Low volume breakfast

[Theo Diekmann]

Hi everyone,

Since I'm relatively new to hiking in California, I have not yet figured out an efficient way of dealing with the constraints that a bear-canister poses. While I have found some low-volume dinner recipes, I am still uncertain about breakfast. What are your favorite low-bulk/bearcan-compatible breakfast options?

Usually, I eat some sort of crunchy honey granola with milk powder. However, that's not really volume efficient. Instant oatmeal on the other hand seems better. But, in order to boost flavor and calories, people usually put some nuts in, which in turn increases the bulk. So is oatmeal actually better than granola? I'd hate to go the oatmeal-road all in vain b/c I'd ideally like no-cook breakfasts (on the other hand, I have a jetboil now which makes breakfast-cooking way less annoying).
But all the oatmeal discussion aside, please feel free to suggest other alternatives!

Thanks a lot,
Theo

[David Thomas]

I'm a no-cook breakfast guy and have been for 30 years now. Eating hot food just doesn't replace the BTUs lost shivering over a stove waiting for my hot meal (compared to just hiking the trail while I munch on something).

My go-to, no-cook breakfast is oatmeal cookies. Homemade if I want to pump up the oil/calorie count, but Trader Joe's frosted, cranberry oatmeal cookies if I'm being lazy. 6-8 for a breakfast and I eat them as I hike the first few miles. No pot (already packed up the night before), no fuel, no time spent shivering in camp.

But you've also described another solution – granola in a ziplock with powdered milk. Few foods are as compact, and if you make your granola at home, you can add nuts and oils to increase the caloric density.

Shoot-from-the-hip estimate, but I suspect oil-rich granola is more calorie dense, volume-wise, than dry oatmeal (which is almost all carbs). Keep it in zip-lock bags, and you can squeeze it into places that few other things could go.

[Roger Caffin]

> oil-rich granola is more calorie dense, volume-wise, than dry oatmeal (which is
> almost all carbs).
That does depend on what sort of oatmeal you are talking about. For processed 'instant' oatmeal you are probably right, but raw oatmeal is another matter. There ia quite a bit of oat oil in the outer layers of raw oatmeal – along with other fine things. Plus a lot more taste too.

So I make our raw muesli with raw oats, plus at least 4 different sort of nuts, 3 types of dried grapes, 4 types of dried fruits, what germ (lots of oil), bran, and any other goodies Sue has brought home. All in a 20 L drum, which gets filled right up each time.

Cheers

[Greg Mihalik]

"Usually, I eat some sort of crunchy honey granola with milk powder. However, that's not really volume efficient."

1) Find better granola, calorie-wise.
2) Add chopped nuts – pecans, macadamia, almonds, …
3) Use Nido Instant Whole Milk, added to the bag.

I do 2 ounces of granola and an ounce of mixed nuts.

I can get 400 calories into a "snack size" ziplock, but it's tight. A "sandwich size" ziplock is better, because I can get 500 calories in, with room to spare. And a loosely packed sandwich-size lays much better in a canister. (Also, when I use a snack-size, it tends to be so tight the granola "pin-holes", the bag. Then I end up eating out if a leaking ziplock, which is messy.)

Edit to Add:
If you are disciplined, and can measure, put all of the granola in a single big bag.

[BC Bob]

Granola isn't hard to make and IMO you'll end up with something waaay better than what you can typically buy in a store. I mix a cup of granola with a 1/3 cup dried skim milk. Packs very efficiently in my bear can. In July/August/Sept I add in a pile of trail blueberries. I'm happy eating it for breakfast (and dinner on no-stove trips).

[petemanteau]

I've been experimenting with a new approach to no-cook breakfasts. At home I mix vanilla carnation, protein powder, Nido whole milk powder, blender-pulverized freeze-dried strawberries, and blender-powdered oatmeal. On the trail, just add water to a small baggie or my mug. Tastes good to me, has a nice, thick smoothie texture from the oatmeal, and it's got calories/carbs. Packs pretty small.

