Trashy Souper Rice – this recipe uses dry cream of mushroom soup mix. Don’t forget the tater chips for the top! (We used Kettle brand New York Cheddar flavor.)

Spicy Cheesy Beans and Rice – Okra isn’t the veggie most people think of but it can be fun to use. We used the cheddar cheese powder in it along with kidney beans and Tabasco sauce.

Both recipes can be prepared using either one pot, insulated mug or FBC methods and are vegetarian friendly. Hope you enjoy them!

~Sarah

But lets back up a tiny bit and talk about the “Hiker’s Pantry”. What I have is two parts – the dedicated items such as dried vegetables, fruits, seasonings, boxed goodies only for hiking, shelf stable cheese, oil packets — that kind of thing. These I keep in large Rubbermaid bins. Then there is the other part where I use ingredients that I also use at home – pasta, rice, etc. It is often the dedicated items that need the sorting! Easy to run low and not know it.

So right as spring hiking season is getting near, this is the time to go and look at what you have! If you have a well stocked hiker’s pantry you can save money and easily make up meals in minutes!

Shots of the recently redone bins, this one has all our single serving packets (such as oil, cheese, etc) and seasonings. Shelf stable meats and even commercial meals get stashed here. For ease in finding items use snack and sandwich size zip top bags to keep items separate.

Gladware storage containers are excellent for stashing items in. To keep everything fresh use a new freezer bag (either pint or quart size), seal tightly and then put in a container. It also helps prevent items from being crushed – such as with delicate items like freeze dried fruit.

The main bin is where we store our vegetables, fruits, beans and more:

As mentioned above about repacking one can save money and find hard to get items by shopping online – especially if you are willing to buy larger packages:

This was the order I received from Frontier Foods. Many of their products are sold in large 16 ounce Mylar packages. If you hike a lot and like items with nothing fake added, this is the way to go! Butter powder, yogurt powder, natural cheese powders, cheddar cheese sauce mix, even cream of mushroom soup powder! I taped the info label off the package onto the storage container so I don’t forget any instructions. My recent order from Harmony House Foods brought me lots of freeze dried fruit, mushrooms and vegetables. Soon I need to place an order from Minimus for single servings of a number of condiments. I love their lower sodium soy sauce and also organic dressing packets!

Once you have everything your heart desires and you get it all packed up you should also consider anything you have left over from previous times. Sometimes waste does happen. You can forget about an item or you buy or dry  too much…or you just didn’t get out as much as you had hoped for. So start the checking – if it is a sealed item check expiration dates. If a dried vegetable or fruit look at it. Is it turning brown, sticking together? Open it up, the smell is very noticeable if it has gotten moisture in it. It will be sour smelling. Don’t be frugal and keep items that have gone off. Toss them and try to do better. Eating it might not hurt you but it won’t taste good! (This is one reason to store items double sealed, especially in humid areas) With single serving packets toss dressing after 6 months, mayo shouldn’t be stored long. Try only to get what you need and use it within a month or two. Most everything else will be good for up to a year. The olive oil packets store well. Toss anything that has oil stains, staining or just doesn’t look right. Packets are cheap so don’t freak if you have to toss 3 ketchup and 1 soy sauce

And when done you know exactly what you have and any items you might need to get. Then you just have to go plan a hike!

~Sarah

Hiker’s Primavera Pasta

Cran-Mac Caramel Bars

~Sarah

The Chariot chassis retails for $400, the wheel kit for $90. The deal at Costco is $349.99, a $140 savings!

Yes, the Chariot is a pricey setup – it is Ala carte where you buy the main part and whatever accessories you need. The beauty of it is you can have a multiple setups – regular stroller, jogger, the hiker kit, for snow and for bicycling. If you are like us, this can be awesome. When Ford was young I had both a jogger stroller (that was used constantly) and a bicycle trailer. Most bike trailers are clunky and extremely heavy – this one isn’t. I like most that the whole chassis is enclosed, windows to see out but the child is protected from the cold and wind. I had been pondering which way to go – either a Chariot or a BOB stroller when our little one comes. Part of me loves the traditional jogger  (I used one for 4 1/2 years with Ford, almost daily. I wore out two cheap ones in that time!) But then I though about what I hadn’t liked. The biggest issues I had with traditional joggers was the kid being exposed to the elements in a narrow confine. Their whole front side was open to wind, rain, sun, etc. I had rigged a fleece blanket system for Ford but periodically we’d lose it….always in a mud puddle. Ye-ch. And if he had toys or food I had to be careful to not jerk the stroller and have him lose the items. Kirk got me thinking on the decision and I came to it that the Chariot was better for what we needed. I love them for getting in training and just getting around. Any kind of jogger will give a new mom a sense of freedom that is worth every dollar it costs. You can get outside! Sunshine! Fresh air! Most kids love riding in them. If a trail is multi-use and or bike friendly get out there. And hey, the chassis can haul all of mom’s gear as well – it can take up to 75 lbs of weight.

Kirk and I are thinking that we will pick up the bike trailer kit, hiker kit and the infant sling with part of our REI dividend later this month. I can’t wait to get on one of the local rail to trails again!

