DIY Dehydrated Meal Recipes / And other food ideas

[PowellSixO]

So in my preparation for an upcoming October Deer hunt this year, I find myself at the point where I want to start planning my meals. I've used a few different dehydrated food companies in years past, some with better success than others, and wanted to try something new this year. I've seen that some guys are making their own dehydrated meals for their hunts, and this has peaked my interest. I've always been kind of frugal, and a do it yourself-er, and thought that this might be something I could try for my own upcoming hunt. I have a dehydrator, and the will, but no idea where to even start. I'm sure a lot of you guys make your own dehydrated meals, or have good ideas when it comes to packing lite for hunts. So I was thinking we could start a place to share recipes and ideas for meals in the back country. I'd start, but I've got nothing.........................

 

[EastMT]

I’ve looked into this a bit, just getting started. A few things I’ve learned.

-knorr pasta sides cost $1, the ones that say 7-8 minutes can be cooked in the bag with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup less water than boiling as they account for water loss while pan cooking. The ones that say 9+ minutes won’t finish cooking. This is a great base to add your own ingredients and make it your own.

-google DIY dehydrated backpacking meals. The through hikers have this down to a science, easy recipes to start are on a lot of the hiking sites

-Greenbelly meals has some recipes and daily plans you can use as a comparison tool.

 

[PowellSixO]

I’ve looked into this a bit, just getting started. A few things I’ve learned.

-knorr pasta sides cost $1, the ones that say 7-8 minutes can be cooked in the bag with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup less water than boiling as they account for water loss while pan cooking. The ones that say 9+ minutes won’t finish cooking. This is a great base to add your own ingredients and make it your own.

-google DIY dehydrated backpacking meals. The through hikers have this down to a science, easy recipes to start are on a lot of the hiking sites

-Greenbelly meals has some recipes and daily plans you can use as a comparison tool.

Good to know. I hadn't even thought of using a pre made side from the store to start a meal with. That's a good idea. I'll check those guys out.

 

[beachbunny]

i am big on deer a roni!
elbow mac,tomato sauce ground ,venison, elk, bear,moose whatever is in the freezer. cook it ,toss in the excalibur dehydrator and seal.

 

[PowellSixO]

i am big on deer a roni!
elbow mac,tomato sauce ground ,venison, elk, bear,moose whatever is in the freezer. cook it ,toss in the excalibur dehydrator and seal.

Do you have a more exact recipe for that by chance? That sounds like something I'd enjoy eating. Thanks.

 

[beachbunny]

i looked but no luck, seems like a # of mac,jar of sauce and a couple #s of ground whatever and some kale.
make it like you are cooking dinner,eat some and dehydrate the rest. once you start dehydrating,you will dehydrate just about everything,all your good leftovers! (except oily substances, aka,alfredo sauce, ask me how i know!)

 

[UtahJimmy]

I tend to use leftovers from regular dinner. Making a casserole yields a lot of portions. I have not made meals specifically for the dehydrator.

A quick search turned this up for you...

Freezer Bag Cooking - Post your recipes here to share!

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[PowellSixO]

i looked but no luck, seems like a # of mac,jar of sauce and a couple #s of ground whatever and some kale.
make it like you are cooking dinner,eat some and dehydrate the rest. once you start dehydrating,you will dehydrate just about everything,all your good leftovers! (except oily substances, aka,alfredo sauce, ask me how i know!)

Thanks. I just watched a few videos, and had no idea you could dehydrate a sauce. I've got a couple of good deer goulash recipes. I'm going to have to try dehydrating some of my favorites, and experiment with them.

 

[beachbunny]

there you go brodude!

 

[Molon Labe]

I make most of my meals...but enjoy heathers choice for dinners...I've made my own dehydrated dinners (jambalaya, stews, chili, pastas etc) but at the end of the day when I am tired and sore I want something that is going to be quick and easy. Her meals are healthy and don't have the sodium/preservatives that some of the other brands bring to the table.

SO I will just give you some ideas for the rest of the day haha!

