Lunches/ Trail Snacks
Lunch, usually eaten in the middle of the day--and in the middle of one's
strenuous activities--provides a dead-time break. It's extremely hard to eat
while on the trail, skiing, or on-beley. Strenuous jolting, what many outdoor
activities do to your body and your stomach, make digestion hard; you must
stop and take time to eat... but how much time? I've found two types of
lunches: 1) the condensed meal, eat lunch all at once, in a long period of
time, after hopefully reaching your goal, like on top of a mountain. Good food
and a great view always compliment one another. 2) The grazing method, spread
food intake over the entire day, in little snacks (often called GORP--Good Old
Raisins and Peanuts--although, as the following recipes show, that is not what
is *necessarily* in GORP), when you take quick breaks. Has the advantage that
you keep on moving, you don't cramp up after a long break, and you don't waste
time. Maybe one doesn't get to enjoy one's food as much as the condensed
version; still you must decide.
Included in this section are snack/GORP suggestion and main lunch-meal ideas.
Combining the two offers great variety and versatility too. Visiting any
grocery store's BULK FOOD section can provide countless goodies to throw into
your GORP.
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GORP- It's just not a backpacking trip without it! GORP can have just about
any dry snack tossed in. I have two "flavors" of GORP: sweet and salty. I have
two kinds since sometimes I'm in the mood for sweet, sometimes not. They're
even good mixed when I'm being indecisive.
Pita Bread works well too. I haven't seen my favorite lunch posted yet; Peanut
Butter on Bread/Bagel/whatever eaten with a handful of Granola. It's quick to
eat on the trail and the only cleanup is to lick the knife clean. I just love
those plastic Peanut Butter jars! My favorite Granola usually consists of 1/2
fruit Granola(apple-blueberry-almond-date) and 1/2 Confetti Mix (Peanuts,
raisins, sunflower seeds, soybeans, coconut and M&Ms)
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Lunch - Peanut Butter is a staple, but for variety we started carrying a stick
of pepperoni & block of cheese. Both kept pretty well, even in hot weather.
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For lunch my favorites are tabouleh-stuffed pitas and rice cakes with peanut
butter spread (1/2 molasses + 1/2 peanut butter +powdered milk + a little
margarine to make it spreadable).
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Bread - Any flat bread is great to pack. My favorite is Pita bread. Also, if
you have never tried making bread in camp, you are missing at least half of
the food fun. It takes no trouble at all to make biscuits. Very little trouble
to make rolls of some sort. Virtually painless to make real bread. Honey packs
very nicely and with bread makes a great treat any time.
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Asiago (or dry jack) cheese and Thuringer sausage both travel very well. This
kind of cheese doesn't get runny in the heat.
Fresh garlic - okay, I guess this isn't a dish on its own, but it's worth
taking. It really adds something to a lot of main dishes. Just smash the
unpeeled clove with the side of your knife or a rock and it'll be easy to peel
and chop.
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Clarified Butter
If you want to cook something with butter instead of oil, clarify it and it
will keep for a long time. To do this, melt the butter and pour into your
container only the clear part.
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Landsjager (a Swiss sausage that's about as indestructible as beefjerky), is
also a good bet.
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Pizza Pockets
English Muffins (cut in half) Tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce) Mozzerella
cheese Pizza toppings (pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, etc.). I use the round
little pie/sandwich irons to make these. Put 1/2 of english muffin in both
sides, cover both sides with sauce, cheese, and other ingredients. Close the
iron carefully and put directly on the coals, turning occasionally. Cook for
~15 min.
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Granola, Oats, Raisins and Peanuts
1 cup salted peanuts or dried roasted peanuts
1 cup raisins
mix in a Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Trail Peak Trail Mix - Pilmont Training Center
1 cup Chex's cereal, rice, corn, wheat or mixed
1 cup M&M's
1 cup salted peanuts (or dried roasted peanuts)
1 cup raisins
mix in a Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Mixed GORP
1 cup mixed nuts (or dried roasted mixed nuts)
1 cup dried Fruit Bits
1 cup M&M's
1 cup roasted sunflower kernels
mix in a large Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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GORPMM Backpacker Magazine
1 cup salted peanuts (or dried roasted peanuts)
1 cup raisins
1 cup M&M's
mix in a Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Good-for-you-GORP Backpacker Magazine
2 1/2 cups low-fat granola
1 cup dried pears
1/2 cup M&M's
mix in a Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Sunny GORP Backpacker Magazine
1 cup salted peanuts (or dried roasted peanuts)
1 cup raisins
1 cup roasted sunflower kernels
1 cup M&M's
mix in a large Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Mac GORP Backpacker Magazine
1/2 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup Macadamia nuts
1 cup dried Fruit Bits
1 cup M&M's
1 cup roasted sunflower kernels
mix in a large Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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Tom Brokaw's Granola GORP Backpacker Magazine
1 cup pitted dates, prunes, raisins or other dried fruit
4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
Snip fruit into small pieces and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large
bowel. In a sauce pan, stir together honey and oil and heat to boil. Pour over
dry ingredients, and mix. Spread onto two 10"x15" baking sheets. Bake 25
minutes at 325o F, stirring occasionally. Add fruit once the granola is cool.
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Gorp Balls
1/3 cup each raisins, apples, apricots, dates and coconut.
Add 1/2 cup sesame seeds,
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cups peanuts.
For the glue, use 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/3 cup honey and 1/2 cup peanut
butter.
Make sure the Scouts don't pack food in the same place as their socks and
underwear. Food and patrol cooking gear go in the top of the pack, and
personal gear in the bottom and the side pockets. Reserve one side pocket for
trail munchies: nuts, dried fruits, smarties, hard candies and chocolate bars.
Each Scout should have his own bagful to ration out to himself so that it
lasts the duration of the trip. Our favorite is GORP balls; chopped dehydrated
fruits and nuts "glued" together with honey, peanut butter and melted
chocolate chips and rolled in icing sugar.
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Energy Balls
Mix together 1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup peanut butter,
1 3/4 cups chopped figs, and 1 cup chopped apricots. Roll into balls. Recipe
should make about 33 servings, each weighing 0.9 oz.
(Calories per serving: 72; shelf life: 14 days.)
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Heidi's Trail Mix
1 cup dry cereal (Cheerio's, Chex, etc.)
1 cup peanuts or soy nuts
1 handful pretzel sticks
1 cup raisins
optional, handful of dried fruit
mix in a Zip lock bag and eat on the trail.
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SAM's Mix
1 big box Pepperidge farm cheese fish crackers or 1 box Chex Mix,
1 @1 lb. bag M&M's
1/2 LB raisins
1 jar Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts
Mix in a 2 gallon zip lock bag. serves one Troop.
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People Chow
1 pkg semi sweet morsels
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 stick margarine
1 box Crispex cereal
1 lb Powdered sugar
Melt semi sweet morsels, peanut butter and margarine over low heat. stir in
cereal until well coated. Place powdered sugar in grocery sack and then put
"the mixture" into the bag and shake until well coated. The chow that is, not
you.
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Donny's Mix
1 cup Pretzels
1 cup Chex Mix
1 cup nuts
1 cup M&M's
Mix and eat and share with your buddies
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