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

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

So want a few of the weirder and odder recipes we have done? Just realize that they might contain questionable ingredients. And the food police has already called me so you can fan yourself out of the vapors before emailing me

The Salt Bowl

Possibly the worst for you and nastiest recipe I have made. It was a hoot to make it though. Thing is…back in like 1979 this was the height of eating for outdoorsmen. Seriously. You will find this salt bomb in many vintage trail cookbooks. The smell of salt/chemicals/preservatives was so intense I couldn’t touch the meal.

Bangers n’ Mash

Who wouldn’t want a scrumptious plate o’ Vienna Sausages? Mmmmmmmm (OK, maybe not….)

Spam-Tastic Lo Mein

This recipe is actually good. I mean really good. The smell when it cooks will make the most ardent Spam-Hater come begging. Maybe even convert a vegan who isn’t very grounded. Dogs will beg. So will thru-hikers.

Bacon Sushi

If there was one recipe that generated SO much hate-mail, this is it. I did this back in 2007 or so on the original blog and you would have thought every hiker out there was a certified food snob. That is only because they were all jealous they didn’t have this salty/sweet treat from the Gods. You know you want it.

Nettle Pesto

Lets just say that I needed an idea for a foraging article. It prevents scurvy. Cause you know how in 2010 scurvy is a menace to Americans. Lol…..

Blackberry Green Beans

This one is actually very tasty. Just be sure to remove all little green bugs/worms off the berries before serving your lady friend. Otherwise she might swear off backpacking and you will be “camping” at Marriott for the next 20 years. Just sayin’.

Spam-Tastic Fried Rice

OK, fine I won’t lie. I like Spam. In small amounts when fried up it is amazing. You just have to put on blinders about what it is even made of. Spam in fried rice is a treat. And I am serious about that. And this is coming from a 90% vegan. My guilty pleasure is a shiny packet of reduced sodium Spam. And I am not ashamed, no matter what the food snobs and food police think

~Sarah

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

Breakfasts:

Carrot Cake In A Bowl

Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Super Oatmeal

Super Charged Oatmeal

Oatmeal With A Little Extra

Instant DIY Oatmeal Packets (with vegan options)

Trail-Nola

Lunches:

Cranberry Almond Tabouli

Dinners:

‘Cheesy’ Rice and Vegetables

The Health Bowl

Pesto Tomato Pasta

Vegan One Pot Mac n’ ‘Cheese’

Fuel Saver Quinoa

Veghead Couscous Pilaf

Lentil Soft Tacos (an adaptable recipe)

Desserts/Energy Bars/Snacks:

Peanut Butter Granola Cups

Raw Recipes For The Trail (a collection of vegan friendly raw recipes)

Dry Mixes/Dehydrating:

Quick Asian Peanut Sauce

Making Your Own Instant Beans

Dehydrating 101 (A collection of how-to’s to get you started on dehydrating yummies!)

Dry Onion Soup Mix

Vegan ‘Cheese’ Sauce Mix

Classic Bannock Bread

Low Sodium Bouillon Mix #1

Low Sodium Bouillon Mix #2

DIY Instant Salsa Mix

Sport Drink Mix

Dehydrated Pesto Mix

~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

It isn’t easy at first to change the types of grains – it took me a looooongggg time to warm up to Quinoa. I still cannot stand whole wheat pasta, cardboard has more flavor – so now I treat white pasta like a treat. The easiest switch I found was going to brown rice from white rice. At home I bake it and get a fluffy rice. In trail food the best way is to work up to it. By that replace ¼-½ of the instant rice called for with instant brown rice. Eventually work up to all brown. BTW, that baked rice? It dries nicely as well for homemade instant brown rice – just leave out the called for olive oil.

Look at these nutritional stats and make your decision. Our serving will be ½ cup dry instant rice (which is 1 servings as listed on the box). Both use easily found Minute® Brand rice.

Brown Rice:

• Calories: 150
• Fat: 1½ grams
• Total Carbs: 34 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Protein: 3 grams

White Rice:

• Calories: 200
• Fat: 0
• Total Carb: 45 grams
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 5 grams

While the white rice has more calories and protein it has no fiber and no natural fat. It is also higher in pure carbs. meaning it will spike you and leave you hungry sooner, not sticking around in your tummy keeping you happy. Another thing to consider is that the brown rice is denser – that ½ cup dry serving will make 2/3 cup cooked, where as the white makes 1 cup cooked. Last but not least, the vitamins in the commercial brown rice are naturally there, unlike with the white they are added in.

Is it worth it? It depends on how you eat at home really. Once you get used to brown rice you enjoy the “bite” between your teeth and instant white tastes…well….mushy. On the cooking process: while the instant brown rice is not claimed to be “instant” like the white rice, as long as it sits for a good 15 minutes in a cozy or pot cozy you will good success – if at high altitude give it 20 minutes. You can also cut the water back by about 10% if needed. Worse case scenario if you have a bit extra water in your rice? Add in shelf stable Parmesan cheese and it will thicken up and taste good.

