It’s Wednesday, the weekend weather forecast looks good, and the boss just said you can have Friday off. Now all you need to do is pick your trail, grab your gear, and you’re in for the perfect long backcountry weekend. The only thing that’s standing between you and the trail is food. You know that good food can make or break a trip, and you’re determined to make this a good one.

Ah, the food dilemma. You could drive to the nearest outfitter and stock up on three days of freeze-dried meals, but perhaps you did that for the last trip and you’re ready for a change; plus you weren’t planning to spend upwards of $100 on just food. You could dash over to the nearest supermarket and get a variety of pasta and rice meals in a box, but they take a long time to cook and are so salty you’d need to pack in an extra fuel bottle and an extra water bottle.

Fresh food in the backcountry is awesome, but it weighs a ton and you’d have to worry about spoilage. You could break out the dehydrator and your backcountry cookbook to make some awesome meals, but it’s the last minute and you want to get out of town on Friday without a hassle, so that idea might have to wait until next time.

So what’s the strategy? By combining commonly found supermarket ingredients including bulk foods and spices, it’s easy to put together a three day menu of food with minimal prep time that will have you craving each meal as hiker hunger kicks in.

A 3 Day Backpacking Meal Plan

The key is to focus on breakfast and dinner, the two most important meals of the day. Using simple and delicious recipes to create these meals at home, and then supplementing with ready-made snack-worthy foods to fill out your menu will set you up for the perfect adventure weekend. By following the three day menu below, one well organized shopping trip and only about 30 minutes of prep time in your home kitchen will have you ready to hit the trail. Better yet, these meals require no real cooking; in camp you’ll only need to boil water, minimizing fuel and making clean-up super easy.

Oatmeal is the breakfast of choice for hungry hikers. Launch your mornings with a new twist on an old trail favorite by combining quick oats with a variety of tasty ingredients. Lightweight and delicious, these DIY single serving packets beat anything on the market. Start on day one with a classic cinnamon-walnut-apple oatmeal using dried apples and walnuts from the bulk food bins. For day two, treat yourself to a delicious coconut banana crunch oatmeal that has just the right amount of sweetness. For the last push on day three give yourself a protein punch with an oatmeal combo loaded with nuts, seeds, and cacao nibs (aka the superfood of the ancient Mayans). Embrace the crisp mornings with a steaming mug of coffee paired with a hot bowl of oatmeal and you’ll be ready to tackle each day’s adventure.

Wrap up each day with a hearty dinner including Double Cheese Buffalo Mac and Cheese made with buffalo jerky, Mexican Rice with Sausage, and a Mediterranean Tabbouleh Bowl. Dinners are packaged in two-serving portions in your home kitchen using readily available supermarket ingredients. They require only minutes to cook in camp satisfying hungry hikers with minimal effort. Just knowing these delicious dinners are on the menu will give you something to look forward to each day.

Lunches are combinations of ready to eat foods packaged in individual portions. Buy a 2-ounce hunk of hard cheese for the first day and serve it on crostini crackers with dried mangos for a sweet and salty combo. Parmesan, Parmigiano, or Pecorino cheeses stay fresh, pack easy and are great cheese choices. For lunch on day two fill a snack size zip top bag with Nutella and pack along fruit leather and sesame stick crackers to make a wrap with Nutella and sesame sticks for a tasty, crunchy lunch treat. For day three fill a snack size zip top bag with squeezable peanut butter and separately pack crostini crackers and Medjool dates. Squeeze peanut butter on the crackers and finish the meal with naturally sweet dates.

The menu includes snack items with a light weight energy boost and satisfy every hiker’s craving for sweet and salty. These include jerky, commercially prepared protein bars and selections from the bulk bins such as dried fruit and nut combinations and ready-made trail mixes. Just be sure to pick a trail mix with lots of nuts and not too many low energy crackers and pretzels. Snack-size zip top bags are the perfect size for individual portions.

To assemble your food supply at home, start with breakfast. Stand up sandwich size zip top bags with the tops folded over to keep them open. Measure ½ cup oatmeal and 2 TBSP dry milk powder into each then add custom ingredients following the recipes below to make single serving packets. Label each bag with a permanent marker.

Next, tackle dinners by following the recipes below. Each recipe serves two and will fit in a sandwich size zip top bag. Ingredients required to be packaged separately can be placed in smaller zip top bags and then slipped inside the sandwich size bag with the primary dinner ingredients, keeping each meal in one easy-to-find package. There is nothing worse than hunting through your entire food supply in camp to find an essential ingredient when you’re hungry and tired. A little effort in your home kitchen will have you organized for quick and easy meals in camp.

