Slo-go'en
06-22-2022, 15:57
I went stove less on my recent LASH from HF to DWG - PB+J for dinner, usual assortment of snacks for breakfast and lunch.
One Half
06-22-2022, 17:21
Eggs are just about the perfect trail food because of the protein. But I prefer mine in omelette form which is hard to prepare in camp, and eggs don't pack well anyway, so usually I get my egg fix during town stops. However, there's nothing stopping you from dropping a raw egg into a hot prepared meal.
I try to mix it up with Mountain Home, Knorr sides, PackItGourmet, instant ramen, instant potatoes, Stove Top stuffing, &c. for my hot meals so I'm not just eating cold snacks all the time.
Squeezable peanut butter is a packaging revelation. No more jars.
my eggs are freeze dried, as well as all the other ingredients I listed.
HooKooDooKu
06-22-2022, 20:44
Dinner: Minute Rice and chicken.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCflIoVkAjQnyAwDKFmhRDDw
Gear Skeptic has some pretty interesting info on backpacking food. FWIW.
Mountain House primarily, but also other brands when I get a good deal. With the shelf life of freeze dried meals always looking to stock when I see a sale online.
The Miracle Man
06-23-2022, 01:33
Great question! My favorite is my home-made chilimac that I dehydrate at home. I have that quite often.
But I probably carry most often ramen tuna noodler (ramen, olive oil, parm. cheese, tuna packet)
Honorary mention to stuffing or couscous and chicken pouch, instant beans with instant rice, mashed potatoes and bacon
Basically, anything I can just FBC. Looking forward to checking back on this thread later and getting more ideas.
I'm just wondering what the acronym FBC stands for? I haven't seen that one before. Thanks!
Recently added the Knorr Power Rice Blend Burrito Bowl to my rotations. Ignored their long simmer times and practiced at home a few times for alternative cooking. Presoak with water in my cookpot, bring to a boil, then set aside in cozy for a while to finish.
I've been doing the same thing for years with my Jetboil. Whether it is Knorrs or tortellini or Mac & Cheese, or most anything else, I bring the mixture to a full boil and then put the pot in a homemade cozy for about ten minutes. Then I bring it to a boil again (usually just 10-20 seconds) and put it back in the cozy for another ten minutes. At that point, almost any of these packaged foods are ready to eat. It saves a lot of fuel.
To make a homemade pot cozy, check out this article. The original pot cozy I made nine years ago is still the one I use today after hundreds and hundreds of meals.
https://blackwoodspress.com/blog/6582/ultralight-backpacking-pot-cozy/
Mikerfixit
06-23-2022, 07:20
I'm just wondering what the acronym FBC stands for? I haven't seen that one before. Thanks!
Freezer Bag Cook
When hiking from town to town, my food rotation is standard Knorr Sides, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Ramen (with veggies,cashews or peanuts if available) & Dressing etc . . . .
Every now & then, I'll obtain 4 freezer bags & make the following purchase:
Quick Oats, 42 ounce size divided up into 4 freezer bags (390 calories)
Carnation Breakfast Essentials Powder Drink Mix, 2 packets per bag (260 calories)
Instant nonfat powdered milk, about 1/4 cup in each bag (80 calories)
The 4 meals may be consumed hot or cold soaked.
This is my favorite meal for a weekend hike. I never get tired of it.
https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-dinner-recipe-beans-rice-with-fritos-cheese/
somers515
06-24-2022, 07:31
. . . 2) Dry tortellini (trader joes if possible) with pesto seasoning packet and full fat dry milk (nido) . . .
Hey Coffee! Mind sharing more details on this one? Do you FBC (freezer bag cook) the tortellini? I'm going to try this and see if I can add it to my backpacking menu list but I want to know exactly how you do it if you are willing to share!
Hey Coffee! Mind sharing more details on this one? Do you FBC (freezer bag cook) the tortellini? I'm going to try this and see if I can add it to my backpacking menu list but I want to know exactly how you do it if you are willing to share!
For the TJ tortellini, at home I measure out about 130 grams, or 4.5 ounces, and put this into a ziplock bag with a half packet of Knorr’s pesto sauce and 1-2 tablespoons of Nido full fat dry milk. When I’m ready to cook, I combine 14 ounces of water and 2 ounces of olive oil in my jetboil and add the contents of the ziplock to the pot. I bring this to a boil, being sure to mix while it heats up. As soon as it reaches a boil, I remove the pot from the stove and put it into my pot cozy for ten minutes. After ten minutes, I return the pot to the stove and again bring the mixture to a boil. Then it gets returned to the cozy again for ten minutes. Sometimes, I will do a third boil/cozy cycle but it’s basically done after the second cycle, if you don’t mind the pasta firm. I have never used freezer bag cooking and doubt it would work for this recipe because I need to reheat the mixture at least once.
