Menu Planning

The upcoming May Long Weekend we will be doing our third annual hike of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. As we're going to leave Friday right after work, I decided to get my meal planning and preparation out of the way today.

We're spending three nights on the trail, so we'll need 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners, as well as the usual assortment of trail mix and snacks. My goal is to have each day's food weigh under 2 pounds, and cost under $20. I like to have a combination of commercially packaged and homemade meals. A second breakfast is something I'll add for shorter (less than 4 day) hikes as the extra weight isn't noticed. The mornings on the coast in May are cold and wet, so the extra food helps you stay warm. I have gotten away with around 1.5 pounds per day, but was often hungry in the afternoons.

I find it a good idea to label a large ziploc bag for each day you're on the trail, and fill it with all the snacks and meals for that day, with dinner at the bottom and pack up to breakfast at the top. This saves a lot of rooting around in your food bag, and makes carrying food to and from the bear lockers much easier. Additionally, if anything leaks, there's an additional layer to protect the rest of your gear. I'll also label each meal with the amount of water and instructions on a piece of masking tape.


Friday [0 lb 10.5 oz]

• Dinner: Forever Young Macaroni & Cheese w/Veggies (AlpineAire Foods); 6 oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Saturday [2 lbs]

• Breakfast: 2 packages of Nature's Path Organic Apple Cinnamon instant oatmeal with a handful of dehydrated blueberries & strawberries; instant coffee, Emer'gen-C instant Cranberry juice (vitamin supplement); Kettle Valley organic fruit snack
• Second Breakfast: 2 small flour tortillas with Nutella
• Lunch: AplineAire Tuna & Crackers, trail mix, granola bar
• Dinner: Ez Matt's Burritos (see recipe here)

Sunday [1 lb 10 oz]

• Breakfast: high energy cereal and powdered mil with a handful of dehydrated blueberries & strawberries; instant coffee, Emer'gen-C instant orange juice (vitamin supplement); Kettle Valley organic fruit snack
• Second Breakfast: 2 small flour tortillas with blackberry jam
• Lunch: Ramen noodles, cheese, trail mix, granola bar
• Dinner: Instant mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy (see recipe below) , stuffing, 3 squares of dark chocolate

Monday [1 lb 5 oz]

• Breakfast: 2 packages of Nature's Path Organic Flax n Oats instant oatmeal with a handful of dehydrated blueberries & strawberries; instant coffee, Emer'gen-C instant citrus juice (vitamin supplement); Kettle Valley organic fruit snack
• Second Breakfast: 2 small flour tortillas with nutella
• Lunch: Thai Kitchen Garlic & Vegetable noodle soup, crackers & cheese

Misc: [5 oz]

• Gatorade powder, sugar, powdered milk, tea bags, 1 emergency meal (soup), extra snack

Well, I spent under $60 and altogether it weighs about 6 pounds. Success! When I get back I'll post a summary of what worked well and what didn't (and why.)

RECIPE: Instant Mashed Potatoes
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 tablespoon Kraft Parmesan Cheese
1 pinch of garlic salt
1 tablespoon skim milk powder
half of a 21g package of mushroom gravy mix

At home: package the first 4 ingredients into a regular ziploc bag, and the gravy mix into a ziploc freezer bag.
On the trail: boil 1.5 cups of water, then carefully pour half a cup into the gravy bag and allow to reconstitute. Pour the potato mix into the remaining cup of water and mash with a fork. When the gravy is ready (about 5 mins) pour onto the potatoes and enjoy!