Give me your lunch ideas

[KimShea]

Hi all! What are some good lunch ideas? Do you snack through the day? cook something? something not cooked? Take a longer lunch break or walk through it?

Taking 15yo kid to VA section at the end of the month and trying to firm up meal planning.

I'm leaning toward stopping for lunches for a break, but unsure if I want to break out the stove or not.

[chknfngrs]

Lunches for me are quick, easy and filling. Normally pack a sandwich from Subway for shorter day hikes or weekend hikes. Longer trips I’ll carry tortillas because they’re already smushed and load it with peanut butter and Oreos

[Venchka]

I watched videos of a CDT thru hike.
Lunch was sliced pepperoni and salami with cheese on tortillas. I have a feeling that the evening meals were similar.
The Hiker didn’t carry a stove.
Wayne

[bighammer]

Small jar of Nutella and/or peanut butter. Great on tortillas or spread on/dip dry fruit. Dry bananas (the chewy, sticky whole ones, not the crunchy slices are a favorite of mine) are great for this.

[CalebJ]

Small jar of Nutella and/or peanut butter. Great on tortillas or spread on/dip dry fruit. Dry bananas (the chewy, sticky whole ones, not the crunchy slices are a favorite of mine) are great for this.

Just so long as it's warm enough. Nutella is unbelievably hard below about 50 degrees.

[RockDoc]

Things like Nutella and dry bananas are more than half sugar. How about some nutrition, and not rotting our teeth?

Non-sugar ideas: Cheese (individually wrapped string cheese), hard boiled eggs, cooked bacon, beef jerky (non sugar), beef sticks, nuts

[devoidapop]

I like tortillas with nut butter and honey, then something salty and crunchy on the side like toasted seeds or fritos.

a hot lunch can be a good moral boost sometimes. just swap out a dinner meal or carry an extra pack or 2 of ramen for just in case.

[andymc]

Jack Links, Old Wisconsin beef or turkey sticks with some Dubliner cheese! SPAM single! Vienna sausage! I tend to splurge on processed foods while backpacking.

[KimShea]

Things like Nutella and dry bananas are more than half sugar. How about some nutrition, and not rotting our teeth?

Non-sugar ideas: Cheese (individually wrapped string cheese), hard boiled eggs, cooked bacon, beef jerky (non sugar), beef sticks, nuts

This sounds perfect to me. Nice proteins and no cooking.

[bigcranky]

My favorite is the Tuna Wrap. Whole wheat flour tortilla (they hold up for a week in my pack), pouch of tuna, a couple of mayo packets and some mustard, some sliced American cheese or chunks of cheddar. Different tuna flavors help vary things, like the spicy or smoked.

Other things that we eat for lunch on the trail:

Cheddar, jerky, and crackers, the classic quick lunch.
Flour tortilla w/peanut butter or Nutella. Add gorp for some crunch and more calories.
If I am leaving town early, I'll bring a Subway sub, or a tub of hummus and a cucumber. Or get an extra bagel sandwich or something at the breakfast place.
Turkey pepperoni in a tortilla with string cheese and mustard. Or good hard salami.

I generally don't cook at lunch.

[LittleRock]

I usually don't eat lunch on the trail. I bring a bunch of snack foods and stop for 10 minutes and eat something whenever I get hungry, usually 2-3 times/day. I avoid eating big meals in the middle of the day because then I just feel like taking a nap afterward.

My first (mid-morning) snack is usually protein-heavy, like a Clif bar or cheese and summer sausage, to give my body slow-burn fuel that will last. My last snack is usually when I'm about 3 miles from stopping for the day, and it's straight sugar, usually a candy bar, to give me a quick burst of energy for the final push.

That being said, I also usually bring an extra dinner and I've ended up eating it for lunch on several occasions, for example if I end up taking a long shelter break in the middle of a rainy day, if I'm feeling low energy and need some extra calories, or if I have a tough section and/or high mileage planned for the afternoon.

Regarding your stove question: depends on how long you want to stop. If you want to stop for less than 30 minutes, definitely no. If you want to stop for an hour or more, definitely yes.

[Ardency]

Pizza roll-up: tortilla, mozzarella stick, pepperoni stick, sundried tomatoes.

[illabelle]

We don't often cook for lunch, partly because we want to eat wherever, not feel like we have to be near water.

Our lunches include a lot of C's: crackers, cookies, chips, cheese, candy bars (or other healthier bars). We sometimes have nuts, and occasionally I'll carry a few apples or oranges for a welcome change. Occasionally I'll get more creative, but mostly we just wanna stop for a few minutes, so simple is good.

[HooKooDooKu]

I never cook for lunch.
Classically, I've done peanut butter on tortilla.
One of my son's liked pepperoni on a tortilla (and they make those small packages of them).
Lately, one of my favorite things has been pre-cooked bacon on tortilla.


I know when I did my JMT thru hike, I had a heavy pack (extra cloths, solar charger, bear canister, etc). So I made sure to rest for about an hour mid-day... including taking my boots off to help give my feet a break.

But when I'm doing my typical long weekend hikes in GSMNP, my pack is lighter and lunch breaks much shorter. No taking off boots, relaxing while eating lunch and perhaps watering up... and maybe setting some things out in the sun to dry depending upon the situation.

[T.S.Kobzol]

lately I learned how to make Onigiri (japanese rice ball sandwiches).

bought a mold/carrying case:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

found a how to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utkK...mpoyM8sxiRGg9k

Bought a large sack of sushi rice at our local Oriental store

Bought ingredients I wanted in Onigiri i.e. smoked salmon

Bought Nori (seaweed) to wrap the sandwich in so it can be held without making your fingers sticky and also because Nori tastes great and it's good for ya.

[Billy Goat]

We typically do stuff in tortillas. Tortillas hold up well, and a burrito sized white flour one is 200 calories by itself. Whole wheat is 220. Add tuna pack and hot sauce with cheddar cheese stick. Hard salami with mozzarella and mustard. Either of those usually are accompanied by wheat thins or triscuits. Nut butters are good as well, and I like to carry pb2 for longer hikes. Fruit and peanut butter is a great snack type lunch. Stoveless I've heard people cold soaking ramen from morning to lunch and eating from a Tupperware container. Not my style, but It could work.

Cheers,
The Goat

[OCDave]

Tuna pouch with tortillia
Summer sausage with tortilla
Peanut butter w/tortilla
Beef Jerky

Hard cheese added to any of to above on days 1-4
Dried fruit, especially mango or blue berries, if not already included in your trail mix.
Pretzels or Goldfish if not already included in your trail mix.

A candy bar, intentionally scheduled once daily with lunch.

[Game Warden]

For shorter hikes, I like any kind of flatbread, pita, etc, with summer sausage, cheese and a few olive oil packets.

[MuddyWaters]

Double post

[MuddyWaters]

Usually tortillas with peanut butter and jelly, or tuna and mayo. Some dried fruit, and some peanut m&Ms or small candy bars. Maybe a little cheese.

On a day leaving town, whatever you can buy to take with you. Breakfast burrito, sausage biscuit, subway sandwich, etc.