Easy Camping Food Solutions.

jkjenn

I am trying out a few dehydrated meals to see if they can simplify my camping experience. I thought I would share my experience here, in caster anyone else is interested. I will edit this post and new ones I try them.

Backpacker's Pantry Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken

I followed the instructions and almost doubled the time sitting in the bag (at under 1400‘) based on comments from others into he Amazon reviews, and still had crunchies. The flavor was ok, but had a definitely different taste the Alfredo I am accustomed to eating. I think the noodles were not bad, but even Lean Cuisine sauce is noticeably better.

It has a very appealing look when prepared and the portions are quite generous and would easily feed 2-3 people.

Bottom line: I had to get something else to eat for dinner. I won't be getting this again. This item received very high ratings on Amazon, so others might enjoy the flavor more than I did.

Starkist Ready Made Tuna Salad, Deli Style

I enjoy Tuna salad, but making Tuna and then having to clean up seems like too much effort, when you factor into he dishes to wash, when camping. In addition, you have to worry about making sure your Mayo does not get warm. I have seen these ready made Tuna Salad packets before, but I had my doubts. I am, generally, suspicious of anything in a convenience form, that includes meat, especially fish.

I was very pleasantly surprised with the ready made Tuna Salad. It was perfect. The tuna had a normal taste and smell and the combination of Mayo/Tuna was just right for me. The packets have enough for 1 sandwich, do not require refrigeration (huge bonus), and store fairly flat. The other bonus is that the packets are fairly light. I didn't weigh them, but they were much lighter than the dehydrated food packets. When traveling with the T@b, I am sure I will use bread, but if I am packing a lunch I think a wrap or Pita would be perfect.

I know I will be using a lot of these in the future when camping or even just grabbing some for sandwiches on the go. I am really happy I tried these. 

Normfun

Jenn,  great topic. One of the items we always have along is several favors of these gourmet on the go meals. Very tasty. I like all the flavors. 

Nomad

I've found that boiling water takes about as long as just doing a one pan meal -
Meal:1...
Browning some natural sausage or meatballs - Add some sauce - Add some preprepared pasta (ala dente (sp?) - Let the sauce steam and finish the pasta - Plate and add some fruit salad from a deli and you have a meal. 
Meal:2...
Brown some meatballs and potatoes - Add veggie - Plate and add some deli cranberries

I always have some partially cooked pasta (ala dente?) in the fridge. And there's just a ton of all natural, pre-cooked chicken sausage or meatballs in the stores with all kinds of different ingredients (spices/flavors) and they keep for almost ever. And if you like pasta there's a ton of different kinds of pasta sauce 9the tomato-based keep for a long time also.

My most versatile cooking utensils are a couple of no-stick 8" frying pans. Easy cleanup. Work great for one pan meals - omelets to. 

DurangoTaB

Our "go to" camping meals are turkey kielbasa / black bean chili, turkey burgers, and diced chicken in simmer sauce.

The chili is pretty much as it sounds (I can share the recipe if anyone wants).  We often cook a huge batch, then freeze it in a form conducive to (FoodSaver) vacuum sealing.  Great over (pre-cooked) rice, or with any number of toppings.

I first discovered simmer sauces at Trader Joes (sadly, the nearest to us is 200 miles away), but now they're pretty common...variations on curries (some mild, some medium).  I pre-cook/grill a large chicken breast, dice it and (vacuum) freeze it, then all you have to do is heat it up and serve over rice or noodles.  Adding a little chopped zucchini or broccoli helps.

I make turkey burgers with good quality ground turkey, spinach, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes (all these help add moisture to dry turkey), an egg, and some cheese...then grill them, and freeze them (yep...with the vacuum sealer).  Super easy to re-heat & eat.  These don't keep that long in an ice chest (I may get that ARB cooler/freezer yet!), so this is only good for a couple days.

RZRBUG

Mountain House, available at Wal-Mart.  Boil Water, pour in pouch, wait a few minutes, done.  No cleanup, no prior preparation, generous portions and very good, especially the spaghetti with meat sauce.  I carry carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, onion, etc. to augment the meal.  Don't usually mess with any kind of salad dressing, although these veggies can be dipped.  I do not carry bread (too easily smashed, gets stale or molds too quickly), but I pack my favorite crackers or pita chips.

For breakfast, I always eat Cheerios with nuts, raisins and banana at home.  Super easy on the road.  I carry powdered milk that can be easily mixed just prior to use, or you can even sprinkle some on top then pour water over.  I don't drink powdered milk, but it's just fine over cereal.

