Here’s a lightweight and easy-to-prepare backpacking menu for three days, designed for use with common backpacking stoves:
Day 1:
Breakfast:
- Instant Oatmeal: Mix with dried fruits (like raisins or apricots) and nuts. Prepare with hot water.
- Hot Chocolate: Use instant mix.
Lunch:
- Tortilla Wraps: Filled with peanut butter and honey or pre-packaged tuna/chicken packets.
- Trail Mix: A mix of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and perhaps a bit of chocolate.
Dinner:
- Freeze-Dried Backpacking Meal: A variety like beef stew or chicken and rice. Many brands offer delicious, just-add-water options.
- Instant Soup: Like miso or chicken noodle.
- Hot Cocoa or Herbal Tea.
Day 2:
Breakfast:
- Instant Pancakes: Mix with water, cook on a lightweight non-stick pan.
- Dried Fruit: Like mangoes or pineapples.
- Hot Chocolate: Use instant mix.
Lunch:
- Crackers with Cheese: Consider hard cheeses like Parmesan or shelf-stable cheese spreads.
- Salami or Summer Sausage: Pre-sliced for convenience.
- Mixed Nuts.
Dinner:
- Instant Noodles or Pasta Sides: Enhance with a pouch of pre-packaged chicken or tuna.
- Dehydrated Vegetables: Can be added to the noodles for nutrition and taste.
- Tea or Instant Cider.
Day 3:
Breakfast:
- Granola with Powdered Milk: Add water and enjoy a cold or warm cereal.
- Hot Chocolate: Use instant mix.
Lunch:
- Pita Bread with Peanut or Almond Butter.
- Dried Fruit and Nut Bars: Like KIND bars or Larabars.
Dinner:
- Instant Risotto or Couscous: Boost with freeze-dried vegetables and a pre-packaged protein source.
- Instant Pudding: For a sweet treat.
- Herbal Tea.
Snacks (for throughout the three days):
- Energy Bars: Such as Clif Bars or RXBARs.
- Beef or Turkey Jerky.
- Dried Seaweed Snacks.
- Chocolate or Energy Gels: For a quick energy boost.
- Electrolyte Tablets: To add to water, especially important if hiking in hot conditions.
Remember to adjust portion sizes and food choices based on your personal preferences, energy needs, and dietary restrictions. It’s also essential to pack out all your trash and follow Leave No Trace principles. Enjoy your backpacking trip!