Backcountry Recipes

Meal Prep and Overview

I eat my meals stoveless almost exclusively when traveling in the backcountry during three-season conditions.  This definitely takes a mindset change.  But I prefer stoveless for severeal reasons:

  1. Faster meal prep and cleanup.

  2. Less weight (backpacking) and less volume (bikepacking). 

  3. It’s a simpler system.  No need to look for specific fuels when resupplying or replacing parts.

  4. Eating nearly instantaneously (if you cold-soak early!).

All of these meals can be eaten stoveless but can also be cooked with a stove.  I like to have a rotation of dinner meals throughout the week to keep my palate refreshed and fend off taste boredom/habituation on long treks.  Plus, most of these items can be purchased in convenience stores.

I also carry a spice kit of four using small Nalgene containers (they fend off smell/taste contamination).  

  • Salt

  • Hot Sauce

  • Taco Seasoning

  • Curry

I always presoak my food at least 2 hours before I intend to eat dinner.  That takes care of any food rehydration concerns.  I never add spices for the presoak; I only add spices when I’m ready to eat.

Breakfast

Cacao Nib Oatmeal

  • 1/2 Cup Whole Rolled Oats

  • 1 Scoop of Protein Powder

  • 1 Tablespoon of Cacao Nibs

  • Mix in Some Peanuts

  • Raisins (easily available) OR Dried Bananas (less available)

  • Salt to Taste

Muesli

  • 1 Cup of Muesli (commonly found in the cereal aisle of grocery stores)

Lunch

I don’t eat specific lunches at a preset “lunchtime.“  I eat all day.  This was a lesson I learned from NOLS that has transformed my nutrition process. I have bags of various snacks and foods of a large variety that I keep on hand.  I eat fairly constantly as I hike or ride.  I might take a break to eat here and there, but I pretty much eat as I go.  Eating all day keeps me fueled. 

Snacks are all packed in plastic bags (6 x 3 x 15 inch bags 2 ply/or 2 mil).  These are knotted lightly for easy opening and closing.  

Snack List

  • Trail Mix (nuts + raisins + chocolate pieces)

  • Dried Fruit (no sugar added --> Dried Apples, Dried Bananas, etc.)

  • Rise Bars

  • Salmon Jerky

  • Fava Beans

  • Triscuits

  • Cheese Slices

  • Peanut Butter

  • Tortillas

  • Peanut Butter Pretzels

  • Plantain Chips

  • Dates

  • Pretzels

  • Chips (the less processed the better - keep it simple with ingredients)

  • Pita Chips

Dinner

Tacos

  • Dehydrated Black or Pinto Beans

  • Instant Rice

  • Fritos (crush these up and mix them in)

  • Taco Seasoning 

  • Salt (as needed)

Pizza Wraps

  • Flour Torilla

  • Cheese Slices

  • Pepperoni Slices

Lentil Wraps

  • Flour Tortilla

  • Dehydrated Lentils

  • Curry Powder

  • Peanuts

  • Raisins 

  • Instant Rice

Hummus Crunch Wrap

  • Flour Tortilla

  • Dehydrated Hummus

  • Plantain Chips or Potato Chips

  • Raisins 

  • Cashews

  • Curry Powder

Refried Bean Wraps

  • Flour Tortilla

  • Refried Beans

  • Hot Sauce or Salsa 

  • Instant Rice

  • Nutritional Yeast

Couscous and Beans

  • Dried Couscous

  • Curry Powder

  • Dehydrated Pinto Beans 

  • Bacon Bits

Hashbrowns

  • Dehydrated Hashbrowns

  • Dehydrated Black Beans

  • Nutritional Yeast

  • Hot sauce

  • Salt 

  • Bacon Bits

Mashed Potatoes with Lentils

  • Instant Potatoes

  • Nutritional Yeast

  • Dried Cranberries 

  • Dehydrated Lentils 

  • Hot Sauce 

Pesto Egg Noodles

  • Egg Noodles

  • Sun Dried Tomatoes 

  • Packaged Powdered Pesto

  • Pine Nuts or Peanuts​