I should mention that the dry tortellini has disappeared from my local Trader Joe’s but there is a Barilla brand that is similar at my local supermarket. It’s in the pasta aisle. TJ was $2.99 for a pound but the Barilla is about twice that much unfortunately. But essentially the same thing.
somers515
06-25-2022, 08:38
I should mention that the dry tortellini has disappeared from my local Trader Joe’s but there is a Barilla brand that is similar at my local supermarket. . . .
Thank you very much Coffee - I have the Barilla brand dry tortellini in my kitchen now and will give it a try!
The Miracle Man
06-25-2022, 17:46
When hiking from town to town, my food rotation is standard Knorr Sides, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Ramen (with veggies,cashews or peanuts if available) & Dressing etc . . . .
Every now & then, I'll obtain 4 freezer bags & make the following purchase:
Quick Oats, 42 ounce size divided up into 4 freezer bags (390 calories)
Carnation Breakfast Essentials Powder Drink Mix, 2 packets per bag (260 calories)
Instant nonfat powdered milk, about 1/4 cup in each bag (80 calories)
The 4 meals may be consumed hot or cold soaked.
This is my favorite meal for a weekend hike. I never get tired of it.
https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-dinner-recipe-beans-rice-with-fritos-cheese/49446
This post has it all, everything I had in mind with my query.
Simplicity, ease of acquiring simple ingredients, easy prep.
*Plus the awesome link which was the grand slam putting it right outta the park. :)
If you have the financial resources, join the AMC a week or so before you hit the Whites and book yourself into huts. For that stretch of trail, eat what they haul and cook for you and lighten the pack up considerably. He huts aren’t cheap, but when you factor in the food and the hauling I felt they were a pretty good deal. So were the four walls on a couple of wet, blustery afternoons.
I booked online from Rattle River (RIP) headed SOBO July of 21. No problems with availability. YMMV.
It was also a great social experience, talking with mostly non thru hikers, but still outdoors people.
The Miracle Man
06-26-2022, 05:19
If you have the financial resources, join the AMC a week or so before you hit the Whites and book yourself into huts. For that stretch of trail, eat what they haul and cook for you and lighten the pack up considerably. He huts aren’t cheap, but when you factor in the food and the hauling I felt they were a pretty good deal. So were the four walls on a couple of wet, blustery afternoons.
I booked online from Rattle River (RIP) headed SOBO July of 21. No problems with availability. YMMV.
It was also a great social experience, talking with mostly non thru hikers, but still outdoors people.
Thanks Hank! I just popped over to THE TREK/Allalachian trail and had a look at their huts page. "The Huts" aka "High huts of the White Mountains". Looks awesome and yes indubidably, indeed and in earnest shall I be stoppig in.
the only downside I saw, if there was one, is that for $90 to $140 per night I cannot charge devices there.
Copy & paste from their site~ "The Huts do not have electricity outside of the kitchen and dining room, so no – you cannot charge your phone".
Ah well, it will be a welcome respite nonetheless.
MM
Yeah, they aren’t hostels. But they are 2 hots and a cot. But if by the time you hit Hanover, you can do 25 mile+ days followed by another full day, and not come in after dark, then you could use them.
From Hanover or Glencliff, I would send my stove, tent body, poles and stakes forward to Gorham. Retaining with me tent fly and sleep system, enough to survive a cold night uncomfortably. Leave Glencliff (Hikers Welcome, where I haven’t stayed) or Jeffers Brook with a days worth of cold food for emergencies, and then haul ass with a light pack from hut to hut, skipping roughly every other one. As a SOBO, a bit intimidated by what I read about the Whites, I did not skip every other, but did make most of my legs <10 miles. That did give me time to enjoy the beautiful scenery when the weather was decent. But I burnt up a lot of daylight that I later regretted down south. However I was so grateful to have a short day pulling into Madison Hut with 50F temps and sideways rain, and to grab a bowl of hot soup. I didn’t think out shipping gear to myself in Hanover, but wish I had.
