Meal prep- what's your process?

Have a favorite trail recipe or technique you'd like to share? Please do! We also like reviews of various trail food products out there. The Backcountry Food Topix forum is the place to discuss all things related to food and nourishment while in the Sierra wilderness (as well as favorite trail head eateries).
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Npike
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by Npike »

Definitely going to look into the reflectix material and make a cozy or just recycle an old MH bag. Thanks for all the tips!

BYW, longri, if you need additional help finishing one of the multi course meals w/whiskey & dessert, hit me up haha! :)
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maverick
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by maverick »

Nick,
Take some olive oil, spices, hot sauce, and/or parm cheese along to liven up your freeze dried meals and add calories, it makes them taste much better.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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steiny98
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by steiny98 »

Like everyone has mentioned it is a very personal thing. My 2 cents- if you are trying to bag a lot of miles then opt for a cold breakfast such as a pro bar, and maybe have a hot coffee. If you have some time to hang around camp in the morning, my favorite is oatmeal mixed with Justin's hazelnut butter and a packet of jelly. For lunch the best thing IMO is tuna from the packet with mayo and relish on a tortilla mixed in with fritos or pringles. Snacks are up to you- but I love eating Snickers bars, peanut M&Ms, high calorie chips/crackers. Dinner is usually a dehydrated meal from Mountainhouse, or mac&cheese with extra olive oil and parmesan cheese.

I suggest repackaging all food to save space in a bear can. I also bring camp soap and a cut up sponge to clean off my single spork/knife and to clean my pot if necessary. If you are repackaging your food, then when you rehydrate your food that can also serve as a trash bag and you don't have to do any cleaning. I try to only use my pot for boiling water and drinking coffee.
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Ashery
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by Ashery »

Another stoveless backpacker over here. For my last trip, flour tortillas, peanut butter filled pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, and dried fruit (Cranberries and cherries, specifically) made up the bulk of my calories, but I also carried some Babybels, a couple oranges, and a small assortment of sweets to mix things up a bit. I had previous been eating a lot of banana chips as well as they have a fantastic calorie density, but I burned out on them during my last ANF trip.

When I do finally start cooking on trips (I actually already have a stove; the issue is more finding a pot/pan that would mesh well with the way I pack my bag), I'll likely end up steering clear of the prepackaged meals as I'd be too weary of them aggravating my existing GI issues.
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jgaffney
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by jgaffney »

Ever since I discovered freezer-bag cooking, my life has changed. I do my cooking at home (I'm a good cook) then dehydrate and package for individual meals. My cook kit is a MSR Pocket Rocket, a GSI kettle and a cozy. Boil water pour it in, have a cocktail while waiting. No muss, no fuss.

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robow8
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Re: Meal prep- what's your process?

Post by robow8 »

I do freezer bag cooking. I've sewed up some reflectix cozies and have started to use these bags from Packit Gourmet.
http://www.packitgourmet.com/CookIn-Bags.html
While they are more costly than ziplok style bags, they have a couple of advantages. They are thicker, so they are less likely to puncture. The seams will not rupture, spilling your meal everywhere. The bottom has a gusset, so it opens up and stands on it's own. And, because of the gusset, there are no corners in the bottom of the bag, making it easier to get every last tasty morsel out of the bag. Also, because of the thickness of the bag, it stays hotter longer.

I rehydrate my meal, and then cut the top off and use the bag as a bowl to eat out of, then add it to my trash ziplok.

Size medium works well for my sized portion of most meals, small for oatmeal.
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