Bloom & Beyond

Tired of endless packets of tuna and ramen? Not sure which of those backpacking freeze-dried meals you should try next? On my very first backpacking trip, my food supply consisted of tuna, protein bars, and whichever freeze-dried meal seemed most appealing at the time. By the end of the trek, I was completely tired of all of them—especially the tuna and bars.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks for eating well on the trail and discovered that backpacking meals don’t have to be boring. Here are some of my favorite trail-friendly dishes along with the best snacks to keep your energy (and spirits) high.

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Breakfast options:

Noka Fruit pouches:https://amzn.to/4mphJik

Legendary Protein pastry https://amzn.to/4lLHgkT these seem to lack the overwhelming protein-powder taste many of the bars have, and they have a really great texture. No gummy, sticky, protein bar ick.

Backpacker’s Pantry granolahttps://amzn.to/3HRdtZX

Coffee – Cafe Bustelo has a very decent instant coffee https://amzn.to/47J4Dba . Illy Coffee is my favorite every day coffee, I just realized they have an instant coffee – this is on my list to try next https://amzn.to/3UIXqQY

Lunch:

Ritz Crackers, Cheese, and beef jerky. Yes, I take real cheese on my trips, it makes everything better

Ritz crackers https://amzn.to/3JsASBr if you don’t care about the added weight (very little, but tricky because of bulkiness) grab one of these great little containers to carry your crackers safely https://amzn.to/4mQ2nDe

Babybel, this is a variety pack, my fav is always the white cheddar https://amzn.to/4oQttvS

or Tillamook individuals https://amzn.to/4fUE2Kr

Beef jerky: Tillamook https://amzn.to/3HNmoeP or the Archer’s beef sticks https://amzn.to/45PnvD2

Dinner:

Good to Go are my favorite freeze dried meals, mushroom risotto being my favorite https://amzn.to/45HsAOZ

Solid second choices are Good to Go’s Thai Curry https://amzn.to/3HAxWlL and Mexican Quinoa https://amzn.to/45xsKby

Don’t forget the nifty jetboil to heat your water https://amzn.to/4oGWt9k

Snacks, the best part of the whole trip:

Peanut M&M’s – way tastier than a protein bar! https://amzn.to/41lw8Ut stuff a bag of these in your backpack side pocket and roll on. These peanut butter cups are a slightly healthier option and equally delicious https://amzn.to/4gaS8HT Justin’s Almond butter packets are always a great choice https://amzn.to/3JskvF7

I hope this guide helps you pack meals you’ll actually look forward to on the trail.

Thanks for reading!!