Stay fueled. Here are some versatile items that we like to always have in our food bag to add extra calories, flavors, and variety to backcountry meals. The possibilities are endless, but by carrying these ingredients you can take any off-the-shelf backpacking meal to the next level or add calories and taste to your own creations.

Dehydrated or Freeze-Dried Vegetables

A great way to add flavor and variety to your meals, as well as have a few servings of veggies during the day or with dinner. So many options...carrots, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, you get the idea! Harmony House is one company that offers a wide array of dehydrated and freeze-dried vegetables that are great to have in the backpacking pantry.

When it comes to dehydrated vegetables, you can take a wide variety of individual options, go for a mix, or dehydrate your own.

Olive Oil Packets

An easy way to add calories to any meal. Using olive oil packets is a lightweight & clean way to carry oil into the backcountry to avoid leaking or spilling (unless they are crushed and burst). Not a bad idea to pack these in a backup Ziploc or two as well.

Instant Mashed Potatoes

So many variations can be made with instant potatoes...for breakfast (add eggs, ham, etc.) or dinner (cheese, meat, veggies, etc). You may want to bring powdered milk and / or powdered butter for creamy potatoes.

Peanut Butter

Yes, it’s a little heavy, but it is packed with calories. You can pair this with small jelly containers from your favorite breakfast joint and serve on bread or tortillas or squeeze bottles for longer trips. Eat on its own or add to Asian-style dinners.

Chicken Packets (or Tuna)

Protein – add to a rice or pasta dish for dinner; add mayo packets & seasonings for chicken salad to serve on bread, bagels, or tortillas. But if you're looking to go for the best backpacking option in this regard, freeze-dried chicken is a pricier alternative but lighter in weight and typically tastes better as well.

Potato Chips

Maybe not the healthiest choice, but this snack food can add flavor, calories and a crunch to many dishes. We sometimes use crushed cheddar & sour cream chips to add extra flavor to freeze-dried meals – It’s like dehydrated potatoes and flavoring all in one.

Chips are lightweight, have plenty of calories, and can add both crunch as well as flavor to meals.

Tortillas

You can make a wrap out of nearly anything. Add extra calories to breakfast scrambles or freeze-dried meals. For lunches or snacks, you can use this to hold chicken salad or peanut butter & jelly (see above).

Cheese

Wax-sealed cheese rounds keep well on the trail and are great by themselves or added to lunches. Where they really shine is when melted into dinners or breakfast - melted cheese just makes everything better.

Chocolate

Maybe not the most versatile ingredient, but as a dessert a simple chocolate bar may be the best way to end the day on a good note. Dark chocolate bars keep well, are easy, and if it’s calories you’re looking for, no worries here.

Editor's Note: This installment of Backcountry Cuisine originally appeared in Issue 9 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.