Ideas for Backpacking Meals

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Cold cereal	Peanut Butter	Instant soups
(dried milk)	Cheese	Dehydrated dinners
Instant cereals	Crackers	Instant mac/cheese
(oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc)	Rice Cakes	Burritos
Breakfast bars	Bagels, cream cheese	Bread sticks, rolls
Bagels	Beef Jerky	Instant rice mixes
Dried fruit	Canned meat (chicken/tuna/ham)	Dried noodle mixes (Lipton noodles)
Orange/apple	Dry salami/pepperoni	Canned chicken/ham/tuna, etc
Juice	Summer sausage	Frozen foil dinner, pack in dry ice
Nuts	Instant soups	PBJ
Beef jerky	Apples/orange	Quick Cook Chili mix
Precooked Bacon	Dried fruit	(add summer sausage)
Pancakes/syrup	Carrots	MRE
Instant cocoa	Chips, canned dips	Jambalaya or red beans & rice mixes
Powdered breakfast drink	Powdered fruit drinks	Instant mashed potatoes
Dehydrated eggs	Pita bread	Fresh vegetables to sauté
Muffins	Nuts, trail mix	Pre-made frozen chili, pasta, etc.
	Cookies	Instant desserts
	Energy bars	Spaghetti/canned sauce
	Quesadillas	Baked potatoes in foil on campfire
		Pizza

Trader Joe’s – instant single serving portions of oatmeal, soups, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes; trail mix and dried fruits, nuts, canned meats.

Any grocery store – Lipton noodle and sauce pouches, rice mixes, jambalaya mix, red beans and rice, quick cook chili mixes, instant soup cups, instant oatmeal, canned meats to add to mixes, tuna salad and crackers in a can, small cans of Pringles, energy bars, powdered drink mixes (lemonade, cocoa, Gatorade, etc.) Instead of bread, bring bagels, crackers, pita bread, tortillas, hard french rolls, which all pack easier. Make a pizza with Boboli bread or foccacia and canned sauce and cheese. Instant muffin mixes which only require water can be cooked like biscuits in your frypan with a lid over low heat.

Fast food restaurants – save extra individual packets of salt, pepper, ketchup, salsa, soy sauce, maple syrup, honey, margarine, jelly, barbeque sauce, etc. to add to meals.

Popular and REI: Dehydrated meals (expensive), energy bars, instant drink mixes, MREs.

Organize each meal in a large Ziploc bag with all ingredients you need for that meal. After that meal, the Ziploc bag can be used as a garbage bag, easier than carrying a large garbage bag tied to the outside of your pack. Get ideas from what the adults and older scouts are cooking. Be creative!