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quantum
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PostFri Feb 26, 2021 7:46 pm 
I usually try to keep it pretty minimal in terms of cooking (alcohol stove) so keep that in mind. For breakfast I usually just stick with granola and lunch I'll eat some combination of larabars, probars, trail mix, etc. For dinner an easy meal is couscous with dehydrated beans and/or split pea soup mix (used to be able to get it in bulk) as the base. Throw in some freeze dried veggies (I've used Karen's brand if I don't have time to dry my own) or kale chips and a bullion cube for flavor. If you want to get fancier there is dehydrated hummus which you could make up with falafel and sun dried tomatoes on top of the couscous. Trader Joe's also sells a 10 min Farro that you can get away with boiling and letting sit to cook. There are various rice and beans that are quick cook you could experiment with as well. Fancy ramen is also an option Koyo brand is relatively easy to find Uwajimaya also has some good options for the base. I'll usually add some more veggies and dehydrate some tofu/other meat sub to add to it. You can also find freeze dried tofu online but would probably want to add some extra flavor packets as it'll be a bit bland. I haven't had many of the store bought meals but the Pad Thai from BP is decent and easy to come by. There have been more popping up, sorry I can't give any reviews of them though.

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altersego
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PostSun Feb 28, 2021 11:01 am 
Vegans here. We usually eat the Mary Janes oatmeal for breakfast (add some nut butter if you want). Lunch is usually a mix of bars through the day and a tortilla filled with PB&J for lunch. Tortillas pack really easy. Dinner is a bag meal. The Good to Go penne pasta and the Mexican quinoa were pretty good. We stuffed their smoked three bean chili in tortillas and that was excellent. I think BP had a good cuban beans and rice. BP mango sticky rice was a nice treat on our final night out last summer. A lot of energy bars are vegan, but I like Bobos for their simplicity. The market for vegan backpacking food seems to have grown quite a bit over the past few years. I recall only finding a few options when I searched after going vegan in 2017. But now there are vegan-only brands. There are probably some duds, so carry some extra seasonings if you haven't tried one beforehand.

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pula58
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PostWed Apr 14, 2021 9:14 am 
My wife an I are vegetarians, not vegans. We've found that, to our dismay, I just cannot eat the freeze dried/just add boiling water dinners. No matter what brand, they give me terrible gas and result in cramping, and having to relieve myself (#2) multiple times the next morning. So, it's Amy's mac and cheese indefinitely until we find a better solution. We do try to "enhance" our mac and cheese by adding extra cheese powder, a little bit of instant potato flakes, and sometimes dried peas or dried tomatoes. For some reason the dried peas and tomatoes don't bother me.

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trestle
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PostThu Apr 15, 2021 11:10 am 
A little taco seasoning thrown on mac and cheese is a tasty way to add some variety.

"Life favors the prepared." - Edna Mode
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pula58
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PostThu Apr 15, 2021 11:48 am 
trestle wrote:
A little taco seasoning thrown on mac and cheese is a tasty way to add some variety.
That sounds good. We'll try it!

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PostThu Apr 15, 2021 4:59 pm 
pula58 wrote:
I just cannot eat the freeze dried/just add boiling water dinners.
nwhikers.net is your friend. the Original Trail Cooking Diva - sarbar - has her very own website just chock full of recipes suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and people who are allergic to everything. >> https://trailcooking.com/ <<

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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pula58
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PostFri Apr 16, 2021 9:38 am 
I have no reason to believe I am allergic to any foods. It is something about the freeze dried/dehydrated foods...all the brands, all the different meals. they all make me sick. Maybe it's the salt?

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Snuffy
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PostFri Apr 16, 2021 8:40 pm 
pula58 wrote:
Maybe it's the salt?
Some people don't do well with the dehydrated meals because they don't take enough water in with them or they aren't full rehydrated. It can be quite the strain on the digestive system. I am not sure if this is you, but maybe try preparing at home and see if a more "mushy" meal or drinking extra water helps. There may be certain dehydrated foods that rehydrate better for you and cause less distress. And if you think it is salt, making your own meals might help. smile.gif

