last minute help!

[Shaun W]

Hello all!

First time posting but have read many articles on the site and thought what better place for knowledge?

Im going an a spur of the moment overnight this weekend. and I dont have any of my meals prepped like usual. whats your favorite meal thats cheap and easy?

we will be there from early morning til next day so breakfast lunch and dinner plus some snacks…its also about 20f currently…so warm meals.

I was gonna grab a few oatmeals and some ramen and a nice hunk of meat. But Id love to hear what everybody else would do for spur of the moment trips like this!

[Mike In Socal]

Ramen noodles + vegetables (fresh or dried) + green onion + meat. :) Almost any leftover that I have in the fridge is good for a weekend trip.

[BlackHatGuy]

Idaho instant mashed potatoes, add cheese, butter, some meat or whatever. Very filling. Quick and easy to prepare. TAF.

[Kevin Babione]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>One of our favorites is ramen chicken noodle but we add a pouch of the cooked chicken.  If you can’t find the pouch get a can of cooked chicken (near the tuna in our stores) and put it in a ziploc and freeze it.  I carry it the next day in my coozie and it’s still a little frozen by dinner – and that’s as we approach summer.  You’ll be fine in the 20’s.</p>

[Matthew / BPL]

I like loaded mashed potatoes more than ramen.

I like instant polenta even more. This brand is available at my local Myer’s stores. When I was doing a google image search for the box it came up on Walmart’s website so you might find it there near the pasta and jarred tomato sauce.

Polenta is wonderful with cheese, olive oil, any kind of fresh or FD veggie. Ham or fake ham is a welcome addition. You can’t go wrong. It rehydrates in literally 20 or 30 seconds with near boiling water. I like it in soups too.

[Matthew / BPL]

Speaking of soup, instant split pea soup is great when backpacking. You can repackage it in a freezerbag or just carry it in the paper cup it comes in if space is not at too much of a premium. A little sack of instant mashed potatoes to bulk it up works well. Olive oil, ghee or butter makes it more rich.

[Matthew / BPL]

Oh and polenta is great at breakfast with some nuts and honey or raisins. And butter/ghee.

[David Thomas]

At Walmart, Pasta Sides, Rice Sides, and instant mashed potatoes come in many different flavors and cost $1 each (about 440 calories.  And bacon bits and some hard cheese for more taste and calories.

For breakfast, you can have oatmeal, butter, sugar, and raisins all together in a no-cook version by bringing oatmeal cookies.  I like Trader Joe’s iced oatmeal cookies.

[David Hartley]

Ramen Pesto (not really pesto):
1 packet Ramen noodles, toss the flavor packet
1/4 cup chopped sundries tomatoes
2-3 TBSP shelf stable bacon bits (get the real bacon)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
2-3 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

1) Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water to ramen in quart zip lock bag and let it sit in cozy for 2-3 min
2) Add sundries tomatoes, seasoning, and bacon, stir, and let it sit another 2-3 min
3) Stir in olive oil and parmesan cheese and salt to taste
Enjoy!

[Ben C]

Grits and cheese with bacon bits.  Easy meal that has that “sticks to the ribs” quality.

[Ben H.]

box stuffing, pouch (or can) of chicken, dehydrated mashed, packet of gravy makes thanksgiving on the trail.

[Matthew / BPL]

^oh snap that sounds good. Maybe some craisins would complete the thanksgiving vibe.

[James Marco]

Rice Sides, Zatarans, etc are quick and easy. Avoid Rice-a-roni. Bisquik, dehydrated apple and cinnamon fried in olive oil, split and butter slathered on makes a nice desert. Enjoy!

[Tom K]

“Speaking of soup, instant split pea soup is great when backpacking. You can repackage it in a freezerbag or just carry it in the paper cup it comes in if space is not at too much of a premium. A little sack of instant mashed potatoes to bulk it up works well. Olive oil, ghee or butter makes it more rich.”

My favorite back when I was still eating hot food.  Add in some canned bacon bits for a short trip like yours and you’re eating very well indeed.  If you have a coop type store nearby, dehydrated split pea soup can often be purchased in bulk from a bin much cheaper.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Doug’s suggestion of instant mashed potatoes is good. The good news is that there are many flavors of instant mashed potatoes at your supermarket. 1/2 packet is more than enough for one.

Then take some instant gravy (1/2 packet is plenty) sprinkle it in the mashed potatoes, seal and you  are ready for potatoes and gravy.

You can also take a portion of Stovetop Stuffing as well. Put it in a sandwich bag.Some dehydrated chicken or turkey and you have “Thanksgiving Dinner”.

Remember to use a permanent marker to write the correct amount of boiling H2O to add to the ingredients.

This is true “freezer bag cooking”!

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