no imagination when it comes to food

[Steven Hanlon]

i have zero imagination when it comes to food. my meals are dreadful.

common breakfasts – pop tarts, oatmeal to go, dry cereal with powdered milk

common lunch – premix tuna salad and combos, clif bar, chunk of cheese and chunk of jerky

common dinner – Mt. House chili mac or spaghetti or lasagna

common snacks – snickers, sour patch kids

i think i don't go out as much because my food sucks.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Me neither! Who cares!!??!! (my wife :) )

I eat to live. Im one of those people who would eat gels or "Life Puddin'" if it were feasible. I hate pondering 'what's for breakfast? Whats for lunch? Whats for Dinner?

I dont care what! Thats what!

Meat bread cheese ya know

My menu looks like yours -tuna/ +other flavors of MH.

[Nick Gatel]

Looks good to me. Mine is even simpler, but that doesn't restrict my trips… just makes cooking and eating less complicated. Less to worry about and more motivation to go hiking.

All breakfasts = instant oatmeal and coffee. My variety is which flavor of oatmeal.

Don't eat lunch per se, just snack on whatever I pick up at the store and is on sale. Mostly bars (Cliff, Power, Snickers) and jerky. Sometimes some kind of trail mix.

Most Dinners = Mtn House lasagna, spaghetti, or chili mac. I rotate for variety. Occasionally I take Top Ramen, but that is a lot of extra work for me.

I do repackage everything to reduce weight, to include the Mtn House.

When I was a bachelor, at home I ate bacon and eggs everyday for breakfast and a steak or hamburger for dinner, unless I went to McDonald's or Del Taco for dinner.

True story… about 10 years ago when I was dating my wife (who will not eat fast food), we were running late for an event. I asked her if we could just stop at McDonald's for something quick. She agreed. Here is the play-by-play…

Pull car up to Order Window. McDonald's Lady says, "Hi Nick, that will be $4.17.

Wife, "You don't have to order? They already know what you want?"

Me, "umm, yes. 1/4 pounder with cheese combo meal with diet Coke. Medium size. Do you want me to order something for you?"

Wife, "Anywhere else you do not have to order?"

Me, "umm, yes. Del Taco. Do you want me to order something for you?"

Wife, "And what does Del Taco give you?"

Me, "Ultimate Taco, Macho Combo Burrito, and a medium diet cola. Do you want me to order something for you?"

Wife… speechless.

I am now married and life is much more complicated with all the healthy food. Healthy food required a larger refrigerator, larger stove, an oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, double sink, garbage disposal, more trash bags, bigger trash can, utensils, pots and pans, scale, plates, bowls, knives, all kinds of cutting chopping, mixing, and draining stuff, storage containers, more cabinets, herbs and spices, and other stuff that I have no idea as to what these contraptions and concoctions do. Good news is that I do not know how to use all these modern conveniences, have no knowledge of how one would cook this stuff, and am generally not allowed to touch the kitchen stuff. But the even better news is that I no longer have to cook anything, even though I hate green colored foods, vegetables, and stinky fish I am now forced to eat.

It was much easier when I had a tiny fridge, a small BBQ, one fry pan, two plates, two forks, and two steak knives.

Love is blind.

[Bob Gross]

…and you never did order anything for your wife!

–B.G.–

[jscott]

My philosophy is, it's not about the food. My big treats are: dried banana chips–just incredible! don't leave home without them; and cranberries in my oatmeal, along with wheat germ. And Starbucks instant coffee.

[David Noll]

For all of you food challenged backpackers look up Mike C's groovy biotic cooking.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/quick_healthy_meals_with_an_ultralight_cook_kit

However, I will warn you that it is fairly healthy but does taste real good.

[W I S N E R !]

I was on a trip with a friend and our sons this weekend- first time I backpacked with him.

He had the standard, grocery store-bought fare: packaged soup, pop tarts, chips, candy, etc.
His rationale was: it's only a short trip, so eating junk for two days is fine.

I see it as the complete opposite.

I had a block of feta cheese, garden picked tomatoes, a half pound of olives, turkey apple sausages for the fire, one onion, fresh bread, spinach, mushrooms, bean sprouts, homemade brownies for desert….

He seemed rather shocked I had anything fresh at all, as if it never occurred to him it was possible.

I rationalize food selection, especially for short trips, entirely differently:
Why weigh anything? Why eat garbage? Why worry about calories per ounce? Why not carry real food? Why not a big, non-packaged sandwich for dinner? Why not a tupperware container full of the same thing you ate at home for dinner last night? Why not hit a taco stand and pack a big 'ol carne asada burrito? Why not fresh veggies, good cheese, a loaf of good bread? We could've carried a roast chicken in for the first night or an extra large gourmet pizza with the works.

