What's on your menu?

[John Harper]

What's your normal backpacking meals, lunches, dinners, etc. More interested in the daily snack/lunch routine, but any lightweight meal ideas? What works? What looked good, but wasn't? Ramen noodles are light, somewhat good for hydrating, and easy, but loaded with sodium. Clif bars are boring, my homemade beef strips (spelling j**** didn't go) are good protein/fat source, string cheese keeps well, almonds too.

John

[DrCreek]

Dinty Moore beef stew and ChefBoyArDee Raviolis. I don't care that each can weighs a pound.

[WanderingBlues]

Always a fan of trail mix with dried fruits and M&M's.

[flybob]

Hey John, just packed my food for the GTW.
Here is my typical fare....but beware, I am a light eater, which works well for backpacking!

Breakfast:
Usually, 2 days of Mountain House Scrambled Eggs and Bacon, with a packet of McD's Salsa to kick it up, instant coffee. And 2 days of instant oatmeal with freeze dried apples thrown in, instant coffee.

Lunch, every day (always on the trail somewhere away from camp):
Warm beefjerky, (funny story there) and a Payday candy bar.

Happy Hour: (5pm) Martini and Olive, if I am not back in camp by 5, I get all weird.

Dinners, not necessarily in this order:
Mountain House Lasagna with a packet of crushed chile pepper and a packet of Parmesan cheese thrown in.
Mountain House Beef Stroganoff.....one of my favs.
Mountain House Beef Stew

Desert:
Mountain House Raspberry Crumble.

That is pretty much it.
I have a small bear canister, so the first night's meal does not go in it.

I empty all the contents from those big foil/plastic bags they come in and put everything into baggies.
they take up less space and pack down easier. I reuse the bag from my first night's meal and just rinse it out for the next. (less trash to pack out too)

I take a packet of powdered Gatorade for drink.

No pots and pans, just a JetBoil and a cup for coffee and Martini.

Hope this helps.

[RichardCullip]

I just received my food order from http://www.packitgourmet.com/ for the upcoming GTW backpack. I'm concentrating on food that doesn't need boiling water for rehydration. I'm seriously thinking about not packing a stove this trip.

For breakfasts I like their Jump Start Fruit Smoothies supplemented by a few Ritz crackers with some peanut or almond butter.

For lunch/snacks I bring some Lara Bars since I like them better than Cliff Bars. I also pack up some Gorp (cashews, craisens and peanut butter M&Ms). Almond M&Ms are also good. I'll also have a thin beef stick or two along. A small bag of Fritos might be along to satisfy a salty snack craving.

For dinner, I'm going with some of PackitGourmet's non-cook options. Their Kickin' Chicken Hot Wings wrap is pretty good. I'm also going to try their Mesquite Smoked Chicken Salad for one of the evening meals. I like a Walker's shortbread cookie or two for dessert.

[fly addict]

Back in the last century when I use to backpack we took real food and cooked it on a grill over an open fire that we carried with us. Stuff like porterhouse steaks, potatoes, fresh steamed carrots or corn for dinner on the first night. Bisquick was also a staple in our menu and biscuits on a stick were always good with a little honey or butter, you could use it to make pancakes too. After that we would eat fresh fish and rice or beans. For breakfast we would bring in eggs, potatoes and slab bacon with toast along with oatmeal. We carried enough cookware bouncing around off the back of our packs to scare away any bears. A couple of times I carried a high-powered rifle, hoping I could bag a deer. That never worked out, but nobody messed with us ether! If I was lucky my pack weighed less than 65 lbs. I didn’t really carry any beer with me, but a bottle of Tequila was usually in my pack. It had many uses from cleansing wounds to starting a quick fire and always a couple of shots before, and after dinner! There is no way I would backpack today and eat the freeze dried overpriced crap in a bag.

[DrCreek]

... I didn’t really carry any beer with me, but a bottle of Tequila was usually in my pack...

My hero.

[John Harper]

Back in the last century when I use to backpack we took real food and cooked it on a grill over an open fire that we carried with us. Stuff like porterhouse steaks, potatoes, fresh steamed carrots or corn for dinner on the first night. Bisquick was also a staple in our menu and biscuits on a stick were always good with a little honey or butter, you could use it to make pancakes too. After that we would eat fresh fish and rice or beans. For breakfast we would bring in eggs, potatoes and slab bacon with toast along with oatmeal. We carried enough cookware bouncing around off the back of our packs to scare away any bears. A couple of times I carried a high-powered rifle, hoping I could bag a deer. That never worked out, but nobody messed with us ether! If I was lucky my pack weighed less than 65 lbs. I didn’t really carry any beer with me, but a bottle of Tequila was usually in my pack. It had many uses from cleansing wounds to starting a quick fire and always a couple of shots before, and after dinner! There is no way I would backpack today and eat the freeze dried overpriced crap in a bag.

That's exactly how I used to roll, * them envirofascistcommietrouthuggerbastids. I'm looking at minimalist, just eat others scraps.

John

[Papasequoia]

I just eat golden trout for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bring some cornmeal, olive oil and garlic to fry them up and mmm, mmm, good!

[flybob]

Back in the last century when I use to backpack we took real food and cooked it on a grill over an open fire that we carried with us.

I didn’t really carry any beer with me, but a bottle of Tequila was usually in my pack.

There is no way I would backpack today and eat the freeze dried overpriced crap in a bag.

Sorry Mark, no more open fires allowed in the backwoods, at least not the GTW.

I still take 4 days worth of premixed gin martinis with olives. (more bang per fluid ounce!)

As for the freeze dried crap.....much better these days, and in 30 minutes I am done with dinner/breakfast, no dishes/pots/pans to clean up.....more time to fish the evening rise!

I am 57 years old, 20lbs overweight, bad knees, I cannot lug a 65lb pack at 11,000 feet anymore.....this year I am trying to keep it under 50, but I did opt for the Raspberry Crumble, that cost me another pound!

[John Harper]

I just eat golden trout for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bring some cornmeal, olive oil and garlic to fry them up and mmm, mmm, good!

That's not a bad idea, but I'd feel guilty about the one's I killed and ate after releasing so many. Why me? The poor trout would be looking at me, ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I'd probably have nightmares.

John

[87TT]

I have a dehydrator and dehydrate premade meals at home. I hate freezedried backpacking meals. For breakfast I like "Ova Easy" eggs with dehydrated hashbrowns(store bought) with Dried onion and peppers.Throw in a little shelf stable bacon or chorizo, or maybe some Brookies,yum. Or steam baked buscuits and gravy. Lunch I like burritos with instant refried beans and dehydrated spanish rice or a rehydrated meal of some sort. For dinner a rehydrated pasta meal of some sort like spagetti or penne. With a little research, you find that a lot of the stuff you eat at home can be dehydrated and works good for backpack food. I do buy bulk feeze dried items from Packitgourmet like meat and cheese. We have fiesta night with refried beans, spanish rice and chili cheese Fritos. Or chicken and dumplings.
Brookies

biscuits

[John Harper]

I usually dig up cicada nymphs and fry them, but it's their mating season, darn that 17 year cycle.

John

[1mocast]

I usually stick with Mountain House dinners. Take your pick, Stroganoff or Chili Mac for Breakfast and dinner. A little freeze dried kim chee thrown in. Add some miso soup, and/or the spicy ramen to rehydrate. What I HAVE TO HAVE is some good Italian salami...Yum..all that fat, salt and peppers.

For lunch - Trail mix, Cliff bar (Peanut butter crunch and/or Mac nut), some beef j3rky, and a bite size snickers bar.