What would your meal plan look like for 2 night backpack trip

[Quint]

Wife and I have done some backpacking but not a whole lot, longest trip was 2 nights 3 days. Our grocery list consisted mostly of the dehydrated food from EMS or REI I was wondering what others take along that spice up the culinary experience a bit. How would you plan your meals for 2 or 3 nights out. What spices, herbs, cheeses, meals would you bring along. What would you do for breakfast, lunch, munchies etc.

 

[Rainman]

I usually don't do much for lunches, Bagels with cream cheese travel well, as well as PB&J on a pita, or cheese and crackers. For breakfast I just do instant hot oatmeal. Dinners are where I spend more thought: rice and beans (minute rice and instant refried beans) sometimes stuffed in green peppers (on the first night usually), Lipton rice package and a package of tuna or chicken, Mac and Cheese, instant mashed potatoes with brown gravy and beef jerky are all on my menu at some point. I always bring along hot chocolate and tea bags for a hot beverage which tastes good once camp is set up, or first thing in the AM. If you stroll through the local grocery you will probably find many other options as well.

 

[RollingRock]

I usually don't do much for lunches, Bagels with cream cheese travel well, as well as PB&J on a pita, or cheese and crackers. For breakfast I just do instant hot oatmeal. Dinners are where I spend more thought: rice and beans (minute rice and instant refried beans) sometimes stuffed in green peppers (on the first night usually), Lipton rice package and a package of tuna or chicken, Mac and Cheese, instant mashed potatoes with brown gravy and beef jerky are all on my menu at some point. I always bring along hot chocolate and tea bags for a hot beverage which tastes good once camp is set up, or first thing in the AM. If you stroll through the local grocery you will probably find many other options as well.

Gee...when I read your response I thought it was me writing! Glad to know we are both on the same page!

 

[TEO]

You live in Peabody or thereabouts? Go to Karl's. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH. http://www.karlssausage.com/ Pick up two links per day per person of Landjäger (a small smoked sausage). Also pick up some Smoked Bratwurst and some Debreciner (also a smoked sausage) for dinner or a part of lunch (one link per person per meal). I've never cooked the Smoked Bratwurst, but always cooked the Dreciner, because the latter is only lightly smoked. Go ahead & pick up some Rittersport chocolate bars while you're there, too.

The nice thing about freeze-dried backpacking meals is that you cook them in the pouch, which will then double as a small trash bag, and means that you don't have to wash your cooking pot. For spicing these up, try bringing Huy Fong Sriracha repackaged in a small container.

For lunch, I've taken to using whole-wheat tortilla wraps, which means no leavened bread to crush. Fill the wrap with whatever you like: sliced salami, Herbs de Provence, & the Cabot cheese of your choice; PB&J; or, and this is what I've been doing the last couple of years, peanut butter, Nutella, and Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar.

For a snack: MMGORP (I mix up whatever the closest packaging to a pound is for each of the following: dark chocolate, M&Ms, raisins, & honey-roasted peanuts, and then take two to four big handfuls per day.)

For breakfast I've always used instant oatmeal, but should probably switch to regular oatmeal, as there's a lot of crap in the instant stuff. Bring along a small container of Vermont Maple Syrup. (Accept no substitutes and beware of the imposters selling Canadian maple syrup, but pretending to be from Vermont, eh?)

 

[Quint]

Karls is right down the street from me, only been in there once, forgotten what I got but remember thinking it was excellent.

 

[sierra]

I do not like dehydrated dinners. 2 meals I like. 1. 1 pack flavored noodles, 1 pack chicken gravy, 1 can mixed vegi's, 1 can cooked chicken, all in one pot. 2. Rice with 1 packet of salmon thrown in or little shrimp ( in can ).. Other foods, Beef jerky, block of cheese, salami, nuts, cliff bars, gel pacs, dried pineapples, coffee, believe it or not I have a perculator.

 

[natron]

typically i eat snacks during the day, dehydrated fruit, cheez its, beef jerky, trail mix, protein bars. cook at camp for dinner and breakfast. dinner; instant mash potatoes, stuffing, ramen. breakfast oatmeal with dried fruit. some of my backpack trips I add brookies to the diet.

 

[Quint]

Brookies? Meaning brook trout? Now that I'd love, fresh from the river mmmmm.............

 

[Quint]

........ believe it or not I have a perculator.

Now that's awesome! what a difference that would make in the morning to have a nice perc'd cup if joe. Is it made for hiking with or did you just find something that is small and works? You just got me thinking about this and I bet a small french press would work nicely. Jetboil the water and wah lah.............

 

[Chachie]

Our grocery list consisted mostly of the dehydrated food from EMS or REI I was wondering what others take along that spice up the culinary experience a bit.

My first backpacking trip (4 day Pemi Loop-ish, yikes!) I had a similar menu. Now, I can't even look at a bag of Mountain House without feeling a bit green in the gills.

Previous posters have had some really great ideas. I think its important to consider your various carvings and figure out smart ways to satisfy them.