It seems many people are stuck in a default mode of believing they have to carry a bunch of packaged, dehydrated, processed, factory food the second they step out for a trip.

We can do better!

Mike Clelland's Groovy-Biotic article is great…he shows it can be done wholesome, healthy, and lightweight.

[Nick Gatel]

I will admit that Craig's assembled-on-site burrito sure looked good one night. He does actually "cook" dinner with fresh ingredients.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Yeah for lunch the 2nd day I like an Eastside Deli sammich!

[Elliott Wolin]

I'm going hiking with Craig as long as he takes care of the food…where do you live, Craig?

[W I S N E R !]

Don't get me wrong, I've eaten (and continue to) my share of ramen packages, crushed Pringles, Snickers bars, and the likes. But there's a time and place for it; I save the high-calorie/low-weight packaged food for long trips, physically demanding trips, or the scenarios when trying to pack 7 days of food into a small bear can.

But for a night or two of stargazing and lazying about with my children and/or some good friends….Why not do it up right?

[Jake D]

Ha.. reminds me of a 6 day trip I did in the Sierras with my family. We had the normal long trip stuff.. pasta, rice, cous cous. Then a group of people came rolling into camp with 2 llamas packed with all of their stuff, fresh food etc. we said no fair!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I dream of food and ideas for new recipes like nearly every night. It isn't just trail cooking for me, it is my home cooking.

Food is my hobby ;-)

[Ken K]

I'm a foodie… I love food (as the user name might indicate). I'll pack light and fast if I need to, but if given my druthers, I'd pack an extra pound a day if it was food I enjoyed. I love some of the recipes I've seen on this sight.

[Mark Cashmere]

I have a few staples for my short trips, but I definitely get excited about the meal planning/fixing. We have a small chain of stores in Northeast Ohio called Marc's which is mostly a grocery store, but they kind of specialize in random items at discount prices. Just walking around the store I can put together quick meals that are tasty and easy. Plus, the packaging available these days of prepared or 'ready-to-eat' items is amazing compared to 10 years ago. Think pre-cooked bacon and small packs of Hormel mini pepperoni, not to mention the small packets of condiments (hot sauce of course).

On the flip side, I have grown content with freezer bag cooking and the lack of cleanup necessary (cleanup was one of my prior food preparation banes). That's where sites like trailcooking.com comes in – and Sarah is a large contributor here as well. Try the Sunrise Mashers with a Spam single or mini pepperonis and hot sauce for breakfast and the Pop Tarts will move to your snack bag. Pizza Ramen has become a staple of mine as well. If you want tasty and easy try Hawk Vittles for a change from MH – great stuff!

HTH – enjoy the journey…

[Steven Hanlon]

i don't feel so bad now. my simple fair is good enough and easy to manage. i am going to add those flat bread slices to the mix for PB&J's since they won't get smooshed.

like Nick, i can walk into the deli and i don't need a number in the line, they will make my sandwich the minute they see me come in. a new co-worker thought that was rather strange and kind of creepy. i am a creature of habit.

[W I S N E R !]

Despite Nick's unabashed love for fast food, the guy is lean and mean and will dust plenty of people decades younger than him.

So whatever works, right?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Well…my barista knows what I drink every morning. The only time it changes is on hot days ;-)

[Nick Gatel]

While my comments were meant to be "tongue in cheek," they are factual.

Fortunately I have been blessed with good genes and have been extremely active my entire life. But fast food and the life style of most Americans live is a travesty. The majority of children I see today are overweight to some degree, and as a country we are overweight or obese. And this is what is driving our health care costs so high.

Now an occasional trip to McDonald's is not going to hurt anyone, and I do not think we need to regulate the fast food industry, but as a society we need to eat better and exercise more. As to most backpackers eating junk food, it is not going to hurt them if they eat well most of the time. I do enjoy reading some of the creative and healthy recipes members post here, and maybe I'll try them some day. For me, eating is just something I need to do to stay alive. It is not something I give much thought… although I love ice cream and potato chips. If my wife is out of town, I often forget to eat if I am involved in a project. So I would encourage people to think about their meals on and off the trail, and to experiment when hiking.

So I guess the moral of the story is to get out and exercise everyday and go hiking whenever possible. Food is just something we require to stay alive. But walking and hiking every day is living a good life.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I don't know about everyone else….but where I live overweight children are not the norm. Sure there are some, but most are normal. But…..our school district still funds the PE program. Our SD has a huge tax base and nearly everything proposed passes. And none of our schools are near fast food (the high school is 3 miles out of town!)

