Rich Drinks -

Trail Mochas

Pudding Cocoa

Breakfast -

Cranberry Pan Biscuits

Sarah’s Fattening Coconut Blueberry Oatmeal

Cheesy Bacon Grits

Lunches -

Pecan Cranberry Ranch Chicken Salad

Savory Tuna Salad

Veghead Couscous Pilaf

Dinner -

Lemon Tuna Spaghetti

Italianish Double Cheese Taters

Dessert -

Pina Colada Mini Pies

Huckleberry Donuts

Snacks/Bars -

Chocolate Energy Balls

Triple Chocolate Cherry Fudge

Peanut Butter Granola Cups

Easy Nut and Chocolate Truffles

~Sarah

Quick Breakfast? Try our customizable instant oatmeal packets – no reason to buy those already stale ones at the store!

Instant Oatmeal Packets

A trail snack to keep you powered up passes?

Peanut Butter Granola Cups

Need a quick lunch while you sit on that awesome pass?

Savory Tuna Salad

Tired? Need a dinner that will fuel you with minimal thinking?

Cherry Chicken Couscous

Camping somewhere near a cold stream or snow bank?

Mocha Pudding

And as always, for more FBC (Freezer Bag Cooking) recipes head over to TrailCooking.

~Sarah

At home mix up:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 2 Tbsp butter or margarine (Use Earth Balance for non-hydrogenated)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350* until crisp, watch and check every couple minutes to be sure you don’t burn it. Cool and pack in a snack bag.

In a quart freezer bag:

• 1/4 lb. dried chopped apples (or use 2 cups dried chopped cherries for cherry crisp)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

FBC method:

Add 1 1/2 cups near boiling water to the apples. Seal well and put in a cozy for 15 minutes. Divide into personal mugs and sprinkle some of the crisp topping over each bowl.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much sweets are liked

Note:

You can use commercial granola instead for the topping; take 1 cup with you in a snack bag.

Thank you to RebeccaD for the recipe.

~Sarah

While they look like cookies they are not quite that. A blend of savory and sweet in a cookie shape that is more like a biscuit. Gluten free and vegan, they are packed with the power of quinoa flakes and flaxseed meal. Find the recipe for Quinoa Raisin Drops on my personal blog, Gazing In.

For those of you retching into your wastebasket over the prospects of eating quinoa n’ flaxseed fiber-fest you can go make the piggy worthy Cran-Mac Caramel Bars instead:

Somethin’ fer everyone!

~Sarah

From the March/April 2011 issue of Washington Trails Magazine are these two new recipes -

Savory Tuna Salad:

Peanut Butter Granola Cups:

~Sarah

New to the market it isn’t up on Jello’s website yet. Find the boxes next to the regular instant pudding (we found it at Walmart). It also comes in Caramel flavor though that wasn’t being sold there.

Easy to make, you can do it on trail. Each 3.2 ounce box calls for 1 cup of cold milk so use 1 cup cold water (streams are often cold enough for this if in the mountains) + 1/3 cup dry milk (non-fat works fine). The best option is to mix the dry mousse mix and dry milk in a quart freezer bag until dessert time. For best results pick up a backpacker friendly wire whisk (these can be found at dollar stores normally – they are super tiny and light – often sold for using in home bars for making drinks) and then whick away for a good 4-5 minutes. You can prop the bag into a “bowl” if careful. The pudding will thicken after a couple minutes. Then let the pudding chill sealed in the creek for a few minutes to finish setting up.

Ta-da! Tasty!

OK, yeah, it isn’t super healthy by any means (it is instant pudding after all) but it is cheap and fun to make – and is tastier than heavy instant pudding.

I also noticed that Jello has brought out a new line of three flavors called “Temptations by Jello” which are a more gourmet version of the above mousse. Only thing is those mixes have artificial coloring added so I had to pass on it. They did look fun though.

~Sarah

Many grocery stores carry Medaglia D’ Oro Instant Espresso Coffee:

Look up on the shelves up high, it is often hidden. Due to the ease in finding it often this is the one brand consumers think of when they need instant espresso. There are other options though, but most likely if you want to try them you will need to order online. Amazon carries them but the only downside is you need to really, really love espresso since they are 4 to 6 packs (which I seem to have no problem with, but I have “coffee issues” according to Kirk…). There does exist the worst product in the world…I can barely choke it out. This awful thing called “decaffeinated” – such a sad product you can all go look for it on your own. Hah!

Ferrara Instant Espresso Coffee:

Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso:

Caffe D’Vita Instant Espresso:

So what to do with it? Get trail cooking that is!

Mocha Pudding:

Trail Mochas:

Hikers Pantry Fudge

Mocha Shake

Cappuccino Pudding

Chocolate Pudding

Mocha Cocoa

~Sarah

I came across Dole Fruit Crisp bowls earlier this week in the canned fruit aisle. They come in 2 packs, fully shelf stable. Each bowl is a shy 4 ounces and is 2 parts: the fruit and on top a sealed dish of granola. Easy to eat, open and top with the granola (better if you mix it in!). Besides the Apple Cinnamon they come in Apple Pear and Pineapple Mango flavors. The best way to describe it is canned pie filling with granola. Which is oddly good tasting.

As for that cup it comes in? Makes a nice small bowl for your trip or a water catcher! Multi purpose and all

~Sarah

Need ideas for meals to pack?

Dinners:

FBC style Cherry Chicken Couscous is easy and no cleanup:

FBC style Pizza Ramen is trashy good food. Consider it guilty pleasure fast food for the backcountry…..

One pot style Spicy Tuna Linguine sticks to the ribs and will fill you up nicely.

One pot style Harvest Pasta is a great vegetarian friendly meal (leave out the cheese for vegan):

Trail snacks that pack some fat and energy, yet easy to eat? Easy Nut and Chocolate Truffles:

Dessert? How about Mocha Pudding. In winter making pudding is easy as can be!

Or Chocolate Pretzel Bark. It will disappear quickly in a group!

Have fun and be safe!

~Sarah

Pssstttt: Does your cereal give you that many calories and not be labeled ‘Sugar Bombs’?

Yes, that is a mighty big tube of cereal! Weighing in at a shy 30 ounces it is a solid canister full of goodness.

So here is how it works: you go online to their website and pick a base (be it regular or gluten free options) and then add in options that sound scrumptious. Yes, the more you add the pricier it gets. But oh…..is it worth it. Hand Packed cereal/trail mix that is fresh, vibrant and full of flavor.

So what does The Choco Bomb! have in it? Choco-Granola (oats, agave syrup, sunflower seeds, chocolate, coconut, raisins, gojis, mulberries, sesame seeds and sea salt), Chocolate chips, Cocoa dusted almonds, Choco covered cranberries and dried Strawberries.

Jealous? You should be:

This is an utterly addicting snack you would never find in a grocery store. I love the concept enough that I think I will be hinting to Kirk that someone he loves should be getting a Cereal Of The Month Club membership for the holidays (I love getting goodies monthly!)

~Sarah