HYOH, this isn’t cheap, but few thrus seem to understand what the huts can do for you on a paying (vs work for stay) basis, that I like to bring it up to those in the 50+ bracket.
As recent events have shown, you have to respect the Whites
The Miracle Man
06-26-2022, 14:28
Yeah, they aren’t hostels. But they are 2 hots and a cot. But if by the time you hit Hanover, you can do 25 mile+ days followed by another full day, and not come in after dark, then you could use them.
From Hanover or Glencliff, I would send my stove, tent body, poles and stakes forward to Gorham. Retaining with me tent fly and sleep system, enough to survive a cold night uncomfortably. Leave Glencliff (Hikers Welcome, where I haven’t stayed) or Jeffers Brook with a days worth of cold food for emergencies, and then haul ass with a light pack from hut to hut, skipping roughly every other one. As a SOBO, a bit intimidated by what I read about the Whites, I did not skip every other, but did make most of my legs <10 miles. That did give me time to enjoy the beautiful scenery when the weather was decent. But I burnt up a lot of daylight that I later regretted down south. However I was so grateful to have a short day pulling into Madison Hut with 50F temps and sideways rain, and to grab a bowl of hot soup. I didn’t think out shipping gear to myself in Hanover, but wish I had.
HYOH, this isn’t cheap, but few thrus seem to understand what the huts can do for you on a paying (vs work for stay) basis, that I like to bring it up to those in the 50+ bracket.
As recent events have shown, you have to respect the Whites
I'm in the planning/research stage now. Definitely have these Huts penciled in. I'll be 55 in a few weeks and turning 56 on the trail next year in '23. Since being disabled by being hit by the SUV -I really was busted up pretty good Feb 15th '19, I do feel a tad achey breaky since. A pit stop with hot chow and indoors/bed/roof will be nice. I'm going SOBO too.
somers515
06-27-2022, 12:14
Just had it for lunch at home to test it out before trying it out on the trail and it was great - thank you again Coffee!
I slightly adjusted prep as I prefer to just use my jetboil just to boil water.
1/2 bag (about 6oz) of Barilla Tortellini Three Cheese pasta in a quart freezer bag.
1/2 packet of Knorr Pesto sauce mix and 1T of dry milk in a separate snack ziplock bag.
1T of olive oil (I'm usually carrying a small bottle of it anyway)
FBC just the tortellini, sitting for 10mins, then I drained the water.
Then I added the pesto, dry milk and olive oil and again FBC, sitting for another 10mins.
I didn't keep track of how much water as I did enough to cover the pasta and I gave it a good mix the second time.
Hope this is helpful and let's keep everyone's favorite dinner recipes coming!
I'll have to give that FBC version a try! There are times when I think FBC could work but I've never really tried.
peakbagger
06-27-2022, 17:28
My normal comments on the huts. Even with an AMC membership they are not cheap and they are very popular so reservations are must on weekends. Sort of hard to plan. Early season there are openings that either the huts crews can help with or your call the AMC. Refunds are limited if you do not make them well in advance. This means there can be no shows that free up spaces and the huts crews try to fill them with paying guests. The huts are set up to serve the maximum number of guests, they pack them in. Bring earplugs and a sleeping mask may be helpful as there is traffic back and forth to the shared restrooms all night. There is no hot water, some huts may have an outdoor cold water shower. The "must visit" huts are Greenleaf (near the summit of Lafayette) Lake of the Clouds (near Mt Washington) and Madison Hut (near Madison). Zealand huts and Lonesome Lake are family huts at lower elevations. Greenleaf and Carter Notch have their charms while Mitzpah is jist a wide spot in the trail in good location. If you can only chose one, Lake of the Clouds is the one as there are no good alternatives to do the presidential ridge.
If you can find someone to drive you around, there are options to slack the whites, it adds extra mileage but not having to carry a backpack offsets some of the extra effort.
Five Tango
06-27-2022, 18:29
I had medul dates and pnut butter for breakfast this morning.Am running low on the B&M brown bread but that's what I had last trip out as I went without a stove.Fortunately I was able to mooch some cowboy coffee and it was awesome.
chknfngrs
06-30-2022, 07:08
my heart belongs to Skurka’s beans and rice. Slam dunk every single time. Like, every single time. Never disappoints.
https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-dinner-recipe-beans-rice-with-fritos-cheese/
Ankle Bone
06-30-2022, 09:29
Lots of suggestions, descriptions and methods of preparation for many different foods endemic to long distance hiking.
let's keep it short here, no long in depth responses please.