Creativity in food is a learned thing, it comes naturally to few. Even in myself I have plenty of days where I have no ideas but I simply force myself to get creative. I see it as work in a way.

The problem being is that when we don't pass down that creativity to our kids we have failed them. Food isn't just for staying alive – it should be enjoyed! It is part of why life is so great. Heck, air is needed to live but wouldn't you rather breathing clean air over any old air?

[Laurie Ann March]

Admittedly, I'm a foodie. Always have been… it's genetic. Dad was a chef for the CP Railway (and in the army). My sister a restaurateur. Grandma on Dad's side had a bakery. Great Grandma on Mom's side owned a chocolate shop.

For me, food is all part of the experience and I try to combine lightweight options with a bit of imagination and variety. Not to mention it is less expensive and tastes a whole heap better than the salt-fest that is Mountain House.

[Dirk Rabdau]

Obesity is a national problem. Many Americans who would characterize themselves as "normal" in terms of weight are classified as "obese" by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One-third of all U.S. adults and approximately 17 percent of all children and adolescents between the ages of two and 19 are classified as obese according to the government. Read the stats and watch the trend. It's not good.

Now, exercise is an important component of weight management, but honestly, it's very, very difficult to get enough exercise to offset a lousy diet. Backpacking burns a lot of calories if you hike all day. But most of us have other responsibilities that cut into our time. It's pretty easy to ingest 1,500+ calories in a single meal if you are eating out and not careful.

Right now I am 5 feet 8 inches tall and 177 pounds….I am overweight. I need to lose another 13 pounds just to fall into the normal weight range (122-164 pounds) according to Body Mass Index. I will get there, but diet is the key as I don't have the time necessary on a daily basis to offset poor eating habits.

Dirk

[Nick Gatel]

Dirk,

I agree completely. BMI is a pretty useful tool, although for muscular athletes it overestimates body fat and in older people it does not take into account the normal loss of muscle mass.

As I stated earlier, an overweight population is driving up our health care costs. The extra body fat puts us at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and a multitude of other problems.

Yes, our responsibilities in a modern world cut into our time. But we need to carve out the time to get enough exercise. Our lives depend on it. Just skip lunch, eat an apple and walk briskly for an hour, will provide huge benefits. Plus we will feel better, have less stress and generally feel good about ourselves.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

17% of all children isn't "everywhere" and lines up with my theory – that there are plenty of areas with normal, average children. But it depends where one lives.

Back at Walker's one year checkup I got told to FATTEN him up more! So I fed him a diet that included an avocado a diet (healthy fat there) and by the checkup a month later they were happy with his weight. He is 93% percentile for height, 56 for weight. Not a bad place to be. My oldest is 110% for height and maybe 30-40 for weight (he is tall/skinny).

[Laurie Ann March]

Dirk… I'd have to say that it is an international problem as Canada has many of the same issues surrounding obesity. It is epidemic.

Your comment, "I will get there, but diet is the key as I don't have the time necessary on a daily basis to offset poor eating habits." speaks of the importance of lifestyle as well as exercise.

Obtaining and maintaining an ideal body size/fitness/nutritional balance is difficult and time consuming. Of course, I speak from personal experience. You see, when I decided that I wanted to backpack, I was morbidly obese at an estimated weight of more than 370 pounds (I don't know for sure because the scale didn't go that high). I am less than a 1/2 inch below the 6 foot tall mark. Not only did I incorporate outdoor living (day hiking, backpacking and paddling) into my lifestyle, I started eating whole and healthy foods. Now I am below the 200 mark for the first time in several decades and I figure I have about 30 pounds to go (give or take because I am also working on core and muscle toning). It is constant work. If I have a treat I balance it with a few extra miles of day hiking, or by working out for an extra half hour. I often save the treats for our trips because the caloric burn allows for that.

Good eating habits are crucial… not just for weight but for overall health. So many people pop multi-vitamins when they could simply get what they need from a proper and balanced diet. As for not having the time to off-set poor eating habits… time is well spent to revise both areas of lifestyle as they go hand in hand.

I figure that there are two things of paramount importance in my life… one is being a good Mom and the other is achieving and maintaining health. The latter makes me a better Mom who will be there for her children and also give them the education through being a good role model so that they won't ever end up where I had put myself.

Face it… diabetes, heart-disease and obesity are at epidemic levels in both our countries. It's sad. I'm fortunate because I saw the writing on the wall and reversed a lot of this… including diabetes.

This tells a little about how I ended up with an off-the-chart BMI… my weightloss journey

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