BREAKFASTS

[Eric Blumensaadt]

For a backpack hunting trip in northern Nevada this October I have to take at least 10 days of food. Since my spike camp is only about 1.5 miles from the trailhead where my car will be I’ll leave 5 days of food in the car.

Breakfasts will be cold the first few hunting days to give me a fast start. After that I’ll be more used to getting up at “O Dark Thirty” and tired of breakfast bars and Pop Tarts, etc. so I’ll cook. I have a very small, handle-less “one egg” aluminum non-stick skillet (& tiny plastic spatula) that I’ll use with my pot gripper.

1. Instant oatmeal, cream-of-wheat and other instant hot cereals W/ Milkman powdered milk &/or powdered hot chocolate
2. freeze-dried omelettes and pre-cooked ham, sausage and bacon (stored in Ziplock inside coffee bags to cut down smell that may attract animals)
3. pancakes (yes) W/jam or honey and sausage
4.  Bigbucks VIA coffee or gourmet type hot chocolate

So that’s it. Any suggestions?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

BTW, my pot is a 3 cup anodized aluminum W/lid from Trail Designs to match my Sidewinder CC stove. But for fire restriction reasons I’ll have to use either my canister-top Brunton CRUX stove or my Whisperlite International remote canister stove.

[BlackHatGuy]

chai is a nice break from morning coffee.

also, Packit Gourmet makes a sausage gravy and biscuits that looks good. Haven’t tried it yet, but will next weekend if the weather holds.

[W I S N E R !]

A hearty breakfast I like is instant potatoes with 2 Morningstar or Trader Joe’s veggie sausage patties crumbled in them.  I’ve kept the sausage patties for up to 4 days without refrigeration, longer if it’s cool at night.

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m a fan of chocolate whey protein powder with a metric butt-ton of instant espresso and/or Vietnamese 3-in-1 coffee for breakfast. Shake it up in a wide mouth beverage bottle or 8 ounce Nalgene, guzzle and go.

I’ve been known to add powdered coconut cream or chia seeds to this mix but usually I don’t bother.

[Matthew / BPL]

Kurt Papke has a good breakfast shake video that has a lot of protein and calories. I haven’t tried his recipe yet.

https://youtu.be/pNHmLGHW8e0

[Ken Thompson]

Seem familiar? Kinda,

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/need-cold-breakfast-suggestions/

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Matt,WEISEN and Still Here, those are good ideas. I’m shopping for more food for the trip today and I’ll try to get the TJ’s sausage and the Pakit Gourmet sausage & biscuits at my REI. I already have instant potatoes of various flavors. Never thought of them for breakfast but with sausage and gravy they could be very good.

 

Yeah K.T. I posted on this before in another page and didn’t get much but this time I’ve got more ideas. Hey, ya don’t throw yer line and hook in just once when you’re fishing.

But thanks anyway for your snarky reminder.

[Mercedes Clemens]

A burrito is easy, either with a tortilla or tortilla-less (in the pot or a bowl). Whatever combo of stuff you like, rehydrated (rice, beans, veggies, egg, etc). I usually don’t bother w/the tortilla, just eat the filling. On a cold morning, it’s nice with a lot of spice, very warming.

[Greg Mihalik]

I buy “health food” granola and generously augment with either dried fruits or with a mix of nuts.  When I’m in a hurry I add water and eat fast.  When I have time, I add Hot water, and have instant, good, “fancy” oatmeal.

[Philip Tschersich]

While I find most Mountain House food gross, I have a secret weakness for their ‘breakfast skillet’ which is scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, and bell pepper (or something). I repackage it with extra F/D ground beef and powdered Sriracha, and eat it in a tortilla as a breakfast burrito. Definitely break up the bigger pieces of egg so they don’t have the texture of styrofoam after rehydration, and don’t use too much water or you get what looks curiously like vomit. Okay, it looks like vomit in any case…

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I can’t eat Mountain House FD food because it has waaaay too much sodium. And as you say, MH tastes kinda “off”.

But I have other brands of omelette so I’ll do the “breakfast burrito” thing. With cheese it will be a break form regular omelette.

 

[Philip Tschersich]

Yeah, it’s a salt bomb.

