How can I create a varied (or at least tasty) menu for a 12 day hike whilst using as few ingredients as possible? [closed]
![How can I create a varied (or at least tasty) menu for a 12 day hike whilst using as few ingredients as possible? [closed] - Closeup of delicious shrimps with vegetables and microgreens on white plate on catering table](/assets/images/how_can_i_create_a_varied_or_at_least_tasty_menu_for_a_12_day_hike_whilst_using_as_few_ingredients_as_possible_closed_0.jpeg "How can I create a varied (or at least tasty) menu for a 12 day hike whilst using as few ingredients as possible? [closed] - Closeup of delicious shrimps with vegetables and microgreens on white plate on catering table")
I'm going on a 12 day hike with my boyfriend in a couple of months. We'll be at a mountain station that has limited supplies (e.g. meat) for sale every couple of days, but ideally I want to carry as much food as possible (buying food in the wilderness is expensive!). We'll be walking 15-20 kilometres a day. We'll be cooking food on a small gas burner (can only cook one thing at a time).
I've never hiked for more than 3 days before and I'm at a loss on how to plan to feed the both of us for that length of time. Whatever I bring needs to be low on weight/space taken up, and yet be high in energy and nutritional content. And preferably so that I can use the same ingredients for different meals. I don't want to bring something that I'm only going to use once.
I hope this is on topic here, because I would really need advice on what to eat, how to plan a menu/eating plan, how to make the food taste good with limited resources/time.
Best Answer
We take home-dehydrated cooked meat (beef, chicken, ground beef) along with spices, tomato leather to make tomato sauce, pasta, rice, dehyrated potato-and-sauce (eg scalloped potatoes) from the grocery store, home-dehydrated vegtables, and dried fruit. From that you can make stew, pasta-with-meat-sauce, curry-on-rice, and so on. You might also be interested in making your own english muffins since bread products squish and don't keep well: http://www.gregcons.com/canoe/muffins.htm.
Backpacking is tougher than canoeing but as long as you can be sure of plenty of water, you should be fine with dried products. We usually bring a little frozen meat for the first night, and frozen bacon for the first morning, well wrapped in newspaper, but those might be too heavy when hiking.
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What food should you bring hiking?
3. For a Hike or Day Trip...- Trail mix.
- Nuts, seeds, nut-based bars or nut butter packs.
- Fresh, whole fruit that doesn't require refrigeration such as apples, bananas and oranges.
- Dried or freeze-dried fruits and veggies.
- Energy bars, chews or gels.
- Granola or granola bars.
- Ready-made tuna salad pouches.
- Whole-grain tortillas.
How much food should I take on a hike?
A reasonable goal is about 1\xbd to 2\xbd lbs. of food (or 2,500 to 4,500 calories) per person per day. A person doing 10 miles of strenuous hiking with a 4,000-foot climb will obviously burn more calories\u2014and need a lot more food\u2014than someone covering a few miles of relatively flat trail who plans to chill at the campsite.What should you not eat before hiking?
Carbohydrate Loading Before Your Hike Try to avoid foods with a lot of sugar. Instead, have a whole grain dry cereal or a bowl of oatmeal. Another option are whole grain toast eggs. Other breakfast ideas are fruits and vegetables, low fat yogurt, whole grain pasta or brown rice.How do you prepare meat for backpacking?
The premise of foil-packed meals is that the meat is pre-cooked before being sealed in airtight foil packaging, often vacuum-packed to remove excess oxygen and moisture. Packed with iron, vitamins and protein, the foil packaging keeps this meat light, so you won't be adding unnecessary weight to your backpack.I Tried The Mediterranean Diet For 14 Days
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Marianna, Polina Tankilevitch, Marianna, Laker