8 tubs to a box, each tub is 1.5 ounces, giving a generous serving of peanut butter. Personally I would avoid the chocolate as it contains fully hydrogenated fat, the Natural though gives an alternative to the expensive pouches of PB on the market (and honestly the tubs are easier to get all the butter out of!).

Find in grocery stores and big box stores for $2 to 3 a pack.

~Sarah

It is two sealed packs inside – one is the hummus, the other is crunch pretzel chips:

The kit weighs 4.56 ounces and the plastic containers are very rugged (recyclable as well – #5). Normally I shy from lumpy containers (since you have to pack it out empty and/or crush it first) but what occurred to me is the pretzel half is a perfect drinking cup! Or rehydration vessel…..the two pieces snap together tightly. I wouldn’t use it for hot drinks but for cold, go for it! As well, if you need a cup for dunking it is small and easy to grab (great for filling hydration bladders). And when you get home? Recycle it! PS: If you have little ones, it would also make a great “leaf-rock-twig” holder!

Now onto the food in said cups – Sabra has long been my favorite hummus to buy. It is creamy and tasty. The red pepper one is my favorite of their varieties (it comes in 3 choices for the To Go Packs). If you are the type who has never cared for hummus – too much garlic, too sour, too whatever, give Sabra a try…it might change your view! I found it was the right amount for a snack.

I found the packs in the ready to grab section of the deli at my local Safeway – I would suggest looking around that area of your grocery store!

~Sarah

The theme was warm and nourishing soups, perfect for cold weather hiking/backpacking/snowshoeing trips.

Clam and Bacon Chowder

In a sandwich bag:
1 cup instant plain mashed potatoes
¼ cup shelf stable bacon
4 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon
1 tsp dill weed
¼ tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp black pepper

In a second bag:
¼ cup dry milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Also take:
1 Tbsp or 1 packet olive oil
6.5 ounce can minced clams
¼ cup shelf stable Parmesan cheese with 1 tsp dried chives mixed in

Add 1 cup cold water to the milk bag, seal tightly and shake up till dissolved.
Add 3 cups water, oil and contents of potato bag to your pot. Bring to a boil and stir the milk mixture into the soup. Bring back to a gentle bubble and let thicken.
Turn to a low flame and add in the clams with broth and cheese, let heat through but don’t boil.

Impress your eating partner tips: Sprinkle the top of the soup with additional bacon and dill weed, pick up 2 sourdough “bread bowls” at the bakery on the way out of town. Carve and serve the soup in them.

Serves 2

Notes: Oysters (smoked or not) can be used instead. Find lightweight tins in the canned fish aisle. Find olive oil packets at www.minimus.biz

Chicken Stew & Dumplings

In a sandwich bag:
1 cup biscuit mix
1 Tbsp dry milk
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried parsley

Mark on bag “Add 1/3 cup water”.

In a sandwich bag:
3/4 cup freeze-dried vegetable mix
1 Tbsp diced dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp diced instant hash-browns

In a small bag:
4 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp diced dried garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Also take:
7 ounce pouch of chicken

Cover the vegetables with cold water and let soak for 5 minutes in a 2 Liter pot (or bigger).
Add 4 cups water, both the broth and vegetable bags and the chicken with any broth to your pot. Bring to a boil, taste the broth and salt to taste. Lower the heat a bit on your stove and keep simmering at a low boil. Meanwhile mix up the biscuit mix in its bag. Add the water, push out any air, seal the bag and knead till mixed. Snip a corner on the bag and start squeezing out dumplings. Let them simmer on the soup, with lid on for 5 minutes or till the dumplings are steamed and done (poke a spoon in one to check for being doughy), lowering the flame as needed to prevent boil-overs.

Serves 2 large bowls or 3 small bowls.

Notes: Instant hash browns are sold with the instant mashed potatoes and Costco. Look for Just Veggies brand dried veggies at Whole Foods, REI and other stores. Dried onions find in the spice aisle and Costco.

Slide Mt. Bean Chowder

In a quart freezer bag:
1/2 cup instant rice
1/3 cup instant black refried beans
1/4 cup freeze-dried corn
1 Tbsp shelf stable Parmesan cheese
1 tsp diced dried bell peppers
2 Tbsp dried salsa

Freezer Bag method (FBC): Add 2 cups near boiling water. Stir well, seal tightly and put in a cozy for 15 minutes. Stir again well.

