Trail Food

Breakfast On The Trail

Start your morning off right. Below are recipes to make for breakfast while in the backcountry to wake you up for a great day on the trail.
The last thing you want to do while backpacking is dirty a bunch of pots and pans for you to clean after. The majority of recipes provided can be made in just a zip lock freezer bag or in just one pot. In the top corner of each recipe, they may be marked with either a FB, recipe can be make in just a zip lock freezer bag, or an OP, for recipes that can be made in just one pot. Enjoy!

FB

Breakfast Scramble

·          1 3/4 cup mashed potatoes, instant

·          1/2 cup freeze-dried eggs, with bacon (optional)

·          1 1/2 cup water

·          1 Tbsp dry milk

·          Cheddar cheese (optional)

At home: Combine all dry ingredients in a zip lock freezer bag.

In camp: Heat water in pot (the hotter the better). Add to freezer bag and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Makes 1 serving

OP

Spam and Eggs This recipe courtesy of One Pan Wonders

·          1 single serving packet Spam (3 oz)

·          1 sun dried tomato, cut up (as small as you can get it)

·          2 fresh eggs

·          1-2 Tbsp Parmesan or Romano Cheese

·          1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or 1 packet

Note: Eggs can go bad quickly, so only use eggs on the beginning of your trip.

At home: Put the eggs in a camping/hiking egg carrier. Put the sun dried tomato and cheese in a zip lock bag. Carry the oil in a spill-proof container.

In camp: Add oil to a pan. Dice the Spam into 1/4 inch dice. Fry for a couple of minutes, until the spam begins to brown, then add the eggs and sun dried tomatoes. Scramble and cook until eggs are done. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Makes 1 serving

FB

Cherry Almond Oatmeal  This recipe courtesy of One Pan Wonders

·          1 packet instant oatmeal

·          2 Tbsp dried cherries

·          1 Tbsp slivered almonds

·          1 Tbsp powdered milk

·          1 tsp brown sugar

At home: Combine everything in a freezer zip lock bag.

In camp: Add 2/3 cup boiling water to oatmeal (or more if you like a thinner cereal).
Makes 1 serving

FB

Strawberry Almond Cream of Wheat  This recipe courtesy of One Pan Wonders

·          1 single serving package plain cream of wheat

·          2 Tbsp freeze dried strawberries

·          1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

·          1 tsp sugar

·          1 Tbsp powdered milk

·          1 Tbsp slivered almonds

At home: Put everything in a freezer zip lock bag.

In camp: Add enough hot water to cover, stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again and enjoy.
Makes 1 serving

FB

Strawberry Sensation

·          1 cup Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats

·          1/2 cup dried strawberries

·          1/4 cup yogurt covered raisins

·          1/4 cup chocolate chips, milk or dark

At home: Combine all ingredients into zip lock bag.

In camp: Eat as breakfast or a snack. 
Makes 1 serving

OP

Hangdog Oatmeal  This recipe courtesy of Backpacker Magazine; April 1996; Pg 45

 

·          2 1/2 cups oatmeal

·          2 Tbsp brown sugar

·          1/2 cup dried bananas, powdered

·          3/4 cup chocolate chips

At home: Mix ingredients into zip lock bag.

In camp: Boil 4 cups of water into separate pan. Stir in contents of zip lock bag and reboil. Remove from stove and set aside until cool.
Makes 1 serving

OP

Cranberry Orange Rice  This recipe courtesy of One Pan Wonders

·          1/4 cup instant rice

·          1 Tbsp dried cranberries

·          1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

·          1 packet True Orange

·          1 Tbsp powdered milk

·          1 tsp brown sugar

At home: Combine everything except the honey into a zip lock bag. Carry honey separately.

In camp: Pour mix into pan and add enough boiling water to cover mix. Let stand until rice is tender. Top with honey.
Makes 1 serving

OP

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal  This recipe courtesy of One Pan Wonders

·          1/3 cup instant oatmeal

·          1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

·          2 Tbsp powdered milk

·          2 tsp brown sugar

·          1/4 cup freeze-dried bananas

·          Chocolate cookies, crumbled (optional)

At home: Combine everything except the cookies into a zip lock bag. If you are bringing the cookies, package them separately.

In camp: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the oatmeal mix and stir. Simmer until the oatmeal is cooked through. Serve topped with the cookies. 
Makes 1 serving

Note: Don't try this with regular dried bananas, they are too hard. Look for the freeze-dried ones or in the cereal aisle as 'cereal toppers.' You can also try the same thing with freeze dried strawberries or raspberries.

Trail Pancakes

·          1 cup Biscuit mix

·          1 Tbsp dry milk

·          1 Tbsp sugar

·          2/3 cup water

·          1 Tbsp squeeze margarine

At home: Add mix, milk, and sugar into a quart size zip lock bag. Seal and shake well.

In camp: Add water and margarine to bag, seal and squish bag with hands to mix and remove air and lumps. Cut hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze onto a hot pan. Cook until bubbles form, flip, and cook till they are golden brown!
Makes approx. 6 pancakes

Note: Instead of squeeze margarine, you may substitute vegetable oil. If you do, keep 1 Tbsp of oil in a separate container and pour onto pan before cooking pancakes.

Dinner Ideas

• Angle Hair Pasta with Tomato Sauce
• Ramon Noodles
• Vegetable Chili
• Rice Dinners
• Dried Beef with Instant Mash Potatoes & Gravy
• Salmon Paddies
• Chicken & Rice
• Mac-n-Cheese
• Soft Tacos
• Ramon Noodles
• Soups

Desert Ideas

• Muffins
• Cup Cakes
• Munch Bars
• Fig Bars

Snack Ideas

• Munch Bars
• Jelly Beans
• Jerky
• Jaw Beakers
• Peppermints
• Gum
• Trail Mix
• Nuts
• Freeze Dried Ice Cream (Kids think this is fun)

Drink Ideas

• Tea
• Coffee
• Hot Coco
• Power Aid
• Lemon Aid

Links To Backpacking Food Sites

One Pan Wonders

Backpacking food does not need to be expensive, nor does it have to taste like cardboard. You can eat delicious meals in the backcountry without too much effort and you can do it in ONE PAN!

PackLite Foods

Small, family owned business that puts a lot of care into the food they prepare for hikers.
Trailcooking.com
Freezer Bag Cooking minimizes these trade-offs by changing the concepts of traditional outdoor food. It offers simplicity, convenience and variety, then whirls them together with the philosophies of lightweight outdoor adventuring.

ehow.com
Article about choosing foods for cold-weather backpacking.