Meal Planning

32 posts

backpacking no cook chickpea salad spread

On the Go Garbanzo: A Quick & Easy Backpacking Lunch

We are often asked, “What’s new for the season?” We’re excited to introduce our newest no-cook meal crafted with garbanzo beans, chopped walnuts, carrots, and diced celery in a creamy dill dressing. When paired with crackers or flatbread, it makes a delicious and quick on-the-go trail-side lunch. With 530 calories per pouch, it’s packed with complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein to keep your energy levels up. Just like all of Outdoor Herbivore’s no-cook backpacking meals, preparing this one is a breeze. Simply add water to the pouch (or a […]

first trip backpacking food menu

Purchasing Freeze-Dried Backpacking Meals for Your First Backpacking Trip

If you are new to the world of backpacking and freeze-dried meals, one of the most important things to consider is what you’ll eat while on the trail. Here are a few tips to help you plan and purchase meals for your first backpacking trip. What Foods to Pack – Commercial Backpacking Meals versus Grocery Store Food Commercial Backpacking Meals. You’ll need plenty of energy to fuel your adventure. Freeze-dried meals are the standard for backpackers, as they are lightweight, easy to prepare, filling, high in calories, and keep a long […]

Dehydrated versus Freeze Dried for Backpacking

Better for Backpacking: Dehydrated or Freeze-Dried Food?

Backpackers who need to minimize weight and space will carry dried food. Most of a food’s weight and volume is due to its water content, and freeze-drying and dehydrating are methods to remove the water, resulting in lighter and packable food. When food is sufficiently dried, it can be stored without refrigeration since the microorganisms that cause mold, spoilage, and bacteria cannot grow without moisture. While the two food preservation methods reduce the volume and weight of food by evaporating water, there are also significant differences when deciding which type […]

mujadara

Pulse Power: A Closer Look At This Ultimate Hiking Fuel

Inexpensive and filling, lentils are often a forgotten food. That needs to change! Lentils are an excellent source of energy and protein and can be easily incorporated into trail recipes. Find out how lentils can help you boost your energy and find some easy ways to use them in backpacking meals. Lentils are the edible seeds of legumes, a type of pulse, along with beans, field peas, and chickpeas. Like other legumes, lentils have a low glycemic index (GI) to slow the rate of energy released into the bloodstream. Their […]

Backpacking Food Choices Diabetics

Exploring Backpacking Food Options for People with Type 2 Diabetes

Consuming a surplus of calories long-term leads to the accumulation of fat in the liver and pancreas that causes type 2 diabetes (T2D). Any activity that decreases intra-organ fat can put diabetes into remission. Backpacking is an excellent activity for people with diabetes. It’s a moderately intense aerobic activity that reduces weight and builds muscle mass, improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood glucose. In fact, for every 10% increase in muscle mass, you get an 11% reduction in insulin resistance.[1] With some planning, you can find trail food to keep […]