What is your staple main meal on trail and why. Not what gets feasted on in town. I'm asking the everyday most go-to, relied on and carried the most?
Cheers :)
MM
B - Cliff Bar and Coffee
L - Jerky or Cheese or Gorp or Peanut Butter on flat bread
D - Freeze dried beans and rice and vegetables and couscous
I use couscous because it's the easiest to fix and it's non-stick.
my heart belongs to Skurka’s beans and rice. Slam dunk every single time. Like, every single time. Never disappoints.
https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-dinner-recipe-beans-rice-with-fritos-cheese/
BIG PROBLEM!
About a week or two ago I made an exhaustive internet search for the Santa Fe brand instant refried beans.
Zero! Zip! Nada!
I guess I could live on the Breakfast Essentials, NIDO and Whey Protein shakes! As long as my Bottle Blender doesn’t break!
Wayne
chknfngrs
06-30-2022, 12:09
The Santa Fe beans are expensive and someone else suggests casa corona in a 3# bag. Boom. Done.
The Santa Fe beans are expensive and someone else suggests casa corona in a 3# bag. Boom. Done.
Interesting.
In Texas. Admittedly a few years ago. I was buying the Santa Fe beans for $1 to $2 per bag, depending on a sale price or regular price.
I haven’t tried to buy any since moving East.
Wayne
Interesting.
In Texas. Admittedly a few years ago. I was buying the Santa Fe beans for $1 to $2 per bag, depending on a sale price or regular price.
I haven’t tried to buy any since moving East.
Wayne
Everything cost twice as much as it used to just a few years ago!
A very sad state of affairs!
Five Tango
07-01-2022, 08:14
Everything cost twice as much as it used to just a few years ago!
A very sad state of affairs!
I will turn 70 this month.When I started primary school a Coca-Cola cost 5 cents and gas was under a quarter a gallon.Let that sink in a while......... But I would think if you like dehydrated bean items they will always be lower on the price scale compared to the more processed ready to eat meals out there.Ditto for dehydrated potatoes and rice.
Everything cost twice as much as it used to just a few years ago!
A very sad state of affairs!
Indeed… Santa Fe beans used to be cheap and easily available on Amazon. I still have four bags in my pantry.
Minimum wage was .75/hr in 1952 as well.
Lol the average yearly income was $3,515 .
Back to the OP, planning food for an AT thru. It’s fun to plan while you’re at home itching to go, sort of vicarious way to “go”. And you could provide yourself with more variety, less expensively from home. But at the cost of having to make your hiking schedule synch with your logistics schedule. Hitting PO’s on time, hostels having space at the time you arrive etc.
One of the beauties of the AT is the dense network of along the way supply that you can adapt as your hike evolves.
My SOBO logistics were to bring 10 days of food with me to AT Lodge, pay for the midway food drop because that much food wouldn’t fit in my pack. After that I would just try to tilt my town shopping to have more 9cal/gram fats tha 4cal/gram protein and carbs and still be palatable. Always added 2-3 tbsp olive oil or ghee to dinner, +4-600 cals
HYOH, but that approach let me focus on my hike, without either speeding up or slowing down to meet my box on time.
The Miracle Man
07-02-2022, 23:04
Back to the OP, planning food for an AT thru. It’s fun to plan while you’re at home itching to go, sort of vicarious way to “go”. And you could provide yourself with more variety, less expensively from home. But at the cost of having to make your hiking schedule synch with your logistics schedule. Hitting PO’s on time, hostels having space at the time you arrive etc.
One of the beauties of the AT is the dense network of along the way supply that you can adapt as your hike evolves.
My SOBO logistics were to bring 10 days of food with me to AT Lodge, pay for the midway food drop because that much food wouldn’t fit in my pack. After that I would just try to tilt my town shopping to have more 9cal/gram fats tha 4cal/gram protein and carbs and still be palatable. Always added 2-3 tbsp olive oil or ghee to dinner, +4-600 cals
HYOH, but that approach let me focus on my hike, without either speeding up or slowing down to meet my box on time.
Nice job bringing it back on track Hank.
I have roughly the span of a year yet to weave plans together. No worries. Presently I am fiddling with a staple regular carry of food to span X number of days between towns-PO's/stops/resupplies. Ample and adequate nutrition is my main focus. Variety not so much.