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PostSat Apr 17, 2021 10:29 am 
pula58: some of my experiments with dehydrating meals here here's what looks like a nice "Nesco" - $25 bucks - https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ele/d/redmond-nesco-food-dehydrator/7302911805.html here's a "Harvest Maid" (exactly the same as my "American Harvester") for $30 bucks - https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/for/d/renton-harvest-maid-dehydrator/7302877380.html they're on Craigslist ALL the time dirt cheap. people buy them or receive them as gifts and use them once and they end up in a closet. do your own - you'll be amazed. remember to NOT add ANY salt to ANYTHING you are dehydrating - the dehydration process seems to intensify the "salty" in the finished product. and again - refer to sarbar's website. she IS the definitive source on this stuff.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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sarbar
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PostThu May 20, 2021 1:20 pm 
pula58 wrote:
We've found that, to our dismay, I just cannot eat the freeze dried/just add boiling water dinners. No matter what brand, they give me terrible gas and result in cramping, and having to relieve myself (#2) multiple times the next morning.
Here is most likely why: They are too low in fat. Not high enough in fiber or insanely too high. And your own hydration plays in as well. And the 4th one....dehydration of your own self. And 5th: any meal with protein concentrates (think fake meat). I won't lie.....I too used to suffer the same. It's why I got the nickname once as Stove Top Stuffin' Sarbar. Because that didn't cause my gut to want to go die. Every meal needs some kind of fat. Be it a packet of oil, nut butter, an avocado and such. Not a lot. But enough to help things digest better. Prehydrate vegetables and beans before you add them in to the carb of choice. Watch and note mentally how much water you are pounding down on trips. Are you going from a quart of water a day at the office to suddenly thundering down 4 liters a day as you slog up a 7,000 foot gain in 85* temps? But in the end...if you cook these same meals in a pot (even if you boil the water and dump it all in, then simmer for a couple minutes, then let it sit for 15 minutes) your stomach will like you more. While I am the face behind FBC cooking - I am also a fan of one pot meals. Where you can soak the beans/produce first, bring the water to a boil and add in whatever else. That way it's fully hydrated. And please use oil. Your stomach will thank you.

https://trailcooking.com/ Eat well on the trail.

neek
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BigBrunyon
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PostThu May 20, 2021 11:12 pm 
Make sure your mixin up the bag good enough so you don't get a powder bite!! If you get one, tilt your head back and blow it out. Don't wanna be swallowing these powder bites.

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pula58
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PostFri May 21, 2021 9:11 am 
sarbar wrote:
pula58 wrote:
We've found that, to our dismay, I just cannot eat the freeze dried/just add boiling water dinners. No matter what brand, they give me terrible gas and result in cramping, and having to relieve myself (#2) multiple times the next morning.
Here is most likely why: They are too low in fat. Not high enough in fiber or insanely too high. And your own hydration plays in as well. And the 4th one....dehydration of your own self. And 5th: any meal with protein concentrates (think fake meat). I won't lie.....I too used to suffer the same. It's why I got the nickname once as Stove Top Stuffin' Sarbar. Because that didn't cause my gut to want to go die. Every meal needs some kind of fat. Be it a packet of oil, nut butter, an avocado and such. Not a lot. But enough to help things digest better. Prehydrate vegetables and beans before you add them in to the carb of choice. Watch and note mentally how much water you are pounding down on trips. Are you going from a quart of water a day at the office to suddenly thundering down 4 liters a day as you slog up a 7,000 foot gain in 85* temps? But in the end...if you cook these same meals in a pot (even if you boil the water and dump it all in, then simmer for a couple minutes, then let it sit for 15 minutes) your stomach will like you more. While I am the face behind FBC cooking - I am also a fan of one pot meals. Where you can soak the beans/produce first, bring the water to a boil and add in whatever else. That way it's fully hydrated. And please use oil. Your stomach will thank you.
Thanks Sarbar..Maybe we'll try to bring along a couple of small packets of olive oil next time!

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rossb
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PostTue Aug 17, 2021 9:51 am 
I am a fan of Mary Janes. Most of their food is vegetarian, and lot of it is vegan. They still have the one or two person bags ready to go, but they also sell a lot of bulk. Not only the ingredients to make your own recipe, but bulk mixes as well. They sell bags as well to go with it. I'm sure that is significantly cheaper, but I'm lazy and just get the complete bags.

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neek
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PostTue Aug 17, 2021 11:13 am 
I've been experimenting this summer and came up with a vegan dinner that's very cheap, healthy, tasty, and almost as easy to throw together as pouring boiling water into a bag: Boil 1/3 C red lentils plus 1/3 C quinoa. (I chose these because they cook quickly, but things work better if you soak them all day. You can start in cold water but watch carefully for boilover. To go stoveless, boil and dehydrate at home) Let sit until cooked, then add freeze dried veggies (I use spinach), plus tomato and onion powder/flakes. Add salt and spice of choice (at home I mix cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne; curry powder also works well). Add a packet or two of olive oil (makes a huge improvement, thanks sarbar for the advice above) and eat. All this stuff is readily available online. I probably couldn't eat it every day on a through hike, but after 5 days I wasn't at all tired of it. Many variations of course are possible. For breakfast: homemade low-sugar granola with NIDO or Peak (or just water if you're vegan).

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Navy salad
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PostSun Aug 22, 2021 2:07 pm 
Snuffy wrote:
pula58 wrote:
Maybe it's the salt?
Some people don't do well with the dehydrated meals because they don't take enough water in with them or they aren't full rehydrated. It can be quite the strain on the digestive system. I am not sure if this is you, but maybe try preparing at home and see if a more "mushy" meal or drinking extra water helps. There may be certain dehydrated foods that rehydrate better for you and cause less distress. And if you think it is salt, making your own meals might help. smile.gif
I know from experience that this is at least "a contributing factor" from when 2 of my sons and I all had indigestion and gas due to our food not being sufficiently rehydrated (too much of a hurry to eat!). So now, I make sure I give foods plenty of time to rehydrate and err on the soupy side.

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