Here are the 10 cravings known to man (this man) in no particular order:

Cheesey, Salty, Sweetie, Chocolatey, Fruity, Chewy, Crunchy, Savory, Meaty, and Carby (bread-like):


Some food stuffs can satisfy multiple cravings and that's the key to avoid over packing your food bag. Beef jerky is good for chewy, savory, salty, and meat. Pita chips: Salty, crunchy, and carbs. Chocolate covered dried cranberries: sweet, fruit, chocolate, chewy. Etc.

Unsatisfied cravings can lead all kinds of problems on the trail such as: Grump-face, Failure to Strive, The Quits, and the dreaded Pizza-Rush.

Don't forget to eat your vegetables.

 

[Stan]

There is no reason not to enjoy a wholesome, hearty and tasty meal at camp.

Chicken Cous Cous -

repackage the cous cous adding dried cranberries to your taste
pack a snack bag with your favorite herbs and a couple cloves of fresh garlic which you will slice thinly at camp
a can of chicken and a can opener (size depending on your number and appetite)
a small container of olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your skillet 1/8-1/4 inch)

at camp, heat the skillet and when warm add the olive oil and sliced garlic
at about the time the aroma of garlic drifts over to nearby envious campers, add the chicken
as the chicken starts to heat up slowly add water until you get enough to cook the cous cous
stir this concoction until the chicken is well heated and the cous cous cooked to your satisfaction

serve with red wine and sour dough bread

Tips:

1. A good appetizer while you're waiting is to slice some of that bread about 1/4-1/2 inch and top with olive oil, sliced tomatoes (yep, they can survive a day in a plastic container in your pack), cheese (which also travels well) and basil.
2. Read the directions on the cous cous package to help in determining proportions but after doing this a couple times you'll never need to measure again. Try it at home first; if you're a lousy cook at home you're not going to improve at camp though you'll probably be so hungry it won't matter.
3. You'll find that you can vary this recipe by varying the starch and matching it to a canned compatible meat (e.g. pasta and chopped clams/clam sauce, rice and whatever). The key, in my mind, is starting with the garlic and oil. I'll bet there is a variation of this recipe using macaroni and cheese along with the precooked bacon that I find travels well ... I've used it for the following breakfast.

 

[Scubahhh]

Here's a great site with loads of FBC recipes- the only way to go at least for inner, IMHO.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipe-home/

 

[Summerset]

+1 for Scubahh's link! Excellent recipes for dinners. My son and I spent two weeks hiking the AT in Maine this month and we did the FBC for dinners and never had the same dinner twice. Freezer bag cooking (FBC) is much cheaper, too, especially for two hungry hikers than Mountain House or similar. You might be able to make some up with meals you already have at home, such as the couscous already suggested or instant rice or ramen noodles (ditch the flavor packet and just use the noodles).

As far as breakfasts, lunch, snacks, we did do some FBC for breakfast if we wanted a hot breakfast, but lunch and snacks ended up being about the same stuff. We just tried to make sure there was variety in taste, like Chachie mentioned. Not everything was sweet (granola, trail mix, bars, candy), so we added things like chips, crackers, salted nuts, beef jerky, cheese, etc. For a two day trip, unless the temps are really hot, most cheese travels amazingly well. It doesn't usually last beyond two days for us anyway. Tortillas are great for any meal/snack, you can put just about anything in them and make something tasty. You can buy single peanut butter packets now, JIF, I think. They're great since you don't have to bring the whole jar for just a few days or figure out how to repackage the sticky product. Oh, and precooked bacon! I forgot about that. You can do a lot of yummy things with that.

 

[NorthShore]

I've always been partial to cous cous spiced up in a variety of ways. The basic recipe is to heat a pouch of salmon in some olive oil with a little seasoning, add water and bring to a boil, add the cous cous, remove from heat and stir. Wait few minutes and eat it. This also uses very little fuel.

I usually jazz it up. I've brought fresh veggies which get sautéed in the olive oil before the salmon goes in to heat. Variations include bringing a pepper, Portobello mushroom, even an onion, chorizo sausage, sundried tomatoes. I've often brought fresh veggies for overnighters, but you could substitute dried veggies for the fresh. I liken the gussied up version to a backpackers paella and on rare occasion I've left out the cous cous at the end and it makes a nice soup/stew. A pouch of chicken with some sausage makes a nice combo too.

I do not like to carry cans (with rare exceptions for a can containing barley, hops, etc.)

 

[sierra]

Now that's awesome! what a difference that would make in the morning to have a nice perc'd cup if joe. Is it made for hiking with or did you just find something that is small and works? You just got me thinking about this and I bet a small french press would work nicely. Jetboil the water and wah lah.............

It was made for hiking, although more suited for a basecamp. I love coffee, I don't eat in the morning just coffee, so I go the extra mile brewing it and my companions love it. It's made of light steel and although a little bulky, its my favorite piece of overnight gear. I've also used a French press, they are not bad either. I pack honey for a sweetener.

 

[TEO]

Another reason to go with commercial freeze-dried meals or FBCs is that you save fuel, because you only have to bring your water to a boil. For a simple overnight or two in the summer, this may not be an issue, but on extended trips, or when you're doing winter trips, and have to melt snow for water, fuel conservation becomes more of issue.