I am the sort who can eat the same main meal day after day after day. That certainly eases and streamlines the logistics for me but I realize that not everyone can stand that type of monotony.
MM
Carla142
09-22-2022, 18:29
FBC is freezer bag cooking
1/2 cup of minute rice, 1/2 cup of dried veggies from Harmony House, packet of tuna, chicken, or Spam. You can vary the combinations endlessly, and use potatoes (instant masehd or Harmony House dried) or cous cous instead of rice. some samples:
rice, peas, peppers, teriyaki tuna
rice, black beans, buffalo chicken
potatoes, cabbage, peas, SPAM
Inexpensive, lots of variety, and you can carry the products in bulk to minimize waste packaging.
cmoulder
09-23-2022, 06:26
When hiking from town to town, my food rotation is standard Knorr Sides, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Ramen (with veggies,cashews or peanuts if available) & Dressing etc . . . .
Every now & then, I'll obtain 4 freezer bags & make the following purchase:
Quick Oats, 42 ounce size divided up into 4 freezer bags (390 calories)
Carnation Breakfast Essentials Powder Drink Mix, 2 packets per bag (260 calories)
Instant nonfat powdered milk, about 1/4 cup in each bag (80 calories)
The 4 meals may be consumed hot or cold soaked.
This is my favorite meal for a weekend hike. I never get tired of it.
https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-dinner-recipe-beans-rice-with-fritos-cheese/
Recently I modified Skurka's excellent recipe to make red beans and rice, and I even carried along some Andouille sausage. When the weather gets colder one can carry some foods that might normally spoil.
I used Minute Rice (Jasmine), Santa Fe refried beans, some Harmony house dehydrated red beans, Zatarain cajun seasoning and the sausage. Crazy good. I'd eat this at home any time.
49576
Odd Man Out
09-24-2022, 13:28
Basmati Rice, red lentils, curry, salt, olive oil. (optional meat - chicken, tuna pouch, bacon bits, etc). 125 g of dry ingredients, 2 cups water, and eveything else in pot, boil, put in pot cozy, let set 20 min, eat.
Why? Tastes great, cheap, nothing processed, basmati rice and red red lentils cook fast enough there is no need to pre cook, dehydrate). Lentils are good dource of fiber and potassium. Dahl bat (lentils and rice) fuel Nepelese porters.
All meals pre-prepared and sealed in plastic. Measured and weighed. High protein, moderate fat, low carb. Based on dehydrated meat (homemade sliced steak, hamburger, ham, bacon, not commercial freeze dried), dehydrated cheese, olive oil, dehydrated vegetables, and spices particularly dried garlic. Cook 2 meal/s day; breakfast (around mid morning after hiking), wing it for lunch with jerky, nuts, cheese sticks, dried fruit, 95% chocolate. It's the steak and eggs diet! Satisfying, nutritious, no more expensive than buying commercial foods. Avoids downstream problems of high carb/sugar based hiker diets="T2D starter kits".
wornoutboots
10-06-2022, 20:27
When I thru-hiked, my main meal was a Protein/Recovery Shake at my 3-3:30 break before cranking out another 10-15 miles.
MtDoraDave
10-08-2022, 04:23
Breakfast:
Instant coffee w/ hot cocoa powder
pop-tarts
Snack:
cliff bars
Lunch:
tortillas with blend of Peanut butter and nutella
Dinner:
Knorr sides w/ packet of chicken (or tuna)
I use a packet of mayonnaise for the "oil". Mayo is basically oil and egg yolks, and it melts into the dish so you don't see or taste it.
packets of hot sauce and/or soy sauce add flavor when desired.
After dinner drink:
sleepy time herbal tea.
Breakfast—paleo or Keto granola, instant coffee
Snacks bars and nuts
Lunch—an extended snack
Dinner—a freeze dried 2 serving if last town had an outfitter. 4 serving Mashed potatoes with Fritos and olive oil or ghee if no outfitter. Clif Builder bar for dessert.
High-Milage Hiker
04-28-2023, 03:23
I think the great Andrew Skurka hiked the AT almost exclusively on trail mix just to save time and effort. He calls it, "caloric drip". Brilliant. He's both a hiking prodigy and a hiking legend.
maremieisen
08-02-2023, 06:07
One of my favorite things to make is what I call, "Instant Thanksgiving". It's essentially stuffing mix with a packet of chicken, a packet of chicken or turkey gravy mix, a couple of 100 calorie packets of nuts and dried fruits, tvp, dried parsley, freeze-dried corn, freeze-dried scallions, butter or ghee, water, and whatever else you can think to add.
