gluten-free And An Outdoor Lifestyle

[apollo]

My Girlfiend is Gluten free, Vegitarian and she enjoys camping and hiking and she really wants to try backpacking. I want to take her for a 2 or 3 day trip but i don't know what kinds of things she can eat that would be easy to prepare and light weight, i trypcally take military rations because they are light and done need preperation, but she wouldn't be able to eat those. Can anyone help?

[Guhlia]

For fruits - Stretch Island Fruit Leather and LaraBars

For veggies - dried vegatables should keep for a little while, you could dry your own

For Protein - LaraBars

Grains - Dry gluten free cereals, rice

She may also want to add a vitamin supplement if she's not already taking one. This would help to offset any nutrional imbalance while on your outdoor trips. I hope this helps. I don't have much ideas in the way of meals, but these would all make nutritious snacks for her.

[TCA]

Hormel has a lot of good products that are shelf stable. Check on thier website. I have a microwave meal of thiers that is Southwestern Rice and Beans that is gluten-free. It doesn't have to be microwaved, though. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good and is vegetarian, I think. PB is always good. Amy's has some good soups too. Black bean and split pea I think are vegetarian. Trail mix is always good.

It's sweet of you to do this. Have fun!

[DingoGirl]

Does she eat cheese? If so you could take corn tortillas, a little butter and some beans and cheese and make chesadillas....this is assuming you bring your little stove and some cookware...I always took my stove as could not live on just dried foods for more than a day or two...also some gluten-free bread and peanut butter will work in a pinch.

[lonewolf]

I get dehydrated lentil and black bean soup from our local health food store,

gluten-free pancake mix works well,

dehydrated potatoes (from a box of scalloped potatoes) and a small can of chicken or turkey makes a decent meal-I'm sure you could substitute tofu or beans for the meat,

gluten-free rice pilaf in boxes (Lundberg brand is good),

and all the nuts and fruits, etc. that you would normally take.

I don't backpack, but we do go bike camping, where we take the same type of food. I'll add more if I think of anything. There is another thread somewhere on here that has more ideas - I don't know how to link or I'd find it for you.

[eleep]

I have a lot of suggestions, but not much time -- however, I know that a lot of those freeze-dried trail food companies do have gluten-free stuff. I'm particularly fond of Inertia Trail Foods El Capitan Black Bean Chili -- which isn't labeled gluten-free, but the ingredients check out and I didn't react last weekend on a trip. I'm also a big fan of grits with cheese for breakfast on the trail.

[corinne]

Backpacking gluten free is really doable. I just got back from a 3 day backcountry ski trip, I can't eat any grains or dairy at all and I felt well-fed.

If I could eat grains, I would probably take:

breakfast: cream of rice with a bunch of dried fruit (apricots, peaches, pears or berries) and a handful of nuts

lunch: corn tortillas with tuna or chicken (can get the foil-wrap packages) or cheddar cheese or cream cheese, baby carrots, sun-dried tomatoes.

dinner: lots of possibilities - mountain house and several brands make gluten free freeze-dried, soup (knorr has some gluten free) with dried meat or chicken or tuna, black beans and rice (if you don't mind an extra pound of weight put the beans in a water bottle in the morning with some hot water and then they'll cook up fast in the evening), stir fry - boil up dried vegetables first (carrots, peppers, mushrooms) and add to some rice, grits + cheese.

snacks: make your own trail mix, lara bars, chocolate, gluten free pretzels, dried fruit

[apollo]

Thanks alot for all the information, it will really help me out when i start planning this trip. I anyone can think of anything else I would be very greatful. Everyone have a nice day.

[awesomeame]

if you brought along an ice pack you could probably get vegan cheese to stay cool enough to last for a day or two, also cream cheese spreads. you could make grilled cheese over the fire! (tofutti best for this) how about fruit in a can, that would make a good snack. every vegetable i know of is available in a can, so bring those, you could even heat them up if you had a fire/stove. there are a large variety of chips/rice crackers you could bring too, and perhaps a prepared salad that'll keep for the first day. damn it must be hard to be a vegitarian, it took me forever to think this stuff up! lol

--matt

[Mongoose]

I've backpacked a couple of times, just overnight, and have done ok.

For the first day out I like to carry veggies like carrots that don't go bad too quickly.

Ener-G granola bars are great. Pricey, but good, solid food.

Nuts and dried fruit for trail mix, or make my own monster cookies to pack along.

