[Tom]

Tried out some of the Next Mile meals that Brian Curtis suggested for low carb / keto options. I like that they are legit single serving meals, unlike so called 2 serving meals which are closer to 1.5 servings, leaving you too full or wanting more. My biggest complaint so far is the hydration issues. There is a heavy emphasis on meat, it's Keto after all, but the chunks need to be diced smaller so they will hydrate properly. Cajun Jambalaya https://www.nextmilemeals.com/products/cajun-jambalaya I think this would be much better with sausage, which would probably hydrate better. The thick chunks of pork were dry and crunchy due to hydration issues. The flavor was just OK, could use more tomato flavor. Coconut Curry Chicken https://www.nextmilemeals.com/products/curry-chicken The thick chunks of chicken did not hydrate well. Could use more curry flavor. I ordered 2 of these so will try it again, adding some ahmed pickle to boost the flavor / spice and reheat it to help with hydration. Steak Omelette with Green Bell Peppers https://www.nextmilemeals.com/products/steak-omelette My go to breakfast has always been Mountain House scrambled eggs with ham and green peppers. Sadly when I went to order more I found it has been discontinued, so I was hoping this might be a good alternative. I had no illusions it would be an omelette, but c'mon, it's scrambled eggs, keep it real, don't call it something it isn't! No surprise, the steak did not hydrate well, and it didn't taste anywhere as good as Mountain House, despite having twice the sodium. I'll stick to mountain house eggs for breakfast, even if they only offer it with bacon now. Italian Beef Marinara https://www.nextmilemeals.com/products/italian-marinara Finally, they knocked this one out of the park! The (small) meatballs hydrated quickly and the flavor was outstanding. Better than any (high carb) Italian backpacking meal I've had. The veggies and cheese they substituted for pasta was perfect, I did not miss the pasta, and I don't think you will either, whether or not you are keto. Haven't tried any of the other meals yet, but fingers crossed they are as good as the last one.

[Brian Curtis]

Tom, the one thing I’m going to strongly disagree with you about is the Mountain House eggs. Let me preface this by saying that Mountain House eggs, both the bacon and ham versions, have been my favorite backcountry meals for the past 40 or 50 years. I’ve always looked forward to them. We used to supplement them with sausage patties, but Mountain House stopped making those many, many years ago. Fast forward this this year and I bought several packages of the Mountain House eggs with bacon and they were terrible. They were sort of slimy and tasteless. I thought the Next Mile eggs were way better.

[Tom]

I haven't resorted to the bacon variety yet as I still have a few ham left, but maybe I will not like it as much. I haven't noticed any change in the ham version over the last 20 years. Could just be what we are used to but something just seemed missing from the Next Mile eggs. I eat so many eggs on keto I honestly don't look forward to eating them at home, but for some reason I look forward to the Mountain House eggs for breakfast on hikes. I supplement with a low carb Legendary foods toaster pastry. Minimizing sugar and carbs in my diet sure has made a big difference in inflammation on hikes. Before I would ice on the way home and for 2 days or so after coming home to keep my knees from ballooning. Now I don't even ice at all.

[Tom]

FWIW, last month when I realized the ham was discontinued I purchased every single remaining ham package I could find on the internet, ha, less than a dozen. Now you have me worried that the bacon won't be as good. Seems you can still find a few remaining 10# cans of the ham on ebay. I might just order one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/145337026109 Edit: found a few cans on Amazon cheaper. I grabbed 2 as shipping was a flat rate and I doubt I'll ever find them again once the remaining inventory sells out. Not bad if it actually ships. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4EFWNI

[BigBrunyon]

Ahh had a couple Mountaon Houses on the drive up from ELLENSBURG had to pull over

[neek]

[BigBrunyon]

Couple times!!! Was eating them in the car while drivin. Had to pull over after the first one to make the second one. Then had to pull over a couple times to sh## after. Nothin out of the ordinary.

[Tom]

Do you really think you're adding value here dropping turds in every thread you post? What value do you think you add to this forum? You're not funny, and your act is getting old.

[contour5]

Breakfast Scramble is the clear winner in the breakfast competition. The little sausage nuggets rehydrate splendidly compared to those ham flavored pencil erasers that they put in the inferior scrambled egg varieties.

[Tom]

I haven't tried the scramble yet but looking forward to it now FWIW, I never had a problem with the MH ham hydrating. I suspect the yeast extract in the MH eggs is what seems missing to me in the Next Mile eggs.

[JPH]

[Tom]

I assumed contour5 was referring to the Next Mile Sausage Scramble. https://www.nextmilemeals.com/products/sausage-scramble The problem with most scrambles is they contain potatoes which are not keto friendly. Once you have trained your body to burn fat instead of carbs it's somewhat counter productive. In addition to reducing my inflammation, I also dropped 30 pounds from minimizing carbs and sugars in my diet. With fully loaded pack I am lighter than I was before with a day pack.

[Brian Curtis]

Your mention of yeast extract got me looking at the eggs with bacon. That is not an ingredient in the current eggs with bacon, but it did used to be an ingredient. They made several changes to the recipe. At least this seems to support my assertion they do not taste like they used to. For decades I dutifully followed the directions on the package and drained the excess water out of the eggs when they were done rehydrating. Until one day I felt like I needed some extra hydration and left the water in the pouch and drank it when I had finished the eggs. I really enjoyed it and haven’t wasted that goodness since. One thing I really enjoyed about the Next Mile steak and eggs meal was a really nice bunch of peppers. I still fondly recall the pepper aroma when I opened a pouch of that on my last backpacking trip. (The day before I broke my toe! An injury I am still recovering from). My keto (really, just low carb at this point) story is basically the same as yours. I wasn’t fat my any means, but I lost 25, or so, pounds going low carb and it seems weird that with my 4-day backpack on for that last trip I was still lighter than I used to be without my backpack.

[Tom]

My understanding is yeast extract is another form of MSG, but better tolerated by those who are sensitive to the latter. I never had a problem with MSG, other than finding it extremely addictive. I couldn't put down a bag of chips, pretzels or cheetos with MSG, would eat the whole thing. I suspect that's why I look forward to the mountain house eggs, whereas I really don't care for eggs at home now. Funny, because Omelettes used to be one of my favorite meals before going low carb... I just did keto it on a whim, to support a family member who needed to change their diet to show them it could be done, and have stuck with it for 2 years now. The 10# cans of MH eggs and ham I ordered from Amazon shipped. Hopefully they didn't substitute the newer version with bacon but figured I had nothing to lose. If you like the older version, might want to pick up some cans before they are gone for good. Only 2 left.

[JPH]