Here are some tips on Hiking Food.
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See if you local health food or other store sells soy granules. These are little hard flakes that can be used like chopped nuts and mixed in or sprinkled on to many foods. They can be cooked into something or just added as they are. Use them to boost protein in spaghetti, rice dishes, bulgur dishes, and cereals.
Cooked or soaked in liquids for a while, they soften up, while in baked goods they usually stay crunchy. I put them into Tabouleh and couldn't notice any change, but the protein value increased in the dish and also same with oatmeal. Make sure you bring fortified foods and/or a multivitamin. There are an amazing number of things to do with ramen, rice, etc. Look at some cookbooks and see what you can adapt to your tastes. Check specialty food sections, looking for instant dried bean dishes. Also check these sites:
http://www.geocities.com/lighttrailfood/
http://www.frc.mass.edu/bbraate/packlite/index.htm
Vegetarian Backpacking Food.
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Quinoa- this complete whole grain (read very nutritious) available
in bulk area of healthy places cooks quick (relative to other whole grains).
Add salt,chopped fresh or dehydrated onions, boil for 12 min., garnish with
chopped walnuts.
-Butter and cream cheese keep for several days
unrefrigerated and are great ways to get fat in your body, tastes very good on
bagels which survive crushing better than most breads and give powerful chewing
satisfaction.
-I have a post called 'Dry Bean Recipe' in this forum that
is simple cheap and good.
-Whole potatos, (new or red potatos) taste really good on
the trail in just about any way you can think to cook 'em. My latest favorite
is to boil a/b 1/2 cup water and let sundried tomatos soak in it for 15-20
minutes, mix this up with some cooked potatos, and then mix some cream cheese
in there.
-Cous Cous, the mediteranean pasta that cooks super quick.
Buy this in bulk at healthy places, boil 2 cups water and dissolve vegetable
boullion cube in it, pour cup cous cous in, put lid on, let it sit for 5 min.
and it's tasty and ready to eat. Add tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or dried
parsley(optional). Add tblspoon olive oil for better flavor and good fat
(optional, add with boullion).
-Rice for breakfast is good and if you experiment with it
you can soak it overnight and really reduce cooking time.
-Jalapenos are not that hot if you don't eat the seeds, last
a long time, good fresh vitamin C, good serving size. not recommended for
contact wearers. Make good garnishes.
-Cheese lasts a good long time. I use cheddar alot, and a
recent hit has been smoked gouda.
-hardboiled eggs last me a few days.
-peanut butter is a good staple, lately I've been into
almond butter
mixed with honey and bread it's really good.
-a variety of bean sprouts are a time honored source of
vitamin C and good fresh nutrition. can be reasonably germinated on the trail,
eat plain and fresh or for spice sautee in a skillet with some sesame oil.
-sesame seeds
Fresh food rocks and is way worth the weight and bulk in
terms of nutrition. Eat a piece of fresh fruit every day and your body will be
very happy with you. Fresh living vitamin C is where it's at. Processed food
sucks, whole foods are what your body is designed to run on. eat your carbs at
lunch, save your proteins and fats for dinner. Carbs are cash, proteins and
fats are stocks & bonds and must be converted before your body can use
them, which requires energy and time. Always rest after you eat, even if just
for 15 min. If you bonk out on the trail, don't feel like you must eat
something every time, rest and relax for a few minutes and let your body go
through its savings accounts and find what it needs. Realize that your body is
a machine that must process and refine the material you give it, so give it
cash and gold when possible, stocks and mutual funds when necessary. If you
feel really wild, don't eat any food except fresh fruit until noon for a week,
then eat breakfast and compare your energy level, then never look back at
breakfast again. Ok, I'm stopping here. I just can't stop when I get started.
My disclaimer is that I'm no nutritionist, and the things I pass along have
worked for me very well. Take my advice at your own risk.
Lyman
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You can buy dried hummus in premix packages in the health
(or ethnic) section. Rehydrates quickly, doesn't need
cooking, and
is healthy for you. Scoop it up with pita bread. Big
advantage to
taking pita is: 1) it fits in a bear container really
nicely, 2) you
can compact it for all you're worth, and no harm done (try
that with
Wonder Bread!).
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Flavored instant mashed potatoes. Low brow, perhaps, but is
lightweight
and cooks up fast. If you bulk it up with other stuff
(butter,
dried veggies) it'll stick with you longer.
Angel hair pasta with dried (packaged) pesto sauce. Angel
hair cooks
up much faster than spaghetti.
Dried refried beans with instant rice, pita, and
individually wrapped
cheese slices for a buritto. Sorta. :-)
5/7/10 grain hot cereal. If you let it soak the night
before, it
doesn't need to cook. Just warm it up.
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