Preparing your food while camping and hiking can be done the hard way (which usually results in bland, boring food) or it can be done the easy way, with a bit of planning. When your appetite has been enhanced by the fresh air and exercise in the outdoors your body needs refueling in the form of a balance of fats, protein and carbohydrates. Don't deprive yourself by only bringing a few basic food items. Meals should be nourishing, lightweight, quick and easy to prepare and most importantly, tasty (at least a bit). Below are some suggestions of what to bring but your list could be much more depending on your tastes and your space restraints. The list of items below don't require the need to be kept in a cooler. After a couple of days a cooler will lose it's chilling capabilities so it's best to bring mostly items that don't rely on being cool.
Check out the list of food from the grocery store and bulk food store and get some great ideas to dry out your own pre-made meals for great eating in the outdoors.
 

SHOPPING FOR THE CAMPING TRIP

• mini packets of mayo
• oatmeal hot cereal packets
• packaged macaroni and cheese (ie.Kraft Dinner)
• packaged pasta and sauce
• packaged soups (ie.Knorr)
• Ready Crisp bacon
• Clover Leaf Tuna (available in sealed foil packet)
• Bread
• Peanut butter

• Lentils - The common Egyptian lentil is more widely used than the decorated lentil, which is split and has outer husk removed. However, the decorated type cooks for less time and saves cooking feul.
• Rice - An assortment of rice can be used in many recipes. Precooked white rice (Minute Rice) is less nutritious but does save alot in boiling time and feul consumption. Mix rice with lentils to provide a rich source of protein.
• Pasta - Purchased cheaper at the bulk food store. Go for whole grain or vegetable pasta's as they offer better nutrients.
• Beans - Dried beans really add to a meal with flavour and nutritional value. There are various kinds to use but it is crucial to pre-soak before mealtime to soften the beans and allow the gas producing sugars to be released. Place in a container and allow to soak a full day before using in a meal. Boiling time is reduced to 20 minutes instead of 2 hours.
• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) - This is a commercially dried product used alot by vegetarians as a meat substitute. Comes in granular or cubed form and is easily rehydrated.
• Soy Grits - A quick high protein dinner similiar to soy flour except the soyabeans have been toasted and cracked into tiny flakes.
• Bulgur - Made up of wheat kernels that have been cooked and dried. Has a nutlike flavour which makes a great breakfast and as a substitute for ground beef in recipes.
• Toasted Buckwheat - Not even in the wheat family, this is a seed produced by a grasslike herb which is high in potassium and phosphorus.
• Soft Wheat Kernels - Wheat produces a one seeded fruit called a kernel 9often called wheat berries) that is extremely high in protein.
• Millet - Gluten-free and the least allergenic fo grains. High in B-complex vitamins and most balanced in essential amino acids.
• Couscous - A grainlike pasta made by mixing flour and water to form a paste, which is formed into small grains then dried. Couscous in bulk food stores is likely made from 100% durum wheat, but rice and corn can be used too.
• Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) - Contains more protein than any other grain and is even a complex protein by itself. Also high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals which makes it a food staple for the hungry camper. Takes minutes to cook and turns from white to transparent when done.
• Nut mixes/Dried Fruit Mixes - The quick refueling snack! Good source of protein and carbohydrates to keep you going. A necessity for hiking/backpacking expeditions.

DEHYDRATED MEALS

HOW IT WORKS: an electric food dehydrator circulates heat and air to removes most of the moisture from food. The lack of moisture keeps microorganisms from growing and spoiling food.
It is possible to dehydrate food in an oven set to it's lowest temperature (150 to 180 degrees) and spreading food evenly and thinly on a baking sheet, but best results require the air flow as well as heat. Food dehydrators are reasonably priced and widely available; in stores and in friends' and families' kitchens. Many people who own food dehyrators don't realize they can do so much more than just dry sliced fruit and vegetables.
A food dehydrator is considered by many, an absolute necessity for preparing their camping and hiking meals. We have yet to find an easier, more convenient way to have nutritious, tasty and filling meals while camping. A one-pot meal with smaller chunks of food all about the same size will dehyrate the best.

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