Eating healthy whilst climbing/travelling/dirtbagging
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Hey people, |
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jasoncm wrote:Hey people, We are about to set off on a 3 month climbing trip around Canada and the USA. Looking for some good info on menu ideas for simple to prepare/cook and tasty meals.. I have plenty of camping experience but usually have it pretty easy with my refrigerator in my 4x4 not too far away. Cheers JasonIt's not easy, that is for damn sure. I have spent over 20 months on climbing road trips and I still dont really know the answer to your question. The problem is that the majority of the foods (I normally eat) require refrigeration, which mainly leaves me with relatively boring things like plain pasta, caned goods, bread, noodles, ect. I will say that lunches are easy. I eat apples and bananas.... everyday.... for every lunch.... I'll have to watch this thread to see what the answer is. I am pretty much the worst cook in the world, so I can use all the tips I can get. |
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Nut butters, almond, cashew, peanut, tahini, sunflower seed... |
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Don't forget the kale! A bag from Trader Joe's should last a couple of people a few days to a week, and it's easy to add to a frying pan of food or a pot of pasta. |
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Rice and beans, beans and corn, pasta. Olive oil/veggies maybe some white wine or whatever. Canned tomatoes + some onions, mushrooms, garlic is an easy/cheap sauce for a lot of things. Polenta. Salads. Wild rice, if you play your cards right you can make a big pot (it takes a while/is a bit stove gas intensive) and then split it up, Have some warm for dinner, fire the rest into a container with whatever you can scrounge up and make a cold salad type dish out of it, toss in some green onions, cashews, olives, a little oil and vinegar and some seasoning or whatever. Really, if you avoid things that spoil quickly (dairy and meats) you're pretty safe. Even then, its pretty easy to find canned/vaccuum sealed chicken and various fishes if thats your bag. Smoked salmon is awesome in pasta dishes, on salads, on sandwiches or straight on crackers. Instant milk is pretty gross to drink but not bad to cook with if spoilage is an issue and you just want to make mac and cheese or whatever occasionally, and its dirt cheap. |
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I have always been a fan of high calorie per money when it comes to food. The cheapest, easiest and best meals for me have always been canned chili. One can of stag chili has about 500 calories, thats not a bad meal. They are fairly compact but are kinda heavy due to being hydrated. Another plus is you can eat them cold and they taste great. |
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Two posters on Backpacking Light come immediately to mind for this topic: |
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Polenta! Almond milk will keep on a shelf I think. Mac and cheese is my go to for anyday, campin or not, lol. Kashi makes some great protein filled cereal that is pretty crush resistant. Dried fruit lasts forever. |
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APBT1976 wrote:Nut butters, almond, cashew, peanut, tahiniUmm, pretty sure the word "dirtbagging" is in the post title so $12/pound food may be a bit classy. In fact, I'd say you might even need a job / trust fund to afford that. But it is delicious. RULE #1 PRESSURE COOKER You can buy bags of beans & rice at any maxican mart for like 25 cents a pound. Put in the pressure cooker & you can make beans in like 15 minutes, saving on gas as well. Canned food is EXPENSIVE! Go with rice/beans, buy veggies as you are able. Possibly try an herb plant growing somewhere in your car for free greens. Place it outside when you are parked, no one will steel your herbs. Potatoes are very under rated. They actually have quite a bit of nutrients and have a long shelf life. Finally, explore the Whole Foods dumpster for fresh veggies, it's the best! |
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+1 for peanut butter. That was a staple. Cheap, nutritious, tastes good. I also ate a bunch of Ramon noodles, couscous, canned tuna, and oranges. Don't need to be stored cold and last a long time. You can buy a lot of the rice or pasta dishes that come in a box and sub beer in for milk in a lot of them. You can make Ramon, put a few eggs in it, Drain extra water, put soy sauce and peanut butter in it. You can get soy sauce packets from Chinese or sushi places. |
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Thanks for all the input guys. I did a test run tonight. Cooked up a dish of black rice, mixed beans, onion, garlic, tomato pasta sauce and a few dried herbs. Had to substitute silver beet for Kale as its not available in Austrsliisn supermarkets. Turned out delicious! |
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jasoncm wrote:Hey people, We are about to set off on a 3 month climbing trip around Canada and the USA. Looking for some good info on menu ideas for simple to prepare/cook and tasty meals.. I have plenty of camping experience but usually have it pretty easy with my refrigerator in my 4x4 not too far away. Cheers JasonMac and Cheese baby. In the box. From Trader Joe's. |
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It will be way easier to do an ice-less cooler if you eat vegetarian. Always buy block ice, and find an animal-safe way to stash your cooler in the shade, not in your car. The ice will last longer this way. |
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This quinoa recipe is amazing...make extra pack it in... |
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Trader joe's (and I've seen it at food 4 less in jt) sells soyrizo. These stay good for a month or so in the fridge so I assume they will last pretty long in a cooler. All you have to do is heat it up with some rice and beans to have a killer burrito. In the morning use the rest with some eggs for breakfast burritos. |
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Really good advice from a lot of people. ErikaE's list of hardy veggies is crucial. I'd add garlic (if you're up for the work of peeling and chopping it) and avocados (buy some ready-to-eat, some super unripe, and some in between and you'll have avos 24/7). |
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Buy tortillas, then put anything you can find in said tortillas. |
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quinoa? |
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BACON!!! sheet cook it in the oven, or you can buy pre cooked stuff at the grocery store (super salty).. a few pieces after any backpackers meal makes the meal a treat!!!!, |