-breakfast: 124cal/oz, 21g of protein, 11g fat...cup rolled oats, quarter cup of dehydrated fruit (whatever you have for fruit trees), tablespoon of flax seed, couple tablespoons of quinoa, quarter cup of chopped cashews/almonds...you can add brown sugar if you want. This is rough estimates and don't really use a recipe but then you weigh out in 4oz portions and vac seal. Boiling water poured into your bowl of stuff for about 10 minutes and you are good to go. The quinoa and flax will not break down but I think you will still absorb what you need out of them...

-snacks: I have about four types that I use...
first...take a couple pounds of cashews put them on a baking sheet drizzle honey over them and squish into clusters, bake for a while, take out small 1" bunches and portion into 3oz packages...145cal/oz, 15g protein, 36g fat...you can add dehydrated fruit before baking if you want but make sure they are not fully dehydrated...you will want a bit of moisture to help with stickiness

second...4oz packages of dehydrated venision w/o cure or salt...just the meat and fat...take a small squeeze bottle of sesame oil with and drip a little oil on the piece and take a bite 1oz oil per 4oz of meat...very good. 128cal/oz, 54g protein, 18g fat

third...this is the BEST!...daves killer cinnamon raison bagel...1oz of powdered peanut butter...2oz of precooked bacon vac sealed. you put water in the peanut butter and get consistency correct...spread the peanut butter on the bagel and then sprinkle the bacon on top. It is amazing! The only problem is the weight of the bagel...pretty heavy for the calories provided. 101 cal/oz, 19g protein, 16 g fat

Fourth snack is a little more labor intensive for making and eating but is a nice snack at camp on a rainy day. 4oz smoked salmon and package of premade dip components. Dip is made by dehydrating sour cream (make sure to dehydrate at 130deg or so) then take the yogurt type chips and powder in a processor, dehydrated lemon peal, dried thyme or dill (I prefer dill) some salt, some pepper if you want, and cayenne flakes. Prepare by reconstituting the dip in a bowl and enjoy! 103cal/oz 28g protein, 13g fat

-The desert I do is sort of cheating but it is amazing...I am not sure on the cal/oz or anything because I didn't break down components for the meal. I bring some dehydrated milk powder and some coconut butter cookies (basically very fatty high cal/oz cookies) and vac seal cookies in portions that will work for you. After you finish your dinner start heating up a half cup or so of milk. Dip cookies in the milk and enjoy your splurge in the back country!

 

[PowellSixO]

I make most of my meals...but enjoy heathers choice for dinners...I've made my own dehydrated dinners (jambalaya, stews, chili, pastas etc) but at the end of the day when I am tired and sore I want something that is going to be quick and easy. Her meals are healthy and don't have the sodium/preservatives that some of the other brands bring to the table.

SO I will just give you some ideas for the rest of the day haha!

-breakfast: 124cal/oz, 21g of protein, 11g fat...cup rolled oats, quarter cup of dehydrated fruit (whatever you have for fruit trees), tablespoon of flax seed, couple tablespoons of quinoa, quarter cup of chopped cashews/almonds...you can add brown sugar if you want. This is rough estimates and don't really use a recipe but then you weigh out in 4oz portions and vac seal. Boiling water poured into your bowl of stuff for about 10 minutes and you are good to go. The quinoa and flax will not break down but I think you will still absorb what you need out of them...

-snacks: I have about four types that I use...
first...take a couple pounds of cashews put them on a baking sheet drizzle honey over them and squish into clusters, bake for a while, take out small 1" bunches and portion into 3oz packages...145cal/oz, 15g protein, 36g fat...you can add dehydrated fruit before baking if you want but make sure they are not fully dehydrated...you will want a bit of moisture to help with stickiness

second...4oz packages of dehydrated venision w/o cure or salt...just the meat and fat...take a small squeeze bottle of sesame oil with and drip a little oil on the piece and take a bite 1oz oil per 4oz of meat...very good. 128cal/oz, 54g protein, 18g fat

third...this is the BEST!...daves killer cinnamon raison bagel...1oz of powdered peanut butter...2oz of precooked bacon vac sealed. you put water in the peanut butter and get consistency correct...spread the peanut butter on the bagel and then sprinkle the bacon on top. It is amazing! The only problem is the weight of the bagel...pretty heavy for the calories provided. 101 cal/oz, 19g protein, 16 g fat