[Theo Diekmann]

David, I totally agree with you on the virtue of no-cook breakfast. Shivering for hot food is absolutely annoying.

Seems I was not too far off with my granola-solution after all. I guess I will just make my own granola+nuts (or trailmix) then.
How much granola (weight-wise) do you guys usually take for a trip? And how much milk powder do you add?

Thanks a lot,
Theo

[Greg Mihalik]

"How much granola (weight-wise) do you guys usually take for a trip?"

500 calories x Number-of-Days. For me, that's about 3.5 ounces per day.

Weight depends on caloric density.

[Richard Gless]

I usually take 3/4 cup of granola and between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of dry whole milk (usually available in Mexican American markets). I also usually take some good quality dried fruit like, apricot prunes, dried blueberries. Usually ends up being 6 oz or so. The fruit isn't as calorie dense, but certainly taste good.

[Mike M]

I take two packets of Better Oats Raw (multi whole grain hot cereal), empty into a ziplock, add brown sugar, walnuts, wheat germ, raisins and Nido- gives me a 500+ calorie punch and tastes great, it's pretty low volume as well; if you need less calories go w/ one packet

[Sabine Funk]

If you're keen enough for leaving the granola behind try this:
2 Tortillas (preferably whole grain) with Nutella. The medium size tortillas are exactly the same diameter as a bear vault so they fit perfectly. Might be a bit heavier than the dry granola but I find it gives me the most energy and makes me hike the longest time without more food.

I backpacked a lot in bear country before and I'm currently on the PCT so I had lots of experiments and this turned out to be the breakfast I like most.

[Greg Mihalik]

Nutella –

55%Fat, 42%Sugar, 4%Whey

"In the United States, Ferrero was sued in a class action for false advertising leading to consumer inferences that Nutella has nutritional and health benefits from advertising claims that Nutella is 'part of a nutritious breakfast'."

I'll pass.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Homemade "Nutella" is very easy to make. Why is palm oil used? Simple. Keeps it spreadable. And thick.However, it is quite easy to make a similar version.
http://www.trailcooking.com/dry-mixes-seasonings/hazelnut-chocolate-spread/

It isn't "health food", if you want, stick with nut or seed butters of just the nut/seed, pinch of salt and a little oil.

[Yak Attack]

Those of you who have dried milk in your granola: do you add water to it when you eat it? Or do you eat it dry?

[Mike M]

add water and stir for me, don't think it would taste that good w/o water added- as mentioned a couple of times- Nido (or other whole milk dried) is much more palatable and boosts the calorie punch

[Kenneth Keating]

I use one cup of granola with one packet of Packitgourmet smoothie and 12 oz of water. This gets me 920 calories. I use the smoothie’s because I don’t really like the taste of instant milk. The smoothie is a little sweet, and I’m currently working on an instant milk/smoothie proportion to bring down the sweetness.

The key to making this bear canister efficient is to pack the granola into one bag and scoop out portions daily as opposed to making individual bags for each day. Individual bags take up more room due to the void spaces between bags. I try to do this for all items (nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, etc) and I can fit much more into the BC.

[Matthew / BPL]

1) You can reduce the volume of granola by pulsing it in a food processor. I've tried it with a couple different brands and saved maybe 10-15% of volume. It's not a huge difference but it helps.

2) In addition to Nido, you can boost the caloric count (and nutrition) by adding some sesame/chia/flax/etc seeds to granola. These tiny, granular additions tend to fill in the voids between the granola chunks.

3) I strongly prefer instant polenta for breakfast. It's got a higher caloric density than any granola I am aware of and packs perfectly. It's cheap and available and my local grocery store. It rehydrates easily and takes olive oil really nicely. You can up the protein with some almond flour or nut butter in it. Delicious!

[Molly K]

I like to have a tortilla with almond butter for breakfast when I want a fast start in the morning as I can just roll it up and eat as I walk. For variety I'll add some maple syrup to the almond butter which makes it nice and morning worthy. I have also been known to mix in some hot chocolate mix (dark chocolate works best imo) or Nutella for a little treat as well… packs very flat and efficient but isn't super light.

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