Keep it SIMPLE and eat BETTER! Enjoy your REGULAR breakfast!
In the previous article, I argued that camping meals do NOT need to be complicated, expensive, unhealthy or unsatisfying. I have COMPLETELY abandoned pre-packaged "camping meals"!
Please - DON'T automatically plan your camping meal menus around foil packets.
In the first place, the cost of these prepackaged meals is RIDICULOUS!
Even before rampant inflation, these camping meals were a poor value. Now it is only worse! Why would you spend $10.00 (or more) for a meal that you would NEVER choose to eat at home - or order from a restaurant or food truck?
Secondly, these camping meals are designed for shelf life - NOT for nutrition or healthy balance.
Why aren't these fast and easy meals served in schools or hospitals? Because NO dietitian would allow it! The salt content alone would be a disqualification. Furthermore, there is no way to compensate for food allergies, individual nutritional needs or tastes.
The ONLY advantage of these prepacked camping meals is the speed of preparation.
But you can duplicate the ease of preparation with dehydrated or freeze-dried foods that you prepackage at home. Not only can you assemble HIGHER QUALITY meals, you can tailor the combinations of ingredients, flavors, and the size of the portions to your taste.
BONUS - by preparing your own simple meals, you will SAVE money in the process!
When planning your camping meals, the EASY and SIMPLE option is to eat what you enjoy at HOME!
Sometimes it is fun to cook over an open fire. You might also bar-b-que more foods when camping. But for MOST meals when camping, just eat the same foods that you enjoy at home!
For example, for breakfast I alternate between granola and oatmeal. In the Winter, I enjoy a steaming bowl of oatmeal. But in the hot Summer months I prefer COLD oatmeal. If you haven't tried it, here is my "recipe" for cold-soaked oats:
Cold-Soaked Oats - for a hearty breakfast at home or on the trail!
Preparation of cold-soaked oats is SIMPLE whether you are at home or camping. You will need the following, per serving:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1-2 TBSP your choice of dried fruit (craisins, raisins, chopped apricots, dates, etc.)
1 TBSP of chopped nuts (I prefer chopped walnuts, but any nut can be used and/or sunflower kernels
If I am preparing cold-soaked oats at home, I place the dry ingredients in a bowl. If I am preparing meals for a camping trip, I premeasure the dry ingredients into Ziplock baggies. (The plastic bottle shown above contains freeze-dried whole milk.)
STANDARD rolled oats should be soaked overnight.
When I'm done with supper, I prepare my breakfast for the next day by covering the oat mix with cold water. In camp, I empty the breakfast baggie into a bowl or cold-soak jar. Add enough water to cover the dry ingredients, plus a few ounces (maybe a 1/2 inch.) By morning, the oats are just as soft and creamy as if you had cooked the mixture. The chia seeds also add to the creamy texture.
At home, I place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. On the trail, I place the COVERED container/jar in a safe place, somewhere off the ground (like the handlebars of my bike or motorcycle). NEVER keep food in your tent!
In the morning, all the water will have been absorbed by the oats. Now I add some maple syrup to sweeten the meal. On the trail, I carry Maple Syrup Energy Shots which are handy 1-ounce packets. Then I add milk and stir to get the prefered consistency, but some people just add more water.
My SECRET to delicious oatmeal on the trail: FREEZE-DRIED WHOLE MILK!*
As much as I dispise prepacked freeze-dried MEALS, I LOVE freeze-dried MILK!
In camp, I have my cold-soaked oats. The mixture has softened overnight, and now I have added maple syrup. The only thing that is left to complete the meal and make it as palatable as breakfast at home is MILK. My concession to "modern technology" is that I add freeze-dried milk* to the oats. I add 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons of freeze-dried milk, then mix in more cold water to enjoy a tasty and nutritious camp breakfast that is loaded with calories.
Preparing cold-soaked oats is Super Simple!
At home, simply line up the dry ingredients and fill your breakfast bowl. Likewise, if we are camping in our boondocking trailer, we have the ingredients ready in the pantry - for either hot or cold oatmeal.
On the trail, (#bikepacking, #canoecamping, #motorcyclecamping, etc.) I usually prepackage the breakfast servings in advance. You may prefer to simply pack the bulk dry ingredients - but meal prep at home eliminates measuring in camp.
The ONLY downside to cold-soaked oats is the requirement to prepare the mix the night before.
An alternative is to substitute "instant oatmeal". These oats have been processed to cook faster - and this also applies to cold-soaking. If you prefer - at home or away - you can use the same cold-soak recipe with instant oats. I like the "Better Oats" brand with added flax seed.
Simply add the instant oats (I eat TWO packets) and the chia seeds, craisins, nuts, etc. Then cover with water. If you are in a hurry, the instant oats can be cold soaked in less than an hour. For example, you can "prepare" breakfast while you are packing your tent and sleeping kit. But I still like to soak overnight.
After soaking, at home add milk. In camp, add freeze-dried milk powder* and more water. If you have soaked the "maple and brown sugar" variety, you won't need to add liquid maple syrup.
Cold-soaked oats are another example of a Super Simple meal.
Your breakfast is hearty and satisfying. The preparation is minimal. There are many variations that you can try. And the cost is probably 10-percent of the expensive freeze-dried meals.
In fact, many thru-hikers and long-distance paddlers and bikers have adopted other cold-soaking meal options for dinners, too. Especially in the middle of a hot summer, I often have no interest in preparing hot meals. The obvious benefits include not needing to pack a stove, fuel, and multiple cooking pots.
DON'T Overthink Camping Meals: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Super Simple)
Sometimes, SIMPLE camping meals are the best.
If you are car camping or in a base camp and want to fry bacon and eggs - go ahead. I only want to point out that we sometimes overlook faster, easier, and less expensive options because we have been conditioned to place more value on the complex.
If you dread camping because of the FALSE expectation that you need elaborate meals - remember that it is OK to K.I.S.S. Super simple camping meals might be the better choice.
*If you haven't tasted the difference, freeze-dried milk is far superior to old-fashioned "dried milk powder". Liquid milk contains fat - that's what makes it taste good! You CAN'T dehydrate fat, so "powdered milk" is produced from fat-free, skim milk - which is why it looks and tastes like "white water". Freeze-dried milk is WHOLE milk, with only the water removed. This means it "becomes" REAL milk again simply with the addition of water!
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