Nomad

RZRBUG - I'm a cheerios guy too - Instead of powdered milk I found a boxed milk that doesn't have to be refrigerated until you open the box. The only place I've ever found it though is in some Dollar Tree stores. Always have a couple boxes on board.
DurangoTab - Simmer sauces are great. Just add meat or veggies.

Mercator

You can also cook regular food under your engine hood while under way.  Truckers have been doing that for years.

http://www.wisebread.com/cooking-great-meals-with-your-car-engine-the-heat-is-on

You can find other sites with a Google search.

Nomad

Mercantor - I've always worried that my pot roast would spill/leak all over my injector system and leave me stranded :-)

jbug10

walloe - I do foil packs too.  I make them at home and then put them on  the grill along with what ever meat I am grilling.  Easy breezy and no mess to clean up.  On Little Guy website under kitchen supplies they have a great little cookbook  called "Fix it in Foil".  I had gotten mine on Amazon, but I noticed LG carries it too.  Lots of great recipes. 

Mercator

PXLated said:

Mercantor - I've always worried that my pot roast would spill/leak all over my injector system and leave me stranded :-)

Check out the book "Manifold Destiny" Lots of recipes and techniques.

Montalaskan

My problem with Mountain House and the other dehydrated backpack meals is that they are packed with preservatives. The sodium content is almost always through the roof.

It may not be the tastiest thing ever (but it isn't bad), but I think Soylent is a fantastic backpacking/camping food. Easy to make, only requires water, and has everything you need.

That is not to say that when camping out of a car, or once we get our T@B, that I don't look forward to my breakfast burrito every morning! We just pack tortillas, Egg Beaters Southwestern, cheese, salsa, El Pato, breakfast sausage. Mouth is watering right now. Good stuff. And yes, I went off about sodium earlier now talk about sausage and Egg Beaters.

DurangoTaB

Does anyone have experience with using the special plastic and Food Saver vacuum systems for boil in a bag meals?  

Lisa33

I do lots of things in foil, too.  One favorite is to cut up some sweet potatoes along with some pats of butter and brown sugar and wrap those in foil.  I also do roasted veggies that way.  Toss some chicken or steak on the grill and its a really nice meal.  One thing I've found to be quick and easy on the road is to pick up one of the bagged frozen skillet type meals.  I can put it in the fridge (or cooler) and just heat it in a pot at night after a long day of travel.  I travel with my son, and I often pick up a box of "Uncrustables" peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We let them thaw in the ARB (or cooler).  I've avoided lots of time-consuming lunch stops that way!  I keep lots of fresh veggies and fruit within grabbing distance, too.

Verna

I've been on the road for going on 7 weeks now. I have picked up a couple of Subway sandwiches and eaten at a friend's house a couple of nights, and I've cooked the rest of the time. I'm not allowed (and don't like the taste of) the amount of sodium in the prepared packaged foods. So, I just cook similar to what I cook at home. A lot of foil meals on the Coleman grill, use the new Thermal Pot for cooking pots of chili, etc. When I have electricity, I use the microwave to warm up the leftovers, or I use a pot on the Coleman to warm up the food. I snack on veggies and/or fruit for lunch and then eat a larger meal for an evening/late afternoon meal.  I'm not a gourmet cook, so the meals are simple, and Sunny Day (dog) thinks my cooking tastes really great ;-)

Nomad

"and Sunny Day (dog) thinks my cooking tastes really great"
:-) 

DougandMia

I (human) have had Verna's cooking and it tastes really great!

Montalaskan

DurangoTaB said:

Does anyone have experience with using the special plastic and Food Saver vacuum systems for boil in a bag meals?  

Yes, there are some great boil-in-bag meals that use Food Saver bags.

There are lots of cool ideas on backpacking forums. I'm a member of hammockforums.net (sounds lazier than it is, tons of through-hiking hardcore outdoorspeople on there) that have a lot of good ideas as well.

For instance, make your favorite spaghetti meal, then use your dehydrator (if you have one) to dehydrate it over time (meat too), then all you have to do is add some hot water and you have a good meal.

Speaking of Food Savers - as a backpacker, it's always been my dream to be able to have one with me so I can pack neater by vacuum sealing clothing, etc. But of course, it saves zero room if you can't re-vac the clothes. But we will take a Food Saver along on our bigger trips in the T@B since we'll have room and a plug-in. Saves room with wardrobe, keeps things dry and helps organize.

jkjenn

I have given up on dehydrated meals. I did, however, discover Trader Joes pulled pork yesterday. Score.

