An alternative to expensive Mountain House foods for camping

[cnynrat]

In my younger days when I did a lot of backpacking I used to use exactly these meals back when they were Lipton brands. In many cases you can add a packet of tuna or a small can of chicken to add some protein to the meal. I always thought they were a good alternative to the standard backpacking food brands.

[Black Dog]

Just came across this: http://www.amazon.com/Franks-Sauerkr.../dp/B000YVKHP8 Toss in some vienna sausages and dark rye crackers (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Health-Da.../dp/B000V0H48K) and you've got a quick no-cook meal.

[sarahyoung75]

First off I like Mountain House brand freeze dried dinners, and even the scrambled eggs were not bad.
I have tried a wide variety of their products testing both at home and in the mountains camping over the past years.

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.
These taste very good in camp, and are so easy to make.

Today at Safeway I picked up several more to restock my supply at 10 for $10 which is dirt cheap.
One package of pasta can feed a person twice as a side dish to adding other foods such as vegetables or meat on the side.

We cooked up two packages last night of the stroganoff for the main dinner dish, and I have some left over for dinner tonight, and a heapin' helping for lunch tomorrow at work.
I did mix in a 12 oz package of Mexican flavored Litelife Smart Ground (all soy, no beef, zero fat)

Here are my favorites, and most of the time I just add a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled over before severing.

Alfredo

Stroganoff

Parmesan

Rice Pilaf

Cheddar Broccoli Rice

Here is the whole list of pastas and rice dishes, some do have meat in them.
Pasta
Rice

Gives these a try and report back here if you like them or not.
For a buck a piece they do not break the bank, and so easy to cook at home or in the woods.

These do not have as long a shelf life as the Mountain House products, but the savings in money is great.

I like turkey jerky. Try tuna in foil packs they are light weight and don require a can opener. Pineapple chunks with pull tab top, tortillas, apples.

[steventexas]

We switched to Thrive. Not only is it great home food storage, we take it with us. I use the seal a meal to package our own recipes of portioned food that requires very little prep. Mostly boiling water pot or skillet.
Either way it is a one burner deal to make great home cooking.
Unlike others we have tried, the products are preservative free, low sodium, no GMO, No Chinese products, and have a long shelf life.
This month they rolled out 14 new prepared entrees. I still like my own blended recipes like chicken, peas cheese and noodles with some "slap ya Mamma" spice.
We travel with Milk, eggs, butter, meat,cheese and vegetables that require no refrigeration. Two weeks of food weigh 11 pounds. Servings can be portioned by the caloric value as well.
My wifes favorite trail mix is peas, snap beans, grapes, walnuts and freeze dried chicken. (Beats the heck out of peanuts and M&M's) Dry in the ziploc makes a healthy snack.
We still use the ARB Fridge but for ice bottles, steaks, mixed milk and re constituted goods.

www.thriveon.shelfreliance.com/home

[Hilldweller]

Most of the dried stuff is too high in sodium for me to eat.

The wife and I are vegan too so that rules out quite a bit.

There's some good boxed tofu in the grocery store, canned Asian vegetables, and also Dr McDougall's store for some nutritious meals.

[steventexas]

Freeze dried is raw pure product with moisture removed by flash freezing.
No sodium or preservatives are required for the preservation process like that of dehydrating or otther types of preservation.

Freeze dried food must be ripened to peak freshness as well. Nutritional value per ounce far exceeds fresh produce unless picked from the source.

Im certain you would be impressed with options available to you if you investigated further.

I'm gluten free and only eat healthy food too.

[clcoyle]

Lot's of good stuff here.

[Carlyle]

This bulk pack from Harmony house can help fill out most meals. Lets not forget good old rice, easy to pack and cook.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[AmericaOverland]

Yep, TastyBite is my favorite stuff for backpacking or motorcycle camping. Lots of vegan and gluten free options, too.

I didn't see the directions, but are these the ones with water in them already, all you do is boil and eat, or do they need water added to it? The weight listing looks like they have water in them already. I was hoping that it was 10 oz of DRIED stuff that you add water to. That would be cheap... Otherwise, it makes it about 2/3 the price of Mountain House stuff, ounce-for-ounce.

What is the shelf life of this brand?

Where do you find these? I've never heard of these.

[AmericaOverland]

Most of the dried stuff is too high in sodium for me to eat.

The wife and I are vegan too so that rules out quite a bit.

There's some good boxed tofu in the grocery store, canned Asian vegetables, and also Dr McDougall's store for some nutritious meals.

Hilldweller, I had no idea you're vegan. As am I. I've been vegetarian for 20 years this coming November, and vegan for 15 of these years. Ounce-for-ounce, they're about the same price as the Tasty Bite brand. Problem is, I'll eat three, if not four of these things in one sitting. By myself. When I go on a trip in my Jeep, I take a whole package of about 6 heads of lettuce, and several heads of celery. I also take several pieces of fruit. I need to figure out what to do for the evening portion of the meals, since I have recently started sprouting things like lentils, chick peas, etc. I don't know how well that would hold up on a long trip, since I wouldn't have access to very clean water, as they can go bad easily.