Easy UL Foods from the Grocery Store

Much of my first book was about what you could find and do with grocery store purchases ;-)

I love the buttery mashed potatoes by idaho. 4oz just add 2 cups boiling water makes 4 serving sized each serving is 120 cal. I usually eat the whole package myself (which is 480 calories alone). Its fast and easy, only problem is the packaging you have to hike it out :) The "asian sides" I forget who makes them, but they are awsome just add boiling water it has the veggies and meat already in it.

sarah's book can be found at http://www.freezerbagcooking.com or http://www.trailcooking.com or at an REI near you. Search "Freezerbag Cooking"

Quinoa has to be one of my favorite grocery store finds. If you can find it, get the red. It has a milder flavor and is quite delicious. You can make a trail soup with it, eat it like oatmeal, use it in place of rice or pasta or add it to bannock and the like.

My entire book is dehydrator free, grocery store finds. :)

Quinoa is a good find, BUT it is NOT instant (unless you cook then dehydrate it). It can take up to 20 minutes to cook. Some brands may require rinsing as well, prior to cooking.

Other favorite finds of mine? Durkee onions – fried! High calories for the weight. Coconut creme powder (Asian markets and higher end grocery stores or Sarbar's website). Chow mein noodles.

Fantastic Foods brand can often be found in the grocery store.

Black beans
Refried Beans
hummus
tabouleh mix

Good stuff!

I've found these items at the following stores in the greater Puget Sound area to be quite palatable and convenient:

Local Food Co-op's (Olympia, Port Townsend, PCC)
– Instant Mashed Potatoes
– Bulk Dehydrated Organic: Beans, Chili Mac + Cheese, Soups, Mixed Veggies, Lentils, Curried Lentils, etc.
– Instant Polenta (1 min. cook time)
– Instant Quinoa, Brown Rice, + Spelt "flakes"
– Instant Hummus

Fred Meyer
– 3.5 oz. Foil pouch sealed smoked salmon
– Pamelas GF/DF Chocolate Cookies (my favorite)
– Baked Guiltless Gourmet Corn Chips
– "Just Tomatoes" line of dehydrated fruit + veggies
– Tasty Bites Indian Food
– Instant Miso Soup packets
– Emergen-C drink mix
– smoked Tofu

Metropolitan Market
– cinnamon apple chips
– Sushi to go, for the first day
– Mary's "Gone Crackers"

Trader Joes
– Nova Smoked Salmon
– Freeze-dried fruit
– Trail mixes
– Raw nuts
– Raw almond butter
– Sunflower-seed butter
– Tasty Bites Indian food, or similar
– Instant rice

I'm always keeping my eye out.

Dondo – sorry I missed this earlier. Quinoa cooking time depends on the brand. The brand I use takes about 10 minutes. I still prepare it at home first if I am not dehydrating it. I rinse the quinoa for 3 minutes under cool running water. Unless you are buying a more expensive pre-rinsed variety, this is necessary to remove the saponin. Then I toast it in a non-stick frypan until the little seeds start to pop/bounce. I let it continue to air dry and then put it in mason jars so I always have it ready to cook with. While it does take a while to cook, and I realize this thread is about making it easy, you can turn it into a great meal by cooking and drying it first. You don't need a dehydrator – the oven will do.

You can also bake with it in it's raw state.

PCC also sells the quinoa flakes :-) I would suspect Whole Foods does also.

I have used them in savory meals and it works. Think like a "polenta"!

The most underrated food of all:
canned sardines (the ones in the small tin)
-as much protein as a protein shake/bar without the sugar and other junk
-very high in b12 and selenium

check out the calamari and oysters in the tins as well.

In the distant past a tin of sardines along with crackers was considered a real treat on a long backpack or on a bivouac up on some wall. Sardines in mustard sauce were especially good.

I like the Sardines and crackers- now I only take them in winter on short hikes. I hate to mess with the used cans, especially in summer. In winter they keep me warm and the mess is worth it. Not the lightest weight option though.

When I'm out fishing in the fall in Alaska, sometimes I have what I call a "Sardine day"- meaning that its cold and wet enough to pull out the Sardines. But there we are getting flown in to a remote coastal river so the mess again is worth the trouble.