Nomad

Jennifer - Why did you give them up? Didn't like the taste?

jkjenn

Yeah, I tried a few and the taste was too much... I am extra picky.

Nomad

I tried a couple - thought they'd work as backup, quick-dirty meals - and I didn't really care for them either - And I'm not real picky.
The LRP rations (dehydrated) we had in Nam were a lot better - As I remember them anyway.

jkjenn

So, I have found that I do like the pre-made tuna, stuffing is easy, the Trader Joe's pork, hamburger helper (although that takes 15-20 min), hot dogs (pretty much what I ate last year), and potato soup, made with hash browns.

It occurred to me today that the Omaha Steaks twice baked potatoes could be a good option, too, as are the Simply Potatoes. Yes, I like potatoes.

I ordered the Amazing Campfire in a can and am looking forward to cooking over the charcoal, when I can.

driftless

We have done quite a bit of tent camping and always find good recipes in the "Lipsmakn' Backpakn'" cookbooks by Christine Connors and Tim Connors.  They have very good dried make ahead recipes that take up very little room.  At camp you simply add hot water to most and have a healthier alternative to store bought prepackaged meals.

Tabster

Campchef makes an oven that runs on propane. It has changed my life. Bought it when i was still a tent camper. Frozen lasagna, chicken pot pie, belgian waffles, hot biscuits, pizza, augratin potatoes and, show up with a plate of fresh baked cookies or brownies after dinner or hot cinimon rolls for breakfast and you will be the camp hero! I freeze all the above before we go. Pop it in the oven and T@ DA. Hot delicious food and no effort. Kids love it for pizza rolls and toasted bagels (not together)

RZRBUG

I hardly ever "cook" when I'm camping.  I happen to like Mountain House, preservatives, salt and all.  I also take lunch meats and crackers.  To these I add cheese and raw vegetables that I prepare at home; things like carrots, tomatoes, celery, onion, radishes.  I also have a couple cans of soup in the pantry.  I'm not a picky eater, so this and an occasional stop and some kind of eatery works great for me. 

I know that many view camp cooking as part of the camping experience, but I sort of feel like cooking is something I have to do at home, so I avoid it on the road when possible.

ruminator

Regarding bread while traveling, I buy sandwich thins. They are flat, whole wheat, and have 100 calories (not that I'm counting). Because they are flats, they do not crush like loaf bread. Plus, if it's hot, I toss them on top of the other stuff in my Yeti to keep them fresh. They will last a long time (couple of weeks) if kept cool.

I make chicken and tuna salad for them with real mayo (stored in my Yeti) with a bit of minced onion, crushed red pepper, celery salt, and coarse ground black pepper. With some baby carrots and/or celery on the side this is a great meal that is easy to prepare, requires limited perishable ingredients (canned chicken/tuna), and is very tasty. Plus, there is the benefit of plenty of protein to the meal.

I generally park in a shady place in the summer, get my folding chair out of the back of my 4Runner, fix my meal, and sit and watch the world go by as I enjoy a respite from the road.

Nomad

There's some things I like that I'll never prepare on the road (fruit salad, Chinese chicken dishes, etc) so I pick those up at a deli when I pass through towns with bigger grocery stores. Otherwise I cook everything. Love various pasta dishes so I'll make a couple and bag them so all I have to do is heat them up. They tend to last quite some time in the fridge - tomato-based anyway.

bgualtieri

Has anyone used a simple rice cooker in a T@b? 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Decker-3-Cup-Rice-Cooker/16416531

So far from weekend camping we haven't cooked a whole lot but a simple curry or stir fry would be really tasty. I could start with frozen chicken or shrimp or scallops. With fresh veggies it would be really good

Verna

I cheated this winter with flavored rice packages called "90 second rice", made by different companies.  You can either microwave the package for 90 seconds or if you don't have a microwave or electricity, you can heat it up on the stove.  I'm all for simple and it sure was simple.  The only problem was that I was tired of chicken and rice by the time I got home.  I'll come up with more recipes for this winter.

jkjenn

Thanks, Verna. I have always wondered if those rice packages would be ok on the stove,

bgualtieri

Good jasmine rice in a cooker is no more difficult than putting a scoop or two in, filling water to the line and lowering the lever like a toaster. When it is done it pops up and keeps itself warm until you eat. Always light and fluffy. Just add whatever kind of topping you want. I have a jar of Moroccan couscous sauce I want to try sometime.