What are your other brands of omelette?

Cheese as an addition is always good. :^)

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m with Greg on this one. MH Breakfast Skillet is actually quite tasty to me.

[Cameron M]

Alpen muesli with Hoosier Farms milk powder, sometimes throw in TJ dried cranberries or more crushed walnuts. No time at all, no fuel, on the trail fast. Also PackitGourmet Berry shakes.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

This thread should become a sticky with all the good ideas here.

Cam, I use Milkman powdered milk B/C of its taste being almost like real milk, very unlike Carnation’s yucky taste. But I’ll try some Hoosier Farms powdered milk if I can find it here in Las Vegas or online.

 

[jared h]

i’m with Greg and Cameron. oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit (bananas and berries) is my go to, and i bring maple syrup or honey to liven it up a bit. if i am in a rush, i just eat the fruit and nuts and some granola, maybe hard boiled eggs if i remember to bring them. you can also find some killer recipes for shelf-stable waffles (usually with honey or maple) online.

 

[Jim Colten]

Regarding Milkman or Carnation:   I started wanting some kind of “milk” on trail at a time when Milkman was not being produced.  I heard about <span class=”st”>NIDO </span>and tried their dried whole milk product (<span class=”st”>NIDO Fortificada</span>).  It’s so dang good that I have never been tempted to try anything else.

[Bob Moulder]

MH breakfast skillet, but instead of pouring out the water, add 2 packets of Quaker instant grits and maybe a little more water depending upon grit thickness. Add some black pepper and butter (or ghee) and some cheeze. Pretty darn yummy, at least for those of us who growed up in Dixie.

[Kattt]

Smoked Tofu can last a few days without refrigeration. I have been eating that and a few nuts for breakfast at home lately ; I might try that on the trail. Boiled eggs seem like a good option too, maybe  paired with oats or another carb. Btw I like my oats savory, with olive oil, salt and pepper: add a sliced boiled egg to that…..I think I am  hungry right now ;)

[BlackHatGuy]

“Packit Gourmet makes a sausage gravy and biscuits that looks good. Haven’t tried it yet, but will next weekend if the weather holds.”

Weather didn’t hold, but I tried it anyway. Damn it’s good. Really, really good. Making the biscuits is a bit of a sticky mess though.

[Nick Gatel]

I’ve been eating instant Quaker Oats for almost every backpacking trip since 1960-something. Eat it home often too. I buy it by the case and never tire of it.

Re: salt and stuff in the commercial freeze dried stuff. Most of us are exerting more energy during a full day of hiking vs. a more sendetary lifestyle at home. The extra stuff isn’t going hurt you, your body will just burn it up.

 

[Ben C]

I have 2 go-to breakfasts:

• Steel cut oats with nuts and dehydrated fruits or berries.  I like the taste/texture of steel cut oats a lot better than instant.  They also seem to give a more even energy infusion than instant. You do need to let them sit awhile; I usually pack up my tarp and sleep system while waiting.
• Grits with cheese and bacon bits for a great savory breakfast.  Even though I grew up in the south, it took me awhile to learn to like grits.  Once the taste is acquired, they are hard to beat for an easy, tasty, savory breakfast.

[JCH]

My wife recently returned from a trip to North Carolina and brought back a big bag of down-home honest-to-goodness real grits and WOW are they awesome. I always thought instant grits were no better than 3-out-of-10 and was wondering if I could dehydrate proper grits.  Add some bacon bits, cheddar cheese and butter powder in the field and BAM!

Has anyone tried dehydrating real grits?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Matt King, I ate MH Breakfast Skillet early this month when backpack hunting. It was merely “OK” but on the bland side. I added some BBQ sauce on the side and that made the difference.

My best inspiration was cooking turkey bacon at home ’til it was crispy, then breaking it into small pieces and putting it in my freeze dried scrambled eggs. When fried in my one-egg skillet it was delicious.

Adding a few tablespoons of a good granola to my Trader Joe’s instant oatmeal also helped improve the taste and volume.

Keep ’em coming guys. I am going to dehydrate grits soon. Sounds very tasty with the added ingredients.

Has anyone mixed sun-dried tomatoes with scrambled eggs? How about rehydrated onions?

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