1 packet StarKist Premium White Chicken (80 cal)
1 packet Watkins Organic Chicken or Turkey Gravy Mix (80 cal)
2 packets Emerald Cashews, Almonds, & Cranberries (200 cal)
1/4 c (about 1/2 oz) Karen’s Naturals freeze-dried corn (50 cal)
1/4 c (about 1/2 oz) Bob’s Red Mill TVP (80 cal)
1/3 pkg (about 2 oz) Stove Top chicken or turkey stuffing (220 cal)
1 T dried parsley
1 T freeze-dried scallions
2 T butter or ghee (220 cal)
2 cups cold water
Total calories: 960 calories
At home, pre-mix corn, stuffing mix, parsley, and scallions in a baggie. At camp, mix water, gravy mix, chicken, fruits and nuts in pot (use water to rinse out chicken packet, it holds about a cup). Add butter. Heat until boiling, stirring frequently, then remove from heat, add remaining ingedients, stir to combine, cover, and allow to rest at least 5 minutes to rehydrate. Uncover, stir again, and enjoy!
Pack trash in the baggie you used for the stuffing mix, and dispose of properly.
G-FOURce
01-12-2024, 17:30
Backcountry Shepard's Pie
Instant mashed potatoes (any brand, available everywhere)
Trailtopia freeze-dried ground beef (GGG)
Freeze-dried mixed vegetables (any brand, Amazon)
Kate Natural heavy cream powder (Amazon)
Judy's white cheedar cheese powder (Amazon)
It's Just! powdered butter (Amazon)
beef bouillon powder (available everywhere)
cayenne pepper (optional, of course)
I mix the veggies and meat together and add just enough hot water to cover them in a ziploc and let them sit for 10 minutes. I do them separately b/c they take longer. I then add everything else, add more water, mixing and adding until I get it where I like it, and then set it aside another 5-7 minutes. Also, the bouillon and cayenne are preferences and for use at your own discretion. Sorry I don't have measurements, but I just wing it every time (never failed yet).
VeganHiker
02-21-2024, 20:35
Rice and beans with greens. Use freeze dried greens for weight savings and boxes. Kale Spinach or any other fresh green is actually better. Just chop it up so it fits in one of those backpacking instant meals packets and throw in a little salt its good for days if not indefinitely. You can use canned beans right from the store if necessary just drain in the can and rinse if they have a thick liquid. Bring a small can opener. It amazes me how almost no one brings a can opener nowadays.
Quinoa with greens.Rinse and soak it. Can put tempeh or even mushrooms if so desired. Adobo or salt, pepper, garlic and oil for tempeh seasoning.
For breakfast, oatmeal with chia and the least processed sugar as you can find. Feel free to add walnuts, hemp, pecans, blueberry, banana. Thats serious fuel and takes almost no time to cold soak.
Gambit McCrae
02-22-2024, 10:07
My only main meal is tuna creations. 3 per day, 1 for lunch and 2 for dinner. There are also packets that have noodles or rice and beans added in, I really like those too and only require 1 of them for dinner and 1 for lunch. Throw in some combos and you have a tasty dinner with some texture. No stove for years now, it just reduced so much....The stove kit, transporting fuel, resupplying fuel, wait time to boil water, reduction in safety concerns, the extra water for boiling a meal, there is a lot that goes into having "hot" food and the reality is I dont miss it one bit. I eat my tuna on trail and look forward to townfood!
Daybreak
02-22-2024, 11:46
Muesli, mixed in a bag outside the grocery store, with rolled oats, walnuts, and raisins.
Muesli bought at town stops as rolled oats, dried milk and random daily mixture of available raisins, craisins, dried or dehydrated fruit, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, and pecans (mixed with cold water).
Instant plain potatoes mixed with lots of milk and butter along with packaged gravy mix and smoked sausage.
When using long simmering stove: Zatarains red beans and rice, extra peppers, and smoked sausage.
Instant mashed potatoes with Fritos and olive oil.
Patrickjd9
03-01-2024, 11:56
Knorr pasta side dishes, sometimes with cooked chicken in a pouch added. Most commonly this Alfredo Broccoli.
http://https://www.knorr.com/us/en/p/alfredo-broccoli-pasta-side.html/00041000022432