Lunch ideas for winter hikes

timmus said:

Say hello to Christine, BTW she is a very good correspondant.

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Will do. Love the artwork, btw... If she hikes your finish with you I'll send along something yummy...

I love the spiced cider in winter, but heat it on the trail as it cools off too quickly.

For breads I use the soft tortilla and fill it with whatever. A favorite is the tortilla bread, a foil packet of the Herb Tuna mixed with mayo and onion packets from a convenience store. One tuna pouch with 9 mayo and 3 onion packets make 3 sandwiches with little to carry out and little mess. Put the packets in a ziploc bag in your pocket so they don't freeze or inadvertently blow apart.

rhihn said:

Timmus, MRE's are "Meals Ready to Eat," used by the military. In the past I have found them to be heavy and not very tasty, and filled with unnecessary things. I admit I haven't had one recently. Perhaps they've changed for the better?

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When they first come out they were terrible. However, they've improved substanially over the years. Still not to be confused with a steak dinner but good enough on the trails.

Why not take advantage of the cold temps? If consistently below freezing I've been known to carry in ChocoTacos, Snickers ice cream bars, etc. I too have problems with appetite while in the backcountry, but can somehow always manage to muster up the willpower to chew on some convenient ice cream concotion.

I'm also a big fan of grilled cheese in the woods....we'll premake the sandwiches with a crusty bread and super sharp cheddar cheese slices, drizzle them w/olive oil on both sides, and then seal them in a Ziploc. Lunchtime comes, start the stove and drop them on with a lid. Once sufficiently burned, flip, and serve after a minute or two. Easy, quick, and good enough to get you to eat. No need for cast iron though.....I make these on my non stick Ti cookset and they come out fantastic.

Cliff bars do best out of seveal I've tested in winter when its cold.

Sliced peperoni & cheese in wax (bonebell? the Laughing cow) do well in temsp below freezing - in teens. Have not had opportunity to check if below zero yet.

Trekkin said:

Why not take advantage of the cold temps? .... Snickers ice cream bars, etc.

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WARNING. Ice cream is OK (because of oils in it I suspect), but popsicles can be DANGEROUS. I speak from experience.

I used to always buy a popsicle on my cycle commute. In the winter, I could put it in my pocket, and it wouldn't melt. It was run to ride across the parking lot in the snow, eating a popsicle as I arrived for work.

It isn't fun at -20F.

Know how your mother told you never to lick a pole in the cold? Same thing happens with a popsicle at -20F.

One cold day, I put a popsicle in my mouth, and my tongue, upper and lower lip froze into one solid piece. IT IS PAINFUL! I ran screaming (MFMFMFMF!) into the nearest bathroom, and stuck my head under the sink to defrost it. (Getting strange looks in the process) Lips swollen for a few days.

BE careful what you eat at very cold temperatures!

Trekkin said:

I'm also a big fan of grilled cheese in the woods....

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Pre-cooked and eaten cold on the trail works too. And if you don't butter/oil the bread, it isn't messy.

(Yes, warm tastes better, but cold fits into my eat-on-the-run strategy.)

Doug

Enough already!!! Now I've got to go home and get something to eat. I'm starved!

Too funny, I was just thinking the same thing!

I don't usually think about ice cream in the winter, but it makes sense.

This is a great thread, though. Picked up plenty of ideas.

Frozen grapes are terrific. I keep them in the freezer in the summer for cooling treats. I like fruit on the trail, so this works. Other fruit is not as good frozen, but apples in the middle of my bag usually make it okay.

Those small cans of smoked, salted, almonds are sooo goood on the trail. I can 2nd the smoked salmon bagelwich. Also I like to mix chunks of semi-sweet dark chocolate and shredded coconut.....Also clementines, mmm clementines. Snacking and eating while hiking is one of life's small pleasures.

Pete_Hickey said:

WARNING. Ice cream is OK (because of oils in it I suspect), but popsicles can be DANGEROUS. I speak from experience.

I used to always buy a popsicle on my cycle commute. In the winter, I could put it in my pocket, and it wouldn't melt. It was run to ride across the parking lot in the snow, eating a popsicle as I arrived for work.

It isn't fun at -20F.

Know how your mother told you never to lick a pole in the cold? Same thing happens with a popsicle at -20F.

One cold day, I put a popsicle in my mouth, and my tongue, upper and lower lip froze into one solid piece. IT IS PAINFUL! I ran screaming (MFMFMFMF!) into the nearest bathroom, and stuck my head under the sink to defrost it. (Getting strange looks in the process) Lips swollen for a few days.

BE careful what you eat at very cold temperatures!

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Someone needs to write a book or film a movie.

I'd like to say this about MRE's. I think EVERYONE should have one in the bottom of their pack, everywhere, all the time. They don't need water, they're not dehydrated. They don't need to be cooked. So if you have no water and no stove, you can still eat. I carry the ones that don't have the chemical heater. The full "package" contains a fruit bar type snack, large biscuit, jelly, matches, coffee, napkin and utensil and meal. The Beef Ravioli meal is as good as any Beef Ravioli available. My boys like the BBQ "Ribs" cut up in some Raman or rice. If you want to reduce some of the weight and bulk (which is not much to begin with), you can pull the plastic pouch package apart and just take what you want. Just my 2 pennies.

Lawn Sale said:

I don't usually think about ice cream in the winter, but it makes sense.

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You get more calories from ice cream than it takes to melt it. But there is a time delay...

Doug

Originally Posted by Pete_Hickey
WARNING. Ice cream is OK (because of oils in it I suspect), but popsicles can be DANGEROUS. I speak from experience.

I used to always buy a popsicle on my cycle commute. In the winter, I could put it in my pocket, and it wouldn't melt. It was run to ride across the parking lot in the snow, eating a popsicle as I arrived for work.

It isn't fun at -20F.

Know how your mother told you never to lick a pole in the cold? Same thing happens with a popsicle at -20F.

One cold day, I put a popsicle in my mouth, and my tongue, upper and lower lip froze into one solid piece. IT IS PAINFUL! I ran screaming (MFMFMFMF!) into the nearest bathroom, and stuck my head under the sink to defrost it. (Getting strange looks in the process) Lips swollen for a few days.

BE careful what you eat at very cold temperatures!

Chip said:

Someone needs to write a book or film a movie.

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What about a comic strip... Pete writes the stories, I'll do the drawings, someone find a publisher. (Seriously)

I can't believe the hatred for energy bars! I love those things, try the metrx brand ones (if you have not already) the chocolate chip cookie ones are awesome, one of my favorite things to eat, not just among energy bars, but of all foods

Another added bonus to the metrx is that they don't tend to feeze or melt like power bar brand does, which make them more ideal for winter of summer

timmus said:

What about a comic strip... Pete writes the stories, I'll do the drawings, someone find a publisher. (Seriously)

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Nobody would believe it!!

human flesh

giggy said:

human flesh

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I'm glad our hike went well last week.

Chip said:

I'm glad our hike went well last week.

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or did it....................................... - the have you actually seen the other 3

giggy said:

or did it....................................... - the have you actually seen the other 3

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LOL. Sugar would LOVE to hike with y'all!!!