Also, not having to clean cookware means leaving less of a trace.

Scubahhh, that link is a great resource. Thanks!

If, however, you do have to go with commercial freeze-dried meal, I would recommend Alpine Aire first, and then Backpacker's Pantry. The few times I've had Mountain House, it seemed bland, and I was underwhelmed. For dessert--I've found that a 2-serving dinner & a dessert will fill me up after a big day--Alpine Aire's Three Berry Crumble & Bananas Foster are pretty tasty.

 

[RollingRock]

You might be saving fuel with commercial freeze-dried meals...but not money. A Lipton pasta package is 1/2 the price if not more, than freeze dried meals...and they taste much better. Plus, cooking gives me something to do when I get to camp. I use coffee filters to wipe down the cookware afterwards.

For the few times I've had freeze dried meals, I agree that probably Alpine Aire has the most flavor.

 

[Quint]

Here's a great site with loads of FBC recipes- the only way to go at least for inner, IMHO.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipe-home/

Excellent site, thanks for posting I will definitely try out the FBC approach.

 

[dug]

Making some assumptions (i.e. not too hot, and this is a Friday morning to Sunday afternoon type timeframe), I would go with the following:

Friday Lunch - I tend to graze while hiking vs. having a lunch, so various bars, snacks, gorp, fruit, and a sausage/pepperoni & cheese block will suffice.

Friday Dinner - Homemade chili, casseroles, beef stew, chicken & rice, etc.

For this, it's done at least a day ahead of time.
When making a meal at home, (something with a decent amout of sauce, proteins, veggies, and a starch), make an extra plate.
When you are done, cut into bite sizes, put it into a bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Make sure the bowl is not full up (better to make two small meals vs. one big one, for reasons explained later).
Freeze until it's not too viscous (you may be able to skip this step).
Put contents into a vacuum sealer (what, you don't have one? You must get one!!)
Seal your meal(s) and freeze.
Upon packing, pack your meal with a few freezer bags in a flexible lunch bag.
At dinner time, boil a pot of water and toss your bag of food in the water (STILL IN THE BAG).
Reheat for about 10 minutes, could be 5, could be longer, depending on how big you made the bag (see above) and how hungry you are and can't wait.
Cut bag open, get utensil, and eat right out of the bag.
For cleanup, lick utensil clean and throw bag away.
*Stouffer's used to make boil-n-a-bag meals, which were perfect for this. They stopped/changed the details, so we started making our own. I once at lobster tail marinated over a bed of pasta while watching the sunset from a quiet little spot off the summit of West Bond.

Saturday AM - Egg beater omelets or sausage/hashbrowns (kept cold in a flexible lunch bag). If unable to keep cold, oatmeal/bagels grilled in a pan

Saturday Lunch - See Friday lunch

Saturday Dinner - Most likely, see Friday Dinner. I've been able to pull two nights with pre-made meals, but if really warm weather this doesn't fly (then it's a can-of-chicken-souped-up-ramen-noodle time)

Sunday Breakfast - Shake and pour pancakes

 

[Quint]

Making some assumptions (i.e. not too hot, and this is a Friday morning to Sunday afternoon type timeframe), I would go with the following:

Friday Lunch - I tend to graze while hiking vs. having a lunch, so various bars, snacks, gorp, fruit, and a sausage/pepperoni & cheese block will suffice.

Friday Dinner - Homemade chili, casseroles, beef stew, chicken & rice, etc.

For this, it's done at least a day ahead of time.
When making a meal at home, (something with a decent amout of sauce, proteins, veggies, and a starch), make an extra plate.
When you are done, cut into bite sizes, put it into a bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Make sure the bowl is not full up (better to make two small meals vs. one big one, for reasons explained later).
Freeze until it's not too viscous (you may be able to skip this step).
Put contents into a vacuum sealer (what, you don't have one? You must get one!!)
Seal your meal(s) and freeze.
Upon packing, pack your meal with a few freezer bags in a flexible lunch bag.
At dinner time, boil a pot of water and toss your bag of food in the water (STILL IN THE BAG).
Reheat for about 10 minutes, could be 5, could be longer, depending on how big you made the bag (see above) and how hungry you are and can't wait.
Cut bag open, get utensil, and eat right out of the bag.
For cleanup, lick utensil clean and throw bag away.
*Stouffer's used to make boil-n-a-bag meals, which were perfect for this. They stopped/changed the details, so we started making our own. I once at lobster tail marinated over a bed of pasta while watching the sunset from a quiet little spot off the summit of West Bond.

Saturday AM - Egg beater omelets or sausage/hashbrowns (kept cold in a flexible lunch bag). If unable to keep cold, oatmeal/bagels grilled in a pan

Saturday Lunch - See Friday lunch

Saturday Dinner - Most likely, see Friday Dinner. I've been able to pull two nights with pre-made meals, but if really warm weather this doesn't fly (then it's a can-of-chicken-souped-up-ramen-noodle time)

Sunday Breakfast - Shake and pour pancakes

That all sounds delicious but heavy and space consuming...............??