Meal Planning

We packed for 150 days to account for harsh weather and unforeseen roadblocks. Despite having extra food to give away we did not   regret this decision. You never know what will happen and being well fed is very important.

There are a lot of uncertainties to deal with while living in the woods for 120 days. Having enjoyable food to look forward to goes a long   way in keeping any adventurer’s spirits up. Pack as much as you are comfortable carrying. You will eat it. 

All recipes are given for 1 person , so multiply it by the number of people on your trip.

BREAKFAST 

Notes

We   packed 3 oatmeal breakfasts for every one quinoa, pancake and egg breakfast.   That left us with a cycle of 6 breakfasts (3 oats, 1 quinoa, 1 pancake and 1   egg).  

Oatmeal

  1. 1 cup water 
  2. 1⁄2 cup rolled oats 
  3. 1⁄4 GORP   MIX - Raisins, Cranberries, Dates, Prunes, Dried Apricots, Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts 
  4. 1 tbsp brown sugar 
  5. 1 tbsp flax seed

 

    Oatmeal is quick and easy. The water boils while we pack the site and once we are all ready we add the ingredients and enjoy. 

   

Scrambled Egg

 

  1.   6 tbsp dried whole eggs
  2.   1/2 cup rice
  3. 1⁄2 tbsp   oil

    A   slightly less quick and simple meal to prepare. We often saved for it when we   had leftover dinner and a bit of extra time. Adding beans keeps it quick but   improves the experience and sets you up for a great day.

 

Quinoa

 

  1.   2 cups water
  2.   1 cup quinoa 
  3.   1⁄4 cup GORP MIX - Same as   Oatmeal
  4.   1 tbsp brown sugar
  5.   1 tbsp flax seed

  Makes   for a good change from oatmeal every so often. It takes longer to cook the   quinoa than the oats, but a little change is always refreshing….even if it   means quinoa

   

Pancakes 

 

  1.   1 tbsp oil
  2.   2 tbsp chocolate chips
  3.   2/3 cup pancake mix
  4.   1⁄4 cup peanut butter

Everyboday   loves pancakes. These take a VERY long time. We ate them when we were really   taking our time. A great piece of a relaxed morning.

 

 

LUNCH

   

Notes

    With   our lunches we budgeted to have our 'breads and spreads' every other day. We   packed a cycle of 8 lunches (4 being 'breads and spreads'). We also brought   tupperware and cooked our lunches the night before to save time. This is a   great trick if your trying to cover lot of distance.    

 

Lentil   Salad

  1.  1⁄2 cup dried lentils
  2.   1/2 cup quinoa
  3.   1⁄4 cup almonds
  4.   1⁄4 cup raisins
  5.   2 tbsp curry powder

  This   lunch was not our favourite. We tried different things to make it work. We   added peanut butter, but it was certainly a case of eating to live   regardless.

     

Breads and Spreads

  1.   1 cup of bread flour
  2.   500g Peanut Butter (1 jar for   all of us)
  3.   Jelly

  When   we passed through towns we often picked up salami and cheese to add an extra   punch to this meal. We used our dutch oven to make bread but eventually   ditched the oven and went with bannock pitas dutch ovens are quite bulky and   heavy).

   

Quinoa and Barley Salad 

  1.   1⁄2 cup barley    
  2. 1⁄2 cup quinoa
  3.   2 tbsp cashews
  4.   1⁄4 cup cranberries
  5.   1/4 cup raisons
  6.   Dressing - 100 ml oil, 50ml   balsamic, 50 ml mustard

Another lunch that we didn't   necessarily look forward to. That being said its very filling and healthy.

   

Quinoa Salad 2 

  1.   1 cup quinoa
  2.   1⁄4 dehydrated vegetables 
  3.   1⁄2 cup chick peas
  4.   Dressing - Same mix as other   quinoa salad

  This was   a lunch that we all enjoyed. The chickpeas need to be rehydrated and cooked   the night before or else this lunch will slow your day down considerably. The   extra work is worth the flavour and nutritional value.

   

Tuna Pasta

  1.   1/2 cup pasta
  2.   1⁄2 tuna pack (5 oz)
  3.   Dressing - Same mix
  4. 1/2 cup chopped almonds

  Our favourite lunch by far!   Just remember a can opener.  

 

 

DINNER

Notes

We   had trouble finding dehydrated veggies in stores so we did our own   dehydrating. It is cheaper but far more time consuming. Get an early   start!      

 

Chili/Burritos

  1.   1/2 cup black beans 150g   (mash'em)
  2.   1/2 cup red lentils
  3.   1/2 cup brown rice = 100g
  4.   1/2 cup dehydrated veggies
  5.   1 Pita
  6.     If   you have cheese it’s a GREAT addition.

This meal is fantastic and is a very   large portion. We often had leftovers for the next morning's breakfast or   lunch.

   

Shepherd’s Pie

  1. 1/4 cup TVP
  2.   1 tbs soup powder =8g
  3.   1/4 cup dehydrated veggies
  4.   1/4 cup milk powder = 100g
  5.   1/2 cup potato flakes = 32g
  6.   1/2 cup rice
  7.   1/4 cup cheese powder

  We   referred to this meal as MUSH. It was a favourite of the crew and can be   improved with fresh ingredients from town stops.

   

Risotto

  1.   ½ cup Arborio rice = 100g
  2.   ¼ cup dehydrated mushrooms =   18.5g (raw weight)
  3.   ¼ cup dehydrated veggies
  4.   Soup powder = 25g
  5.   1/4 cup TVP

Very quick, tasty and light.   This is a great dinner.

   

Quiche

  1. ½ cup croutons = 20g
  2.   8 tbs dried eggs = 45g
  3.   ¼ cup dried mushrooms = 18.5g   (raw weight)
  4.   2 tbs onions = 10g (dehydrated   flakes)
  5.   Cheese if you have it

There is nothing   like breakfast for dinner. This turns out more like a scrambled egg than a   quiche but its fun to call it watever you want. We also replaced the egg with   rice more often than not and that made for a tasty dinner as well

   

Red Curry Stir Fry

  1.   1 cup dehydrated vegetables
  2.   1 tbs red curry paste = 19g
  3.   Coconut millk powder = 30g
  4.   1/4 cup of TVP = 100g
  5.   1/2 cup brown rice = 50g

  This   one is what it is. A nice rice dish is always quick and reminds you of home.   Fresh veggies are a great help.

   

Pesto Pasta

  1.   1/2 cup Elbow noodles - 120g
  2.   1/4 Cheese powder 
  3.   Pesto sauce - 24g
  4.   1/4 cup TVP - 90g

This   pasta was also a favourite of ours. We often did this one without pesto to   make it more like macaroni and cheese and then used the pesto to spice up   some of the blander lunches and dinners.