Backpacking Meals & Food:
3-Day Menu with Calories
The backpacking meals and foods selected for this 3-day backpacking menu were chosen to demonstrate how many calories you would get from a combination of delicious homemade meals and energy rich snacks.
Regular or Large Portions
For each menu item I include the calories for a regular serving and a large serving which is approximately 50% larger. The total food calories provided per day for this menu are approximately 3000 for the regular size column and 4000 for the large size column. The longer you are on the trail and the more difficult the hiking conditions, the more likely you will opt for larger portions for some or all of the menu items.
It is almost a certainty that you will burn more calories than you consume when backpacking, but the size of the calorie deficit varies between individuals based on physical characteristics such as age, sex, body size, fitness level; the difficulty of terrain and the temperature/weather; and how hard you push yourself - load carried, miles hiked, rest stops taken, quality of sleep, hydration, etc.
When I first developed the backpacking recipes featured here at BackpackingChef, I did not calculate the calories because I intuitively knew that packing well-balanced backpacking meals and high energy snacks would provide the nutrition and energy I needed. I kept detailed notes about the yields of all the foods I dried and calculated the calories after the fact.
In, Recipes for Adventure,
I list the calories and ingredient quantities for all the backpacking
meals for both a regular and large serving size.
The Backpacking Chef Menu Planning & Food Drying Workbook
includes the dehydrating yields for all the ingredients in the recipes
so you can estimate how much of each food to purchase and dry for your
menu.
Getting Fat on the Trail
One of the paradoxes of
dehydrating food for the trail is that you get a huge weight savings by
removing the water, but you have to give back some of the weight savings
by supplementing your daily rations with a few high-fat, calorically
dense foods. We avoid or minimize drying fatty or oily food so the food
won't spoil, but fat is an essential food component for metabolism and
energy production.
Peanut butter, olive oil, coconut oil,
preserved meats & cheeses, sardines and some energy bars are all
excellent calorie boosters because of their fat content. A small plastic
bottle of olive oil or single serving packets can be carried and added
to backpacking meals such as Seafood Raminara or Ratatouille. Justin's Nut Butters
are available in single serving packets if you like spreadable fats
with no partially hydrogenated oils as most peanut butter brands
contain.
Here are a few items included in this menu that contribute fat (and protein):
- NIDO Whole Powdered Milk (served with oatmeal and an ingredient in several of the recipes)
- Cheddar Cheese (freeze dried, fresh for short trips, or powdered as an ingredient in some recipes)
- Tortillas (roll up one-pot backpacking meals) Tortillas might not store well in mail drops - buy them fresh for
use within a few days.
- Nuts (all kinds for variety)
This menu represents a small sampling of the many backpacking meals
available. The Scrambled Eggs & Polenta and Chicken Enchilada Bean
Bark Stew recipes are in the book and the rest have links to the recipes and dehydrating instructions.
Day 1
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Calories listed at right for regular size serving and 50% larger serving.
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Dinner: Ham & Cheese Macaroni Side: Dried Sliced Beets, ⅓ cup before rehydration Dessert: Fruit Cocktail, Dried ½ cup pears, ¼ cup bananas, ⅛ cup peaches, ⅛ cup pineapple.
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Snack 1: Sweet Potato Bark ½ or ¾ cup Snack 2: Salted Peanuts ½ or ¾ cup Snack 3: Dried Bananas ½ or ¾ cup Snack 4: Raisins ½ or ¾ cup
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Day 2
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Calories listed at right for regular size serving and 50% larger serving.
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Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs/Polenta w/ Beef & Salsa Served Burrito Style w/ 2 Tortillas, 100 calories each.
¼ or ⅓ cup Cheddar Cheese
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107 414 220 137
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160 621 330 205
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Day 3
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Calories listed at right for regular size serving and 50% larger serving.
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Breakfast: Sweet Potato Bark Porridge
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Lunch: Chicken Endhilada Bean Bark Stew Rolled up in 2 Tortillas, 100 calories ea. ¼ or ⅓ cup Cheddar Cheese
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Snack 1: Pumpkin Pie Bark ½ or ¾ cup Snack 2: Cashews, ½ or ¾ cup Snack 3: 50/50 Mix Craisins w M&Ms, ½ or ¾ cup Snack 4: Dried Fruits-assorted, ½ or ¾ cup
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107 394 395 116
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160 591 592 175
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I packed the regular size portions for the first two 30-day backpacking
trips where I tested the recipes and menus on the Appalachian Trail. The
quantities satisfied my hunger and energy requirements. I supplemented
my diet with restaurant and hostel food in the trail towns where I
stopped for the night.
Two other benefits I discovered of going with the regular
portions is that they pack well and are easy to cook using less than
1/2 ounce of alcohol per meal. Individual snacks and sides in 1/2 cup
portions fit perfectly in 3 x 5 bags and most of the meals fit in 4 x 6
bags. Larger portions require larger bags and a little more fuel which are minor adjustments to make if you need the extra calories.
Continue Reading...
6-day Backpacking Meal Plan
6-day Backpacking Food Plan for Two
8-day Backpacking Meal Plan
Back to Backpacking Meal Plans TOC
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