I am trying to diversify my meals when backpacking and was wondering what some of your favorite lunches on the trail are? My wife and I usually do mac n cheese or ramen then have some trail mix/cliff bar/jerky/etc. Looking to expand our horizons. Interested to know what other people do.
I generally buy one of the sandwiches from the camp store and add hummus with those pretzel rings as well as beef jerky...a meal that I look forward to day after day...
When I'm backpacking I actually have very little appetite during the day; but I recognize the need to keep my carbohydrate level up, so I usually stop for a pack of cheese crackers, and maybe a nut-and-chocolate protein bar. It's more than enough.
The only time I do a real lunch while backpacking is day one. I usually pack in a deli sandwich for the first day. The rest of the days I just eat jerky and protein bars.
One year we came across a sale of those small packs of mandarin oranges and that was a real treat for lunch on the trail. Of course we could have just packed some oranges but those are real work.
Other than that it is usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, nuts and granola bars.
We are usually day hiking but we split a deli sandwich w home grown GA tomatoes, chips, flathead cherries when available, and a oatmeal cookie w crunchy Pnt butter.
If I'm on a day hike, I sometimes take a sandwich,whole wheat bagels or English muffins(buttered), otherwise same as backpacking snack stuff.
Backpacking I snack on nuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, dried blueberries, high fiber brownie 90 calories 5 grams fiber(FiberOne brand)
I can't eat all the "good stuff" I used to eat like candy bars and cinnamon buns
Since I'm now on a more disciplined(for me) diet.
Oh well...
pete
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-
"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat." George Carlin
Day 1 Beefstick, cheese, wheat thins, Almond Joy (sometimes a sandwich, chips and cookies)
Day 2 Fantastic Foods Refried Beans & shredded cheddar or a cheese stick, Fritos and Taco Bell Fire Sauce, Biscotti (add hot water at breakfast to beans & cheese and wrap it up, it will still be warm at lunch)
Day 3 Pasta Salad, Mars Almond Bar (Ramen without packet, 2 T. dried or freeze dried veggies, 2 T. Dried Parmesan Cheese, packet Italian Dressing (this time add 1 cup cold water and dressing at breakfast and it will rehydrate as you hike.) We used to do wraps on Day 3, but they are heavy, with tortillas, chicken, mayo packet, relish packet, onion packet.
Day 4 The other half of the beefstick if we haven't used it for breakfast, cheese, wheat thins again. Sweet and Salty Nut Bar.
I enjoy the tuna packets with tortillas. Put some precooked bacon on it when you start getting tired to just tuna. The longer the trip the more I get tired of the food I brought.
Packit Gourmet is really good for breakfast & dinner
Knorrs rice sides supplemented with harmony house dried onions, bell peppers, and precooked bacon is good
I like the harmony house dehydrated veggies. I can add them to ramen, Knorrs rice sides, and just about anything that I'm getting tired of eating just to change it up.