Disclaimer: this is a repost to make the meal plan article easier to access. It was originally posted in my guide to the Rocky Mountains.
I don’t want to brag here, but I kind of have an amazing chef as my trail partner (my wife). She spent a lot of time planning an entire week of breakfast, lunch, dinner, after-hike snacks, and even electrolyte reserves. So, when it comes to fuel, I was never running on empty. The good news is that I get to share this meal prep plan with you, pro-hiker!
First, you’re going to need a cooler that seals well. We used an Igloo brand. So long as you’re replacing your ice each day, the cooler should keep these meals over the course of a week. Be sure to eat it in the order listed, though.
The best order to eat your foods will be color-coded. This should ensure you make it through your trip without having foods spoil.
Color for foods to eat first.
Color for foods to eat second.
Color for foods to eat third.
Breakfast Menu
1) Over night oats with yogurt, almond butter, blueberries and granola
2) Eggs, bacon, orange juice, toast and jelly (cooked on a Coleman propane burner stove)
3) Bagels w/ cream cheese
Lunch or Brunch Menu
1) Egg salad sandwiches w/ chips
2) Tuna sandwiches and chips
Snack Menu
1) Baby bell peppers with cream chz and everything bagel seasoning
2) Cherries
3) Bananas
4) Strawberries and chocolate
5) Graham crackers, marshmallows, hersheys
6) High Sugar Snacks (Luna, Cliff, Etc.)
Dinner Menu
1) Meatballs with rice
2) Broccoli sausage rice
3) Salmon w/ white rice and broccoli
4) Shepherds pie
5) Ramen & Neguri
6) Red beans and rice
Hydration and Electrolytes
1) Water
2) Gatorade powder
For this, we grabbed a five gallon water and put it in the car to keep filling our Osprey bladders with. Then, anytime we needed mixing water for the powder we had it available.
Utensils You’ll Need
Cookware
• Large Frying pan
• Spatula
• Plastic and metal forks
• Spoons
• Knife
• Can opener
• Stove burner
• Small Propane x2
• Lighter
• Tongs
Cleaning Materials
• Wet ones
• Trash bags
• Laundry detergent
• Dish soap
For the Table
• Table cloth
• Folding chairs
• Folding table
• Paper plates
• Plates
• Paper Towels
For the Fire
• Fire starter sticks
• Lighter fluid
• Firewood
• Lighter
For Storage
• Ice chest
• Frozen water bottles
• Tupperware and foil pack meals and ingredients
Final Thought On Backpacking Meal Prep
It’s awesome. If you follow this list you can make it through a full week at your campsite. This allows you to store all of your food in bear safe containers and it doesn’t matter when you return, your food will still be ready to go. This is for our and back hiking. If you want to thru-hike you’ll need a provision list, which I’ll post at a later time. Thank you for reading!
This post was written by Evan
HykLyt 