Mug method: Add 2 cups boiling water to the dry ingredients in a large mug. Stir well, cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes.

One pot method: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in your pot. Add in the dry ingredients; stir well and let sit for 15 minutes tightly covered, in cold weather wrap your pot in a pot cozy to retain heat.

Serves 1 as a meal, 2 as a side cup of soup

Notes: Instant black refried beans are sold in natural food sections of grocery stores, look for bulk or Fantastic Foods brand or use black bean dry soup mix. Freeze-dried corn is sold at many natural food stores and REI, look for Just Veggies brand. Find dried bell peppers in bulk sections of natural food stores. On cold weather trips carry fresh salsa in a tightly sealed snack bag instead of drying it. Salsa is easily dried at home, for more info check our dehydrating pages out. To add more calories in winter add a stick of Pepper-jack cheese diced up (find with the string cheese) at the end.

Want more recipes for hiking? Check out our website, Trailcooking!

~Sarah

You are missed, Jer.

~Sarah

Each resealable bag is 1.2 ounces and around $4. A good deal overall for a quality product. They are both a product of the USA and Chile.

~Sarah

One of the best things you can do for your cholesterol levels is to eat oats – often! Kirk and I got addicted to eating various forms of oatmeal in 2011 (from one pot to baked, I made so many types!). It helped us knock our cholesterol levels in half and more so, kept us from getting as hungry. Well made oatmeal will have you desiring it, rather than eating that nutritionally less than stellar breakfast of champions, er backpackers, Pop-Tarts©. Oats are also great for your blood sugar (hence the reason you feel full longer) and are a great source of fiber (beta-glucan fiber, what binds the cholesterol).

The processing done to Old-Fashioned and 1 Minute oats isn’t anything bad – it simply breaks down the tough exterior of the oat making it easier to cook and eat. Ounce for ounce you get similar nutritional stats. The only time it isn’t is the pre-packaged instant packets that are full of sugar, salt and artificial flavorings/colorings. Considering you can make your own DIY packets and avoid all the salt/chemicals, you have no excuses! Most often I go for Old-Fashioned Oats as I enjoy the texture the most – and you can always do a quick grind to make them quicker cooking. And price-wise you just cannot beat them – go to Costco and you will be eating for next to nothing!

The key is that oats are bland, no matter what type you prefer. To taste great you need to be creative. They can be savory or sweet, but just like rice or couscous, you need to add in flavor. Cooking with milk (dairy or non-dairy) adds depth. Add in nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc for more substance. Use spices! There isn’t much better than a bowl of oats sweetened with maple syrup and topped with just picked Huckleberries in August

So consider tomorrow a new start to a healthier you – learn to love oats and consider having them for meals when you backpack Need some ideas? Well, here ya go!

DIY Instant Oatmeal Packets

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Sarah’s Fattening Coconut Berry Oatmeal

Trail-Nola, a cold cereal for those days when you don’t want to cook!

And need some ideas to get you going at home?

Baked Oatmeal is great for hiking. Make it at night and in the morning take a big wedge with you to eat on the way to the trailhead. Avoid the pre-hike rut of greasy gut-bombs from fast food places! Or have a bowl of hearty oatmeal before you hit the road. Your stomach (and heart) will thank you!

~Sarah

Breakfast Pistachio Rice Pudding

Rice, milk, cranberries, a little brown sugar and cinnamon and lovely green pistachios – yum!

~Sarah

Being a Washington State native I grew up on Liberty Orchard’s Aplets and Cotlets – and their extensive candy collection. I love the mix of gummy candy and chopped nuts. Yum!

This week we had samples of a newer line, The Orchard Bar, show up for review. Imagine if I had my favorite fruit and berry candies made over into a tasty energy bar? Well, this is it. The bars come in three flavors:

Orchard Bars Pineapple, Coconut & Macadamia Bars – sweet and tropical.

Orchard Bars Strwberry, Raspberry & Walnut Bars – summery berries.

Orchard Bars Blueberry, Pomegranate & Almond Bars – fall harvest.