~Sarah

For more on the pudding see here for a previous blog post we did.

Enjoy these two new recipes now up on Trail Cooking!

Chai Ginger Pudding:

Vanilla Trail Mix Pudding:

~Sarah

The book came out in 1987 originally and was written from the viewpoint of Stephen, an Englishman. The first chapter or so is a bit stiff but once he gets into America and starts his hike his writing style blooms, opens up and becomes an easy read. You get the feeling of him walking through Americana, of a time in America – very rural Western America – that doesn’t exist very much now.

As you get into the heart of the book my mind thought of another book, Dances With Marmots – A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure. George’s book has a similar flow. If you liked Dances, you will enjoy this book.

The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is a wild trail even today. I cannot imagine his walking it even in the 80’s, picking a path of his own to beat the weather and to be able to get food drops. There wasn’t much of a trail back then.

~Sarah

Check out the recipe/shopping list over on Trail Cooking for a quick go-to meal.

We used Suddenly Salad as the base for the recipe, which can be found in most grocery stores and Bumblebee’s flavored chicken.

~Sarah

A very young Ford on the way up Dog Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge, Wa. I love the look on his face!

Ford ahead of me, with the summit in sight:

A shot of me:

Ford and I above treeline on Dog Mountain with the Columbia River and Oregon behind us:

I think this photo was taken on the PCT at Sourdough Gap in Washington:

Not sure where we were but it makes me think of the trail to Stuart Lake near Leavenworth, Wa:

Ford with our friend Jeremy who we sadly lost a couple weeks ago. Seeing this photo brought a smile to my face that I cannot describe, it was the trip where we all met Jer.

I’d bet if I asked Ford he’s know what trail we were on! He has a memory that is scary about trails, even ones he hiked 6 to 8 years ago!

Foggy trails to alpine are always fun!

In 2004 Rainrunner, The_Turtle and Dicentra and I went up to Whidbey Island for a girl’s weekend. One hike was a fav 10 mile loop of mine across Ebey Preserve, Ebey’s Landing and through Ft. Ebey State Park. You get ocean, beach and forest! We had stopped for lunch in the woods above the ocean as we headed for the home stretch:

A photo of Ford and I with another hiker, Sea Coyote on the way to Lake Stuart:

We used to try to get out yearly to Lake Ozette on the Olympic Coast around Valentines Day. Rainrunner and me making salad in a bag for our communal group dinner out at Sand Point. (The next year Kirk proposed to me out on this beach!)

So many memories!

~Sarah

New recipes up on Trail Cooking:

Bacon and Cheese Pasta

Huckleberry Donuts

If you are on Facebook and haven’t checked us out, we have two fan pages:

Trail Cooking

Freezer Bag Cooking

We often post things that don’t make it to the blog – quick items! Find us on Twitter as well.

New gear for spring?

New to the Trail Cooking Store is the Minimalist FBC Cozy as a Starter Kit.

We have a few more clearance cozies. Check them out.

Cool trail things:

An interactive trail guide written by great locals for the Mt. Rainier area. If you live in the PNW or are planning a visit, check it out!

Another one for us PNW folks is this guide to the Cedar River Divide, one of my favorite areas to explore. It isn’t true wilderness and a lot of it us peons are not allowed into (it provides Seattle’s water supply) but what it does have is sublime and quietly used. The PCT runs through part of it as well.

New Trail Food?

OK, I have babies on the brain. I can’t help it. If you have a little one check out Sprout Organic Baby Food. Portable and good for your wee ones!

(Feeling every bit preggo these days as we do the final count down!)

Check out this trail bar recipe by hiking partners of ours, the Hill Brothers. This is a good one!

Two new recipes in this month’s new WTA Wa Trails Magazine “Trail Eats” just out in the mail today. We are on page 35 of the March/April 2010 issue.

I am very biased in saying that I feel that Wa Trails is one of the best reads around – and is a non profit written by hikers!

~Sarah

The Sprout Pack for the 6 to 10 year old set is fab! For less than $30 you get a pack that can take a hydration bladder, sternum strap with built in whistle, water bottle pockets and it weighs a meager 1 lb. A good fitting pack is the #1 thing ALL parents need for young kids. If they are comfy they will take faster to hiking!

The Kids Adventure 20° sleeping bag is a bargain at $69. It isn’t the lightest option out there (The North Face Tigger is lighter) but hey, $69 for a full featured bag? Bargain!

The Mountain Heather Daypack for ladies. $49 and 3 color choices. A small lightweight pack that scrunches up and is ready to go if you need a minimalist backpack for urban strolls. Love the tiny wrist bag that comes with it. This is fashionable and usable!

Low Cut Mountain Tread Hikers. I have been pondering returning to a stiffer low cut shoe for hiking. I like the freedom of low cuts but most trail runners are not supportive enough. The ones I have been wearing (and buying new pairs every year) are not showing up anymore on Merrell’s website. They were one of the few with a decent shank so I didn’t get my foot issues back. The Bean ones are made in Europe….shocking! Same price as my others at $119 so I’d be happy – and from previous experience Bean shoes fit my feet well.

Off to do more reading…..I do believe I see my next pair of shoes though….

~Sarah