We had opted to try out the sausage version. The meal came with the egg mix, bag of Toastees, 2 oil packets, 2 salsa packets and prep kit (I always get the prep kit that includes folded parchment paper, salt, pepper and hand wipes – because even if I don’t use it with the meal I will at some point. They come in handy for making wraps and sandwiches on the trail! Free is free and it is handy to have.)

My package came in at 8 ounces – from the website it appears that they have altered the recipe a bit maybe? I know the nutritional stats are different, as is the ingredient list on my package (mine had fewer fat grams). But no loss, it is still relatively the same!

Packit uses good dried eggs in their meals. If you expect typical dried eggs from past memories you will be pleasantly surprised. They are not rubbery or watery and taste like fresh eggs. I deviated from the instructions and toasted up the Toastees first (that way our eggs would be super hot at the end). It also go the fry pan hot. I drizzled in a little oil and tossed the crunchy bread over a low flame, then stashed them in a mug. You can use the second packet of oil or instead pack in butter (better!). In cool weather butter carries well and in summer clarified butter (ghee) is extremely shelf stable. A Tablespoon of butter makes the eggs perfect.

Mixing up the eggs is simple – a cup of cool water to the mix in the outer bag. Stir/shake till combined (it will be very thick) and let sit till the bread is toasted. Add to the hot fat of choice and scramble.

A non stick fry pan will be your friend along with a small spatula or spoon and a stove that has an adjustable flame – keep it low and keep the eggs moving. Titanium is not your friend here unless you want fried on eggs.

Turn off the stove when the eggs are set but still a little shiny/wet looking. The carry over heat will continue cooking a bit more. Serve up with the Toastees split between the 2 servings and salsa if desired – we found the eggs didn’t need any! They had plenty of flavor, packed full of sausage, veggies and cheese.

A definite winner and extremely easy to make. As long as one uses a non stick pan clean up is simple (wipe out the pan to remove any left over egg and wash). And yes, it will fill you up! It is the equivalent of 6 eggs for the whole package. Just add in some fresh fruit and you are good to go.

~Sarah

The pouch is 8-ounces and runs retail for $5.90, making it one of the more affordable commercial meals on the market. It seems with Backpacker’s Pantry if you choose the veg entrees they are surprisingly affordable. This one does contain TVP for extra protein as well, so keep that in mind if you don’t like soy products.

The pouch contains the noodles/dry sauce, a 1 1/2-ounce packet of peanut butter and a small packet of halved roasted peanuts. While it is a great concept to have the packet of peanut butter I was shocked to see the low quality used – the peanut butter contained bad oils (Roasted peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil – rapeseed, cottonseed and/or soybeans oils- , salt*). I would suggest that the company use something a wee bit healthier such as Justin’s Nut Butters which are fabulous tasting and a whole lot healthier. [*It does seem that the newer bags of the Pad Thai do contain a better peanut butter that got rid of the bad oils. Nice to see that. Too bad they are still selling the bags with the bad PB!]

Looking into the pouch at the dry rice noodles/sauce mix:

It is pretty straight forward, as with most commercial ‘no-cook’ meals – add hot water, seal tightly and let sit for time on package. With the pad thai they have you add in the peanut butter and peanuts, then the water. You will need a long handled spoon to be able to mix it well. The noodles being rice must be submerged to cook properly. The company suggests 13 minutes for the sit time for up to 5,000 ft elevation, if you are in cold weather or higher in elevation I would suggest 15 to 20 minutes or up to 30 minutes if above 10,000 feet – or you may have chewy noodles. In higher elevation/cold I would suggest a cozy for these bags, they are not as thick as some other brands. Not a bad thing, just keep it in mind!

Ford was my taste tester for the meal. He liked it and was happy it wasn’t “too spicy”. That is something to consider, it is spiced for the average American taste bud. And that is nice really – one can always ramp up the heat by throwing in some dried Thai chilies or dried red pepper flakes. (Or some rooster sauce!)

Overall the meal was good. The smell of the dry ingredients was a nice aroma when opening the bag.It has a pleasant flavor though for me I would shake in some more heat – or a little more lime powder.

The nutrition stats were also on the good side. The bag is technically 2 servings, with each serving being: 460 calories, 18 grams fat, 580 mg sodium, 8 grams fiber, 19 grams protein.

This makes this an unusual choice in commercial meals – the high fat, high protein and high fiber with reasonable sodium levels. Most commercial meals lack in all of this.

But….as with nearly all commercial meals this does NOT make 2 servings unless you eat like a hummingbird. As you can see in the photos above, I served the full bag in the Fozzils Bowl. This is a meal the boy would eat on his own. If we were to split it I would have to provide another meal for him. Again, something to consider when making meal choices. Still, with the sodium levels a person could eat the bag by themselves….but be warned, if you don’t get a lot of fiber in your diet, well…..16 grams of fiber in one meal is a lot

~Sarah

The package weighs in at 6 1/2 ounces and retails for $6.03.

Opening up the package you get a strong smell of cumin, so do be aware of that. It is a mix of instant rice, beans and vegetables with seasonings and salt. From what I could see it is vegetarian/vegan friendly.

The directions call for 2 1/2 cups water, I would recommend 2 1/4 cups for more firm rice, less water left behind. I let it sit for 20 minutes for more of the water to absorb.

We decided to make burritos with the rice dish and that worked well. You have plenty to make at least 4 burritos – especially if you use the big burrito sized tortillas (we used soft taco size).

1-ounce sticks of string cheese diced up work well on top, I cheated and added sour cream to mine

Flavor wise this was actually good. The cumin that smells so strong doesn’t taste strong. That is a good thing as cumin can over power. This is a meal easy to replicate at home for a lot less but in a pinch I would consider it – the sodium levels were not fantastic but neither were they bad for a commercial meal. And it is one filling meal due to the beans. Still, I would recommend adding in fat or making burritos to bump up both the fat and calories. 340 calories for half a bag is not going to satisfy most people and due to the higher fiber….you won’t want to eat the whole bag!

Nutritional Stats per serving, bag makes 2:

Calories 340 / Total Fat 2g  / Sodium 770mg  / Protein 11g / Fiber 10g

~Sarah (and Ford)