Dinner Recipes

Double Cheese Buffalo Mac & Cheese (Two Servings)

1 package Ramen noodles (you don't need the spice packet)
¼ cup dry parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a can)
2 TBSP Nido whole milk powder
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp chili powder
2 TBSP butter, packaged separately
1 ½ ounces buffalo or beef jerky or minced, packaged separately
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, packaged separately

Mac and cheese is a classic backpacking meal, and this recipe takes it to the next level.

Home Prep

Combine parmesan cheese, milk powder, cornstarch and chili powder together. Package butter, jerky and cheddar cheese separately.

On the Trail

Combine 1 cup water, parmesan cheese, cornstarch, chili powder and butter in cooking pot. Boil one minute until thickened. Stir in ramen noodles breaking apart with a spoon. Cover and let sit for five minutes. Divide between two bowls and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Mediterranean Tabbouleh Bowl (Two Servings)

1/2 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup bulgur
1 TBSP butter
¼ cup dried parsley
1 tsp garlic pepper
½ cup Kalamata olives in olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts

Hearty and filling, the Mediterranean Tabbouleh Bowl dinner meal is a good choice after a long day.

Home Prep

Combine lentils, parsley, pepper and salt. Package all other ingredients separately.

On the Trail

Boil lentils in water for seven minutes. Put the lid on the pot and let sit for five minutes. Lentils should be firm but fully cooked and may require longer cooking at high altitudes. Add bulgur and butter, and adjust water so is just barely above the food. Boil one minute then remove from heat and let sit ten minutes. Chop olives and stir into Tabbouleh. Divide between two bowls and top with pine nuts.

Mexican Rice with Sausage (Two Servings)

1½ cup instant rice
½ cup minced shelf stable summer sausage or dry salami (2 ounces)
2 tsp tomato bullion
2 TBSP minced dried onion
2 TBSP dried parsley
2 TBSP taco seasoning
10 tortilla chips
2 green onions (optional)

Home Prep

Combine rice, tomato bullion, dried onion, parsley and taco seasoning into a sandwich size zip top bag. Place tortilla chips in a separate zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin or by pressing on them with a wooden cutting board. Package sausage and optional green onions separately.

On the Trail

Add rice mixture to cooking pot along with 1 ½ cups water. Boil one minute and then cover and let sit for five minutes. Stir in sausage and divide between two bowls. Top with tortilla chips and chopped green onions.

Note: tomato bullion, dried parsley and minced dried onions are commonly found in supermarket spice sections.

Single Serving Backpacking Oatmeal Recipes

Apple-Cinnamon-Walnut Oatmeal (Single Serving)

½ cup quick oatmeal (one minute type)
2 TBSP whole milk powder (Nido)
1 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup dried apple slices, cut into small chunks with kitchen shears

Oatmeal on the trail is a backpacker's go-to breakfast.

Home Prep

Combine all ingredients into zip top bag.

On the Trail

Stir in one cup boiling water into oatmeal mix and seep until thickened.

Coconut Banana Crunch Oatmeal (Single Serving)

15 banana chips ½ cup quick oatmeal (one minute type)
2 TBSP whole milk powder (Nido)
1 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP shredded coconut

Home Prep

Place banana chips into a zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin or by pressing with a wooden cutting board; add coconut. In a separate zip top bag, combine remaining ingredients.

On the Trail

Stir one cup boiling water into oatmeal mix and seep until thickened; top with coconut and banana chip mixture.

Peak Bagger Oatmeal: Protein Punch (Single Serving)

½ cup quick oatmeal (one minute type)
2 TBSP whole milk powder (Nido)
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup mixed chopped nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, pecans, raw sunflower seeds, etc)
1 TBSP golden flax meal
2 heaping TBSP craisins or raisins 1 TBSP cacao nibs

Home Prep

Package cacao nibs separately; combine all other ingredients into a zip top bag.

On the Trail

Stir one cup boiling water into oatmeal mix and seep until thickened; sprinkle with cacao nibs.

Getting Ready for Your Trip

Assemble lunches and snacks into individual portions, labeling each bag with a permanent marker. Organize each day’s food supply into gallon size zip top bags following the menu, mark each bag noting cooking instructions, and you’re ready to go. It takes just one shopping trip and thirty minutes in your kitchen to assemble this three day menu of delicious nutritious food for the perfect backcountry weekend!

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 35 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content and find more recipes here on the TrailGroove Blog.