Unlike their candy counterparts, the Orchard Bars are full of nuts, seeds (even my favorite flax seeds!) and soy protein nuggets. The Pineapple bar has 200 calories, 8 grams fat, 100 mg sodium, 5 grams protein and 2 grams fiber – making the bars a great snack when out hiking or well, doing anything that works up hunger! The bars are sweet, unlike so many energy bars that taste more of flours, these you get the thrill of a candy experience with a boost of energy. And as a bonus the bars are also high in Omega 3, giving one a heart healthy choice. The bars are vegan, kosher, non-GMO, Gluten-free, made in the US and all natural.

Keep an eye out for the bars and if you like sweets, give them a try! And PS: Check out their website for 2 new flavors, available through their online store. Yum indeed!

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received product samples for review consideration.

Dried plums tend to be really sticky/messy so I don’t carry them often (especially in summer when they start sweating and get even more sticky) and chopping them up is even more of a mess so I was wondering how these would fare. The plums are diced up (very toddler friendly I might add) and are not sticky, yet are still plenty soft for easy chewing.

They are delicious eaten plain and in trail mix would be even better. Perfect as well for adding to oatmeal and even rice or pasta dishes (plums work well for both sweet and savory dishes!).

Find them with the dried fruit in grocery stores (I found the 9 ounce hard sided container for $2 on sale this week).

PS: The container would also recycle well into a cracker holder for later use!

~Sarah

This photo is what my year was. Walker at Paradise, at Mt. Rainier, on August 1st. There was still well over 5 feet of snow on the ground behind us. He was so happy, scampering around in it after this photo was taken:

In February with Walker, on a regional trail system at Cougar Mountain:

Mama and Baby out hiking:

On a cold morning hike in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains:

Cold but why waste a sunny day?

Walker is a big boy, I realized that when he went to a back carrier and I was carrying 45 lbs of him and gear!

Even in the late winter/spring the low foothills have their own bleak beauty:

Along the Cedar River in Washington:

Snuggled up warm n’ cozy in his BOB jogger stroller in spring, out on a rail to trail hike:

An overly excited hiking partner

What happens when two outdoor trail cooking mavens hike together and have lunch after hiking (That is Teresa of One Pan Wonders fame):

Along the Green River canyon having a post lunch hike:

On Whidbey Island at Ebey’s Landing with Kirk, going down to the Lagoons and the water:

On a trip out along the Carbon River at Mt. Rainier (when all else fails with snow levels, The Carbon is always pretty!):

Kirk and Walker contemplating a hike at Rainier:

On one of the forks of the Snoqualmie River:

Hiking near the city of Olympia, Washington at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge:

Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier in early summer:

At Sunrise, Mt. Rainier on the 4th of July. The snow was still 7 to 10 feet deep:

Mt. Rainier hid in the clouds in mid-July:

Mt. Rainier from near Chinook Pass in mid-summer:

Along the White River at Mt. Rainier:

Mt. Rainier in August, finally starting to melt out:

Paradise River (a creek these days):

Glacier Basin, at Mt. Rainier. Of all the hiking I did this year it was the hardest. I was about 3 months pregnant and very anemic. The trail had finally been restored, after being wiped out a few years ago, opened up the day before and I didn’t want to miss my chance to hike it. Lynn talked me the whole way, pushing me to do it. And it was worth it – in 2003 I had tried to go to Glacier Basin only to be turned back by deep snow and regretted never going back. We saw a black bear feasting on the way down and while it exhausted me, it was worth the normally easy 7 or so miles!

In September hiking on the Green to Cedar Rivers Trail near where we live, enjoying the easy months

More urban “hiking” with Walker. Moochie ducks and little boys go hand in hand:

In the late fall I took Kirk out for lunch at Salish Lodge – with a certain little one with us. After lunch we walked along the viewpoints for Snoqualmie Falls where someone had way too much fun on the rocks. Oh, it wasn’t “wildernessey” but who cares. He had fun. So did we. And that is all that matters!

But as fall came and got further along I quit hiking, I even quit the gym. Spending my late fall and coming winter just being lazy. Spring will be here soon enough, the trails will melt out and the flowers will come again. And the hiking will start again (as will that pesky gym). For now I fill my time with a lot of Mommy/food blogging on my personal website.

May you all enjoy the Solstice coming up soon and think of the coming spring!

~Sarah