DIY Backpacking meal recipes with freeze dried Ingredients

[CMF]

I posted here since the main goal is to pack lighter food, but also save some money.
I usually repackage my MH into ziplocks since they pack easier that way.
I plan on trying to make some meals from scratch using freeze-dried ingredients, dried butter, milk, cheese, etc.
I plan on getting the MH cans of chicken, ground beef, eggs & bacon, and Pork sausage.
I'm thinking chicken with ramen noodles,
Ground beef with instant mashed potatoes, add cheese & butter(sort of shepherd's pie)
Pork sausage with tbd?
We usually do cereal or granola with dried milk and/or protein powder.

If anyone has had luck with certain recipes, post 'em up.

 

[thegoosano]

Highly suggest the Andrew Skurka recipes, specifically beans and rice, coconut cashew curry, polenta peppers, cheesy potatoes, and mushroom bacon oat sotto


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[Wolf13]

Are you wanting only freeze dried? I make my own meals but just use a dehydrator.

 

[Pilsner]

+1 for Skurka's recipes!
One of the better - aka NOT MH - freeze dried companies makes amazing Ramen noodle add-on packets. FD veggies, spices, etc that you can then add FD shredded meats into the packet. My limited experience with them impressed me a ton.
In the past I have written a dehydrator cook book for backpackers (no longer available) and currently volunteer for Snake Mountain Pack Goats - a 501c3 that uses pack goats to take 6 - 15 vets out each month for 3 day trips on public land here in the Ozarks as our "head chef" and camp cook. Recently we started using a Harvest Right freeze dryer for meal prep. Works amazing. We have reduced our food load for a 3 day weekend from 75-100# to sub-15#. We still have to carry the usual condiment packets, Naan bread, and tortillas which dont FD or reduce in weight by any method.

Keep in mind that ANY dairy product or item with fats in it will NOT safely dehydrate and be shelf stable. Thats why FD-ing is a better option for those products.
DM me with any Q that you guys have.
I am currently going deeeeeeeep down this exact rabbit hole and I'm happy to share what I have learned thus far.
-Pilsner

 

[CMF]

Are you wanting only freeze dried? I make my own meals but just use a dehydrator.

Yea, pretty much, I've done some dehyrating our own meals and wasn't satisfied with the results. They didn't hydrate well.

Recently we started using a Harvest Right freeze dryer for meal prep. Works amazing. We have reduced our food load for a 3 day weekend from 75-100# to sub-15#. We still have to carry the usual condiment packets, Naan bread, and tortillas which dont FD or reduce in weight by any method.

Getting a freeze dryer is on my list, but that's still a couple years out. Looking forward to though.

 

[BBob]

I dehydrate, vacuum pack then freeze ahead of time. No worries there with dairy or fat going rancid. A freeze drier cost for the amount I make a year just doesn’t seem cost effective. I like the idea but….

 

[Pilsner]

Yea, pretty much, I've done some dehyrating our own meals and wasn't satisfied with the results. They didn't hydrate well.

Getting a freeze dryer is on my list, but that's still a couple years out. Looking forward to though.

Dehydrated meals take 30+ mins to rehydrate where as FD meals take 10 mins or so.

 

[Huntingfarandwide]

Following.

 

[king402]

I'm planning to do the same thing. I just ordered a variety of #10 cans of freeze dried foods from Nutristore and will package them into individual pouches with oxygen absorbers I bought from Amazon. I bought chicken, broccoli, cheese, breakfast skillet, etc. This was I can control portion size, ingredients, etc. I'm excited to try it out this year. More recipes would be great!!

 

[TaperPin]

FD corn is a long time favorite. It goes well with most anything salty, or by itself, or even eaten dry. Peas and carrots seem right at home with ramen, as does FD chicken, mushrooms and a bunch of other stuff, although a big can of FD chicken was enough $$ to make me double take. Some gelatin powder adds a little thickness and good mouth feel in soups and stews.

I’m beginning to think many people use way less paprika than they should. It’s just a ground up variety of sweet pepper with a lot of color. This year I’m trying to put increasing amounts of it in food to see how much is too much.

My wife learned about this protein powder from her girl gym and mixes it in with steel cut oats. Very nice vanilla flavor.