Fourth snack is a little more labor intensive for making and eating but is a nice snack at camp on a rainy day. 4oz smoked salmon and package of premade dip components. Dip is made by dehydrating sour cream (make sure to dehydrate at 130deg or so) then take the yogurt type chips and powder in a processor, dehydrated lemon peal, dried thyme or dill (I prefer dill) some salt, some pepper if you want, and cayenne flakes. Prepare by reconstituting the dip in a bowl and enjoy! 103cal/oz 28g protein, 13g fat

-The desert I do is sort of cheating but it is amazing...I am not sure on the cal/oz or anything because I didn't break down components for the meal. I bring some dehydrated milk powder and some coconut butter cookies (basically very fatty high cal/oz cookies) and vac seal cookies in portions that will work for you. After you finish your dinner start heating up a half cup or so of milk. Dip cookies in the milk and enjoy your splurge in the back country!

Awesome stuff. These sound great. I'm going to have to play around with these. I just recently got a 5 gallon bucket full of flax seeds too, so I'll definitely be using some of them.

 

[ixia]

I did mac and cheese for one meal last year and I am definitely making more this year. I cooked the pasta out of boxes of store bought mac and cheese meals and then dehydrated the pasta. I would pour the cheese powder, dehydrated butter, and dehydrated milk into a vacuum bag with the dried pasta. Buying dehydrated butter really upped my meal quality across the board, but was especially good here. I got mine from Hoosier farms, based on recommendations in other threads like this. You can probably get it cheaper locally.

 

[530Chukar]

I made all my meals for our trip to CO this past year. From what I learned: try not to use oil and trim off/ strain all the fat that you can do that meals don’t go rancid and chicken takes a long time to rehydrate. Ground meat hydrate much easier. One of the easiest meals I prepped was a box of dirty rice cooked with a pound of venison burger (fat strained). I split it and vacuumed sealed it after dehydrating and that made two meals for the cost of a box of the rice.


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[PowellSixO]

I did mac and cheese for one meal last year and I am definitely making more this year. I cooked the pasta out of boxes of store bought mac and cheese meals and then dehydrated the pasta. I would pour the cheese powder, dehydrated butter, and dehydrated milk into a vacuum bag with the dried pasta. Buying dehydrated butter really upped my meal quality across the board, but was especially good here. I got mine from Hoosier farms, based on recommendations in other threads like this. You can probably get it cheaper locally.

Thanks for the tip. I love Mac and Cheese.

 

[PowellSixO]

I made all my meals for our trip to CO this past year. From what I learned: try not to use oil and trim off/ strain all the fat that you can do that meals don’t go rancid and chicken takes a long time to rehydrate. Ground meat hydrate much easier. One of the easiest meals I prepped was a box of dirty rice cooked with a pound of venison burger (fat strained). I split it and vacuumed sealed it after dehydrating and that made two meals for the cost of a box of the rice.


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Thanks. That's actually one of the first things I started playing with. I love making dirty rice and chicken for dinner. So last night I threw some on my dehydrator. I'll see how it turns out tonight.

 

[Brad@Argali]

I wrote a piece with some meal ideas and recipes you might be interested in that also explains how to make anything you want in a dehydrated meal. It’s super easy and inexpensive to make your own meals so good luck!

Making Your Own Backcountry Meals | Argali Outdoors


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[PowellSixO]

I wrote a piece with some meal ideas and recipes you might be interested in that also explains how to make anything you want in a dehydrated meal. It’s super easy and inexpensive to make your own meals so good luck!

Making Your Own Backcountry Meals | Argali Outdoors


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Thank you. That's awesome. Thanks for sharing.

 

[wind gypsy]

Backpacking Food for the Soul

 

[bwhntMT]

I've just started looking into this as well. This guy was on The Hunt Backcountry podcast. Worth a look.
Backpacking Food for the Soul

 

[bhylton]

Credit to Ryan Lampers..

breakfast.... in a quart freezer ziplock. 3/4cup oats, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 scoop peanut butter powder, some chopped almonds, dried strawberrys, dash of chia seeds, 1 tablespoon solid coconut oil.

just add hot water right into the ziplock and eat out of the bag. coconut oil will melt and mix in adding alot of fat/cal. and flavor.
if you dont wanna do peanut butter powder, those justins brand PB pouches work well