What do you put in your GORP?

[BSquared]

...besides "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts?"

I just got an e-mail from a dieting site about "exercise food," and they were suggesting almonds, raisins, ginger, and oatmeal (among other things). That sounded like a good recipe for gorp to me: toasted almonds, rasins, diced-up candied ginger, and I'm not sure what to do about the oatmeal. (It also sounded like an interesting recipe for a bar of some kind, and there are probably several out there that would fit the bill.)

Anyway, that got me to thinking: what do people who make their own gorp put in it? We usually use peanuts, raisins, M&Ms (gotta have chocolate, and chips melt), and various bits of chopped-up dried fruit, especially apricots (the really dry kind) and mangoes.

What do you put in yours?

PS: the e-mail also mentioned salmon and oysters as great exercise foods, but if it's all the same to you, I'll leave those out of the gorp, thank you!

[gary c.]

I usually buy my ingredients from Winco Foods. They have a really big bulk section with a lot of choices to pick from and just get whatever sounds good at the time. Most of the time I start with maple granola and work up from there. I always add some kind of nut, usually almonds. I'm not real big on raisons but I almost always add some kind of fruit like candied pinapple. Like you I have to have my chocolate so M&Ms are a must. I found out the hard way that the mini M&Ms are not a good choice. I thought that they would be perfect so I went pretty heavy with them and they were melted and messy before we even got to the trail head. I think it's because the shell is too thin on the mini's.

[vandman]

Peanuts, raisins, almonds, cashews, walnuts, M&M's, dried pineapple, apricots, mangoes, papaya, cranberries, dates, and coconut shavings. I think I'm forgetting something. Mmmm, mmm.

[Jimr]

The oatmeal got me thinking. I think I'll try adding a little Great Grains cereal to the mix. I have a love/hate relationship with M&M's. They're a nice little chocolate pazzaz, but get a bit messy half melted.

[maverick]

Hi B2

The oatmeal can be toasted, it adds fiber, and complex carbohydrates that burn slowly
and is a good source of fuel.

[BSquared]

Hi B2

The oatmeal can be toasted, it adds fiber, and complex carbohydrates that burn slowly
and is a good source of fuel.

Then you just sort of throw it in with the rest of the gorp? Hmmm... I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

[maverick]

This will give you all kinds of idea's B2: http://www.amcsem.org/gorprec.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sirlight]

Don't really care for GORP at all. I will eat peanuts, nuts or almost any kind of dried fruit, but don't like them mixed. I guess they all end up mixed in the "end" don't they!

[BSquared]

Well before that, I think. Oh, well, I guess it depends on which "end' you're talking about.

[LMBSGV]

I got a great laugh from this thread so far, which wasn't what I expected when clicking on it. Maverick's link is both hilarious and food for thought (so to speak). I just go to my local health good store with all the bulk bins and buy a bag each of the Oriental party mix, the Cajun mix, the chocolate-nut mix, and the nut mix. And then, as sirlight said, they all end up mixed at the end.