An alternative to expensive Mountain House foods for camping

[Corey]

May have to order some of these, and check out others.
Thanks for the link.

http://shop.tastybite.com/Bombay-Pot...tyBite@Entrees


Amazon carries them.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ords=tastybite

[PirateMcGee]

QFT, out of curiosity Flounder do you make your own stuff or buy prepackaged?

[agavelvr]

This is an interesting thread. I use Mtn House or Tasty Bite stuff on long haul/short duration backpacking/kayaking/bike trips out of convenience. When the trips get longer than a few days, it's hard to beat the quality and economics of cooking from scratch with whole ingredients in combination with bulk freeze dried ingredients (eggs, beef, buttermilk, etc). Honestly, most of the packaged meals on the market are not hard to duplicate at home.

Recently, I purchased a bag of quinoa on a whim. It's easy to cook, packed with nutrition, and versitile. I've made pancakes out of it, tabouli, pilafs, etc.
By packing a pressure cooker, you can cook up things quickly, including dry beans. I prefer the nutrition and taste of whole foods, plus it's fun.

My top shelf stable ingredients:
quinoa
scottish oats (Bob's Red Mill) or steel cut oats
local tepary beans
couscous
freeze dried eggs
beef jerky
freeze dried buttermilk
powdered frozen yogurt mix used by your local ice cream shop
flour (buckwheat, wholewheat, unbleached white)
baking powder, baking soda, salt
veggie oil
dried fruit such as dates, cranberries, mango, kiwi, strawberries, etc..
Nuts

You can eat like a king for weeks on end with these items, some spices, and a few other ingredients. Packaged meals really get boring after 5 days IMHO.
Another huge advantage, no trash or water weight. Not a big deal when you are rolling in a vehicle...kind of critical when you are hauling it on your back
I have to give my hippy friends the nod for educating me on the advantages of quinoa and couscous. They are versitile like tofu, but actually taste good

Here's something cool I saw in a nutrition magazine yesterday...
PB2 peanut butter - http://bellplantation.com/

If you want to learn from the masters...
NOLS Cookery is a good book

If you have a fridge and a foodsaver, you are all set. We had a Thanksgiving in the field a few years back where my friend had all the traditional fixings in foodsaver bags, including smoked turkey...best Turkey Day ever

[Palehorse1]

Years ago I bought this book:

Supermarket Backpacker by Harriett Barker...

Is that another version of this book?

"The Campfire Gourmet’s Guide to Backpacking Foods From The Supermarket" by Michael H. Engelhardt

[piffey263]

Last year or so I ran across at Safeway foods in the boxed dinner section a new lineup by Knorr some "soft packages" (rip the envelope open) that cook in about 8 minutes by simply boiling water and adding milk to some of the dinners.
T

haha I live off that stuff when I don't feel like cooking, try the ones in boxes and repackage them like you said some only need water which is nice.

[cruisertoy]

I've used the Knor brand and a few others that do that same sort of thing. Mainly I will use them to stretch out the mountainhouse meals over more people. Add hot water to a freeezer bag with Stove Top Stuffing and it makes a great side dish. You really don't need the butter it calls for but could add powdered butter if you want. Between a 2 person Mountainhouse and a bag of Stuffing you can fed 4 people. You can also use Top Ramen in a zip lock bag as well. Just add hot water and let it sit. No need to boil. Mix the noodles into the Mountainhouse and double the meal. Most of the time Mountainhouse has plenty of seasoning an sauce to cover a pack or two of Ramon. Angel Hair pasta does not need to be boiled either. Just put really hot water into a bag or pot with teh pasta and let it sit for 7-8 minutes. I'm all about stretching a meal with cheaper foods if needed.

[BIGGUY]

You can also stretch out meals like Ramen by adding veggies and meat to them.

[zidaro]

snickers bars

[Dirtytires]

You can also stretch out meals like Ramen by adding veggies and meat to them.

add some bacon and that is one tasty dinner..

[Scott C]

Do these have as much sodium as Mountain House? When backpacking for a few days you have limited options, and these things get old real quick. Every time I eat one I think of the famous quote "It will make a turd".