Food ideas

[wahday]

Great thread even though I am recovering from the stomach flu...

I don't think I saw any mention the Starbucks Via instant coffees. I am not a big fan of their coffee generally but that is the best lightweight camping coffee product ever!

A favorite backpacking bfast for me is granola with powdered milk in a double ziplock. You can eat right out of the bag if necessary. Just add water and shake. On a cold morning I use hot water in a cup and let it sit for a minute. Becomes a sort of oatmealish delight. My wife sometimes makes granola, otherwise my local coop lists the protein content of all the kinds they carry and I go for the gusto.

Peanut or sesame noodles precooked/assembled in a ziplock is also a good cold dinner for the first night out. Otherwise I typically take ramen as its so light.

Other than bars, some of my energy favs are dates with pnut butter and of course pnut butter honey and banana sandwiches. Gotta have that potassium!

[ascar_larkinyar]

i eat honey nut cherrios for breakfast dry.  at night for a dessert i mix in some dehydrated milk and nesquik chocolate milk mix(i know i am weird).

top ramon without the flavor package for a base mixed with dehydrated veggies or dry soup mix or cooked chicken(first night only) or cooked cornbread or marinara sauce....

[sam.pederson]

I eat really well on my bikepacking trips. Like, really well. It surprises people sometimes.

I prefer to find some light stuff at the supermarket, though those easy dehydrated meals at REI aren't all too bad, and are certainly convenient.

Some good stuff:
Miso soup packets
dried mushrooms (excellent addition to the miso packets)
dehydrated mashed potatoes (oh so good)
dried fruits
sundried tomatoes
jerky
small packets of peanut butter
dried seaweed - most excellent, healthy and very light
tuna packets
crackers
smoked salmon is most excellent for you and very lightweight
etc.

To keep things fun and add tastiness, a little tabasco packet and some good salt/pepper are easy and light to pack. I usually have a little baggie of these things.

Often, I'll go for something very luxurious on the first day. Example: the night before, I grill up a tri tip. The meat shrinks considerably and looses weight after cooking. Once I have that tri tip, I store it in my camelback in a small refrigerator bag I bought from REI. To keep it cool, I'll put my flask of whiskey in there right next to it, but really, a cooked tri tip will last a couple days as long as it's not hot outside. BONUS: If I'm going to have a fire, I can slice off thin cuts of it, and roast them over the fire. 

If you have a fire, a whole garlic is a really lightweight thing. Bring some foil and roast it over the fire for 45 mins. It tastes great on crackers, and it can be added to meats, or dried mashed potatoes to make them super delicious.

Breakfast I keep easy. Dry oatmeal packets. Most are junk food really, but you can get good steel cut oats at fancy places like whole foods. Mix in dried fruits to increase awesomeness.

One of my rules when bikepacking: always stay ahead of hunger. If you feel hunger pangs, it's too late. So snack a lot during the day and you'll avoid some of the more unpleasant experiences that many of us have had out there (total bonking out, dizziness and feeling like you are going to faint).

Most all of these things are fairly light (except for the roast, but it can be well worth it and go a long way).

Cooked bacon is genius. I keep meaning to do that but never get around to it.

Thanks all for this great thread, I learned a lot!

[kikoraa]

Subscribing to this so I don't have to keep searching. Need ideas for a couple of upcoming trips.


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[JRA]

I've had good luck with the freezer bag cooking/rehydrating of dehydrated foods available in bulk at some stores.

I also look for foods that require as little fuel as possible to cook - like instant mashed potatoes, or cous cous.
Tuna or chicken packs add a little protein and flavor.  A little bit of seasoning, hot sauce and olive oil can go a long way to adding flavor as well.

[Eugenemtbing]

I also really appreciate dried mash potatoes.  On a trip last weekend, I mixed salt and cold water with some in a ziplock bag, mixed it by squeezing, then ate it by squishing it out an open corner of the bag, as if it were a cake frosting pastry bag.  Dried mash potatoes are always flavorful and easy to mix and eat.

[murf]

When my wife takes the kids to chic fil a, I ask her to load up on their sauce packs because one of my favs is the vacuum packed tuna and chicken mixed with the sauces right in the bag then rolled up in a tortilla. My two favorites are the chicken with buffalo sauce and tuna with the honey mustard. I like it so much I even eat it when home.

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