Hiking food

We don't get prepared dehydrated meals, except for the instant soups. I like trail bars which really vary in price and calorie content. Candy bars and vitamins are a much cheaper alternative. Peanut butter (in plastic jar) can be put on your bars. We always bring nuts and dried fruit. Couscous is good with some dried spices and maybe nuts or beef jerky. We used to do rice and beans but they never cook soft enough.

We premix porridge, powdered milk with a few dates for breakfasts Just add water and cook for 5 mins. Make up our own main meals from soya with a few dried onions, garlic, dried veg, herbs and take some tomatoe puree paste. Serve with rice or pasts. Don't have problems cooking these unless really high e.g 4000m+ above which pasta and to some extent rice does become a problem.

I lived on instant pancake mix from Arrowhead Smith's. Organic combo with many flours. Great stuff, but you will need to bring some oil. A good breakfast of oatmeal, powdered milk, dates, raisins, handful of walnuts perks your day. Dried Black Beans are great and instant. You can throw in some tortillas to pack or bring some Masa Harina and cook the tortillas on hot rocks around the fire. Couscos cooks easily and is great as a desert with cinnamon and dried apples. Pasta with Parmesean cheese, dried parsley, dried onions and garlic powder, Italian seasoning and olive oil works. Canned tuna is easy and nutritious. Ramen noodles are cheap. (add dry vegetables and garlic) Instant lemonade, Gatorade is ideal for dehydration, happens at high altitudes with tons of sun. Instant soup mixes, then add some pasta. Jerky. There is also a dried Greek Falfalel (sp) mix that is great. Canned oysters, clams are light weight and protein packed. And peanut butter is a must! enjoy!

Hard boiled eggs are wonderful and if it isn't too hot can last up to a week. Great for protein. I pretty much live on eggs and peanuts during the day after a big breakfast each morning...

I have never used the prepared meals you get in specialty shops. Very expensive compared to what I can get in a local supermarket -- quick to prepare pasta or rice dishes. I repack them in plastic bags. They're OK for an evening meal but you need about a half liter so not very practical if water supply is an issue.

I've carried cous-cous. Better than rice or pasta because you need less water to prepare it (basically, equal volme water and cous-cous) and is ready in 1-3 minutes. I dissolve some chicken boullion (the amount used to personal taste and also helps with salt balance) and squeeze over honey to sweeten it up.

If I have a well-defined 3-7 day outing I carry small tinned goods, such as tins of sardines. Good for protein, very light and small in size. I've also carried single-meal tins of beans etc. They don't require heating or water for preparation so are OK if I'm tired.

I've also become a fan of instant noodles. They weigh almost nothing and a single serving softened up in 300ml water also helps me rehydrate. Also OK for breakfast.

I'm not very good at stopping for a long lunch break. It can talk me about an hour to calm down enough to eat. So I generally start out in the morning and do my 5-8 hours more or less in one go, stopping for 10-20 minutes here and there. For trail food I'm also a fan of hard-boiled eggs -- good for breakfast or a trail lunch. I also have a liking for snickers bars. One snickers and a boiled egg, that's often my lunch.