Lunch anyone? What to eat on a winter day hike

Same stuff as the rest of the year

In order to maintain an appetite, it seems that I enjoy a regular break for lunch. Also regular food is more satisfying than continuously munching. From reading these other posts, I see that is not the norm. But there may be others out there that enjoy a healthy sanwich w/ fresh veggies, cheese, meat/eggs/fish on a wrap (so it doesn't get squished!)

Then for a snack I have a homemade energy bar that is soft and delicious. Chocolates are always in supply for emergency love on the trail.

Nothing freezes and is often warm because I keep the food next to my hot tea( w/ lots of milk and honey) in Nalgenes w/o insulators in the middle of my pack - surrounded by extra hats, gloves, fleece etc. It just seems to me that an nalgene-insulator is extra weight that doesn't have a dual purpose. In case of an emergency extra mitts, etc. can be stuffed inside a jacket/pants if I don't use them for their intended purpose.

I snack all day in the winter....no big meal for me.

The best thing I have found to put my crumbled chocolate covered pretzels in is an empty Kraft parmesan cheese container...the kind with the flip top....Then it fits right into a 16oz sized bottle parka.

The container was NOT my idea, ( Thanks, Rols!). It works great. The I have my water on one side, and snack on the other side....

ON the last hike I experimented with have a homemade yogurt smoothie for my drink...that worked pretty well, except I won't add coconut milk again!

I look hard for all those grubs, worms, crawly things that "Bear" says I should be eating, but can't find any in the Winter.

LRiz said:

I really like Larabars - simple, natural ingredients, no added sugar, unprocessed, and really yummy. Cashew Cookie is my absolute favorite (could, and do, eat them all day ). Given the high fat content, I've never had a problem with them freezing up on me.

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Larabars are excellent -- and are gluten-free. They keep well, too, and I agree that they don't get tough/hard in the cold. We keep pretty well stocked with these when we hike. Coconut Cream Pie is another hit flavor.

Another food to consider, for those who want something else vegetarian and gluten-free, are Stonewall's Jerquee (nice bite-size chunks easy to eat on a hike) and Tasty Eats Soy Jerky (pretty durn good stuff). You can get both items at Food Fight Grocery, an online store with a sassy attitude.

I have not hiked in cold weather very often, and only done two official winter hikes, so I will declare myself a non-expert when it comes to winter hiking...

...however, I am an expert when it comes to food. I love peanut butter-and-other-stuff sandwiches, but discovered the hard way that in cold weather, fluff becomes as hard as cement. Since then I've paired my peanut butter with jelly or bananas in cold weather. I had the pleasure of filling a nalgene bottle with Godiva's dark truffle hot chocolate. OMG!! Did that taste good going up Jackson! I've often thought that soup in another bottle would also be good. And since M&Ms do melt in your mouth, they are PERFECT, as are any smaller pieces of chocolate: Dove, Hershey's miniatures, kisses, mini Reeses pb cups,....

Chocolate, it's not just for breakfast anymore!

I like the big soft cookies! Little Debbie rules!

I spend alot of tme 'belowfreezing' I have found that hot soup in a thermos is the best. It is liquid, the cream soups are calorie laden and it is hot.
I have tried sandwiches, but frozen peanut butter is gross. If Ihave the luxury of sitting (like when I'm out climbing) I do a ramen and add extra broth. Tastes wonderful and arouses jealousy amongst those around me chomping on their frozen jerky.