For a hot evening meal I might do the following:

Pack a plastic tube of gluten-free polenta (at my grocery it's on the shelf in the baking section, not refrigerated). Pack instant dried blackbeans in a ziploc bag and season them however you want. Write on the ziploc how much boiling water to mix with the beans to rehydrate them. Serve them over sliced and heated polenta. Makes plenty for two people.

Pack lentils into a ziploc along with sun-dried (dry-packed, not oil-packed) tomatoes, dried onions, dried garlic, and dried spinach along with any seasonings that you want. Curry might be nice. Write on the ziploc how much water to cook them in to make soup. Lentils cook in about 20 minutes.

Tasty Bites makes gluten-free vegetarian food in foil packs -- just remove from foil, heat and eat. Check them out at Open Original Shared Link.

For breakfast, take instant quinoa cereal -- check out this web site: Open Original Shared Link. We keep this on hand because we can make it in a styrofoam bowl in a motel room if there is a coffee pot to heat water in.

Got any idea where you'll be hiking? We may do a short trek in the Big Horns or the Black Hills this summer. Wherever you go, have a great hike!

Mongoose

[DingoGirl]

Excellent ideas from everyone above, makes me want to try some backcountry travel again!

Also, there is this rice stuff called Mochi from Whole Foods - cut it into small squares and cook it on your stove - fabulous puffed up little pieces of grain, I eat these inserted wtih cheese. Warm and toasty and yummy!

[Laura]

Some Fantastic Foods dehydrated foods are gluten-free, and clearly marked.

Also, a friend sent me this recipe that I keep meaning to make:

3 ounces puffed brown rice, approximately 6 cups

3 tablespoons flax seed oil, plus extra for the pan

1 tablespoon orange blossom honey

7 ounces mini marshmallows, approximately 4 cups

3 ounces toasted slivered almonds, approximately 3/4 cup

1 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries, approximately 1/3 cup

1 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped dried cherries, approximately 1/3 cup

1-ounce dried blueberries, approximately 1/3 cup

Lightly coat the inside of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan with oil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread the brown puffed rice evenly on a sheet pan. Toast in the oven for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the rice is toasting, prepare the marshmallow mixture.

Place the oil, honey, and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until the marshmallows are melted, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Once the marshmallows are melted, quickly add the toasted brown rice, almonds, and fruit and stir to combine. Coat your hands or a spatula with oil and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Once the mixture has cooled completely, cut into squares and store in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

[sweetp]

My Girlfiend is Gluten free, Vegitarian and she enjoys camping and hiking and she really wants to try backpacking. I want to take her for a 2 or 3 day trip but i don't know what kinds of things she can eat that would be easy to prepare and light weight, i trypcally take military rations because they are light and done need preperation, but she wouldn't be able to eat those. Can anyone help?

my husband and i love backpacking! i'm a vegetarian too and this is what we do when we go on longer hikes. breakfast and snacks= larabars and cliff nectar bars (the chocoate is the best, tastes like a brownie!!) or enjoy life! brand granola the berry flavored is the best...or if you like hot cereal, Bobs read meal mighty tasty gluten free breakfast is pretty good.

for lunch (if she enjoys ethnic foods) taste of india brand lentils and rice, etc. it's ALL gluten free and very very very tasty! i even get it when we're not going hiking.

also for snacks bring lots of nuts! they're full of protein and energy! we also always bring in fruit, even though it's more weight, if you eat a few apples a day, the weight, like all the other food, diminishes.

last, trader joe's has handy pre cooked rice in pouches that you could bring. hope this helps. at first hiking gluten free & vegetarian seemed difficult, but after you do it once, it's really easy.

[powderprincess]

mmmm. . .lara bars are divine! I just found some dehydrated food packs for a trip this weekend. I picked up a beans and rice pack and a bean hummus pack so far. The packs are good and really lightweight if you are going to be lugging stuff around and want food quickly. Quinoa packets might be good to bring, too, kind of like instant oatmeal packs. You could make your own concocction using rice noodle sticks.

I love everyone's ideas. I love the vegan cheese idea, you are so right that don't have to worry as much about keeping it as cool as dairy cheese. I am vegan and love to camp with my husband. In mere days I will be joining the gluten-free crew and then going for a mountain hike somewhere. I love trader joes. They have so many excellent dried fruit and nuts. I think my favorite hiking snack food is dried mango. They are packed with lots of energy.