Need ideas? Head over to TrailCooking for plenty of rice recipes – and remember you can always add brown rice to nearly all of them!

~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

In the late winter and early spring of 2004 Teresa, Tori and I were excited – we had decided we were going to do the Wonderland Trail that coming summer. We were often out, nearly every weekend from the summer of 2003 on. Ford was in kindergarten so it wasn’t a huge issue if I pulled him out of school to play hooky on Fridays. And did we go to so many places. We hiked and backpacked all over Washington, went snowshoeing a bunch and when early spring came we had crazy weekends where we’d drive to Eastern Washington to hike the windy cold plains and the next morning drive down to Oregon and hike on the border. In that one year I put a good 15,000 miles on my Explorer. Gas was cheap and we had all the time in the world. Simple days then to say the least!

These photos are of a couple trips. The pictures are not great, I was shooting on my first digital camera. It was a heavy as a brick Kodak DC3400 that shot in the amazing 2.1 megapixels Kirk had given it to me to get me off of my pocket film camera. It took me awhile to realize that with digital I could shoot nearly all I wanted and to not skimp. But to me those trips were of places I had never seen, I was just happy to be there! The photos slightly blurry and low res but hey, it was a different time.

One weekend Teresa and I headed down to Eagle Creek on the Oregon side of the Columbia. Since then I have gone back many times but it was a real “first” that time. Walking the narrow path that was blasted out of the cliffs was unnerving that first time, especially with Ford with me. It was though a pretty hike.

Teresa crossing a side stream with man made pavers – the trail for the first couple miles is extremely heavily used. It is one of Portland’s favorite hikes. You can get solitude but you have to keep hiking.

Looking down on one of the many waterfalls as we hiked in:

Ford ahead of me and not overly amused to be out hiking that day:

The narrow trail as you approach the high bridge and cross over to the other side:

It is a pretty long straight down to the creek far below. The trail only exists due to the blasting and a couple bridges set over the canyon. There are a few spots near the river though where the walking is level, but not many. Many campsites though!

Another waterfall:

It was a greta backpacking trip. We stayed at I think Wy’East Camp if my memory holds. And had racoons in camp all night, trying to get into our Ursacks! My friend Drew’s snoring apparently scared them off eventually

The Columbia River basin in Eastern Washington is so unlike everywhere else in Washington. It feels like one should be in Utah or parts of Montana.

Ford walking a pooch belonging to a friend. We visited the Gingko petrified forest on that trip:

The next morning we drove down South to Dog Mountain where feeling crazy we hiked up the old trail, straight up until we joined the modern trail.

Teresa on Little Puppy, the shoulder below the summit, that once held a look out tower:

Ford, with the west behind him and the Columbia River below:

The odd nearly alpine summit of Dog Mountain:

Climbing on up:

Looking across at Mt. St. Helens, all white, and looking pretty right before she started spewing again:

Ford and I just below the back side of the summit:

We took the trail down the back side which I found to be the best choice. It wound around and dipped into the woods and was quite pleasant – with few people on it, where the other trails to Dog were very popular:

Until about halfway down we crossed paths with a nearly naked old dude, where upon Ford loudly stated “That man is NAKEY!”. Hahhah, that was rich.

That spring Teresa, Tori, Ford and I piled into the Explorer and drove down to Beacon Rock State Park and spent the weekend there, dayhiking and car camping. The campground was pretty much empty – it was perfect! It is tucked away from the highway, in a cool (temperature) hollow. Two things I remember: One was making fun of poor Tori’s subscription to Backpacker Magazine – Teresa and I were being super catty about it – and Tori was from the Midwest where seeing an issue with Mt. Rainier on it was the Bees Knees. Oopsies! The second thing was I made dinner for us. The one pot meal would eventually come to be Swiss Broccoli Mac & Cheese. We made it often when car camping because it is easy, tasty and fills you up. You have to bring a fresh loaf of bread for all the cheesy sauce! PS: There was a video made of this recipe.

When we got down to the Columbia River we met up with our friend Drew and hiked Hamilton Mountain. It is a pretty wooded hike past waterfalls:

And creeks:

That opens up to open windswept views – where the wind howls near constant.

The mountain itself:

A knob where you can look across to Oregon and the Columbia River far below:

In camp Ford and I took a short trail and checked out these rocks:

The next morning we went up Beacon Rock:

Ford at the summit looking over the view, with Hamilton Mountain in the distance:

Me at the top:

Looking down at Tori and and Ford:

A young Ford ready to hit a greasy spoon diner and a long drive home….

~Sarah