Favorite (and why) Backcountry Pre-Packaged Meals

[mossy8352]

mossy8352, do you use like a regular dehydrator?  One that is used for fruit leather and jerky?  Or do you have something a little fancier?

Some time ago I bought the 10 tray dehydrator from Cabelas for our storage pantry this we use for vegetables onions and things. I just looked and they do not sell the one I have any more but any good one will make a lot of light weight good tasting food without any salt.

 The jerky is done in my Traeger pellet smoker and then shrink wrapped and frozen for future use. When I make the jerky I slice in a little thicker than most so when added to my soup mix (cut up) it makes a good flavoring and swells up to normal size and it is tender.

[mossy8352]

Here is a random question for you all.  Does anyone actually like the MH beef stew?  It is hands down the worst one I've had and I've tried them all!  The "potatoes" are not from this planet I'm pretty certain

Yeah, it was the first MH I tried. It made the rest of them better....except any of the breakfasts, powdered eggs are gross.

Have you tried the Ovaeasy freeze dried eggs they are not bad and mixed with onions potatoes and spam make a decent breakfast?

[Jonathan_S]

I, for one, don't have a big problem with the flavor/texture of MH eggs.  They lack the real "eggy flavor" but the pork sausage, peppers and added hot sauce really livens it up.

Now, the actual powder egg in other brands make me wretch...similar to the mouse bait beef stew

[Karl Blanchard]

I sent this to someone in a pm a while back and I'm bored so I figured I'd post it here.  This is my food regiment.

Food is always tough for me because I get bored eating the same stuff, but on a backpack hunt, keeping things simple and consistent is key so I have a few core items that I pack but I change it up.  I divide food into daily rations and put them in labeled ziplock bags so I can just grab "tuesday" out of my big pullout I use for all my food and then move it to a more accessible spot in my pack.  This is usually the top lid to my pack.  These are my items I pull from.  This way your not eating the same thing every day.  For instance I will alternate lunches between ramen and tuna or alternate breakfasts between granola and bacon sandwiches.

breakfast
-granola/dried bluberries/protein powder (just add water, stir up in the ziplock you packed it in and BAM!  Granola and blueberry cereal with some added protein.)
- PB, honey, bacon sandwich
-Pastry (the prepacked bearclaws or cinnamon rolls from the gas station)
-Starbucks VIAS coffee single.

Lunch
-Starbucks VIAS coffee single
-Ramen noodles
-Tuna packet with olive oil and hot sauce
-Peanut butter and crackers
-hard salami, cheese, bagel sandwich (not my favorite)
-peanut butter, jelly, tortilla

snacks
-jerky
-nuts
-energy gels (multiple)
-Fruit leather
-Protein bar
-sour patch kids

I pack all of these snacks for each day and consume them between meals.  I find that I don't get very hungry, especially late season, when I'm hunting but you are still burning calories so force yourself to eat a snack every few hours.

Dinner

This never changes.  Its always some flavor of Mountain house, I mix up a Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover drink (little single packets).  I used to use EmergenC but I think the Wilderness Athlete drink mix gives me more bang for my buck.  Then I I have a king size candy bar of some kind for desert. 

[mossy8352]

I, for one, don't have a big problem with the flavor/texture of MH eggs.  They lack the real "eggy flavor" but the pork sausage, peppers and added hot sauce really livens it up.

Now, the actual powder egg in other brands make me wretch...similar to the mouse bait beef stew

I hear you on the "powdered eggs" not even good for adding to other things. Have not tried the "beef stew" make my own.

[pd]

BLRMan and I think alike.  This is my seasonings pouch--it goes wherever I go, whenever I am in the mountains (even climbing to the top of the mountain).  By weight, olive oil is the most significant item.  Extra virgin, refill as necessary.  In addition, salt, pepper, flour, and sugar.  This will cover every possible cooking scenario (for me).

I only make my own food.  I cannot stand frozen dinners, fast food restaurants, freeze dried packaged foods, etc.  That said, I do always carry a single MountainHouse in my pack---this is emergency food for me, and worth the weight.  I carry the same pack for about a year, then move on to another.  I haven't eaten a MH bag in 3 seasons.

[pd]

I should add more.

Many of the better supermarkets or health food stores carry a wide range of powdered foods.  Look for powdered soybeans.  Add a liberal amount of olive oil, and there you will have reconstituted hummus.  Very high in proteins, and essential fats.  Best of all, the weight addition is almost nothing.

Olive oil can be added to any non-sugar based meal to make it better.

Finally, even the the weight addition is high (high water content), I do usually carry a small squeeze bottle of mayonnaise.  The eggs and oil in this sauce really help you choke down something dry, which is very helpful to a tired body.

[ian_padron]

Mountain House Apple Cinammon Quinoa and Oatmeal breakfast is the best, nutrition and tastewise. WAYYYY tastier than those nasty @#$ dried egg concoctions they make. I take my nutrition in the back country very seriously as I am a personal trainer with about 200# of muscle to maintain. If you want to really get fancy, bring along a baggie of protein powder and mix it in and you will have more than 50grams of Protein that tastes about as good as it gets in terms of dehydrated meals.

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[HardCorpsHuntr]

I take my nutrition in the back country very seriously as I am a personal trainer with about 200# of muscle to maintain.
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200# of muscle?  You're one big dude, I bet you're counting gristle. 

[ian_padron]

I take my nutrition in the back country very seriously as I am a personal trainer with about 200# of muscle to maintain.
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200# of muscle?  You're one big dude, I bet you're counting gristle.

Lean mass might have been a better way of putting it...muscle, organs, bones, etc....all the good stuff!


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[danderson]

  I like  those little cans of Venna sausage, and a can of spam tastes pretty good when you been living on dehydrated meals for a week or two, but mostly I make all my meals my self with fresh ingredients, invest in a good commercial dehydrator and your meals will be as good as home cooked, seal up a complete dinner for 4 that weighs a pound, 99% of what you eat for dinner at home can be dehydrated and packaged up for back packing or hunting trips, plus it cost almost nothing except your time.

[Karl Blanchard]

  I like  those little cans of Venna sausage, and a can of spam tastes pretty good when you been living on dehydrated meals for a week or two, but mostly I make all my meals my self with fresh ingredients, invest in a good commercial dehydrator and your meals will be as good as home cooked, seal up a complete dinner for 4 that weighs a pound, 99% of what you eat for dinner at home can be dehydrated and packaged up for back packing or hunting trips, plus it cost almost nothing except your time.

Spam on a stick over a bed of coals in the middle of know where is food fit for kings

[coachcw]

Well I take the live off the land approach to some degree , I'm a big dude and carry it with me . Water , nuts , Jerrky a few protien bars and maybe a couple cans of smoked oysters go a long ways ....that Lil blrman is stopping all the time to cook something ....lol

[Karl Blanchard]

Well I take the live off the land approach to some degree , I'm a big dude and carry it with me . Water , nuts , Jerrky a few protien bars and maybe a couple cans of smoked oysters go a long ways ....that Lil blrman is stopping all the time to cook something ....lol

  oysters     

 

[coachcw]

Or just send Jake to dairy queen .