Three Square
Spring backpacking meals: blueberry coconut oats, a sweet and spicy cashew chicken wrap, and chicken alfredo with veggies
Blueberry Coconut Oats
Despite the colloquial assertion that oatmeal sticks to your ribs, instant oatmeal packets are actually a poor backpacking breakfast. Yes, they’re simple to make, but they’re comprised of relatively simple carbs (pulverized processed oats and a bunch of sugar), which burn through you in just a few hours of hiking. We’ve found that even if we completely stuff ourselves with oatmeal at 7 a.m., we’re famished by 9. So what’s to be done? Diversify the nutritional profile of your oatmeal.
This recipe starts with an oatmeal base and then builds on it with layers of nutrition, including coconut milk and coconut flakes for long-lasting calories from fat, almonds and hemp seeds to add some protein, and dehydrated blueberries for a little extra fiber. Now, there’s a breakfast that will get you all the way through to lunch. Or at least to elevenses.
- ½ cup quick cooking rolled oats
- ¼ cup coconut milk powder
- ¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- ¼ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- At home, pack all ingredients into a bag.
- In camp, bring ½ cup water and the contents of the bag to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the oats are soft, about 10 minutes.
Sweet + Spicy Cashew Chicken Wrap
Lunch on the trail is typically a quick affair. No one wants to break out their stove and pot to cook, much less deal with the cleanup afterward. We tend to gravitate toward meals that are assembled rather than cooked and for us this sweet and spicy cashew chicken wrap is just the ticket.
Using a trio of sauce packets, the preparation only requires some light mixing. After draining your pre-cooked chicken, combine the mayo packets, honey, and Sriracha in the pouch to create a sweet and spicy sauce. Add cashews for crunch and dried cilantro for extra flavor. Then lay it out and roll it up in a flour tortilla.
Prepared in just a few minutes and cleaned up even quicker, this lunch is a perfect option for those looking to make a quick midday pit stop, not a two-hour luncheon.
- 1 packet cooked chicken (7 ounce)
- 2 tortillas or wraps
- ½ cup chopped cashews
- 2 mayo packets (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 honey packets (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1–2 Sriracha packets
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
- Salt
- At home, place the cashews, honey, mayo, Sriracha, cilantro, and salt in a bag. Pack this bag along with the chicken pouch and the tortillas.
- In camp, drain the chicken if needed. Add the cashews, honey, mayo, Sriracha, cilantro, and salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas. Roll them up burrito style and enjoy!
Chicken Alfredo with Veggies
Dinner on a backpacking trip is one of the most anticipated events of the day. It’s usually the first chance to sit back and relax and is a critical moment to refuel your body and set yourself up for success the next day.
To that end, this DIY chicken alfredo hits all the right notes: comforting egg noodles, protein-packed freeze-dried chicken, dehydrated veggies for fiber, and a rich creamy sauce. Why not cap off the day with some Italian-inspired comfort food? Plus, this one-pot meal requires just a single step (boil water) and comes together in less than 15 minutes.
If you ate this decadent meal at home, you might feel guilty. But on the trail, you’ll be sad when it’s all gone. Enjoy!
- 2 cups egg noodles
- ½ cup freeze-dried chicken
- ¼ cup dried vegetables
- 2 tablespoons milk powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan
- Salt as needed, depending on sodium content of bouillon used
- At home, pack all ingredients in a bag.
- In camp, place all ingredients into your cook pot with 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Simmer about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the noodles, vegetables, and chicken are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Fuel reduction tip: To conserve fuel, you can soak the ingredients in the water for 10 minutes before cooking.
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