final weight: 3.2 ounces

ready to pack!

Using a store-bought stuffing mix, I added chicken and vegetables to make a fully-rounded meal for backpacking. This is easy to put together, using dehydrated and freeze-dried ingredients. I dehydrated the mushrooms and leeks at home, but it’s pretty easy to find them in most grocery stores.

A digital kitchen scale is helpful for measuring ingredients and the final meal weight.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried bread cubes from Trader Joe’s Cornbread Stuffing Mix
2 tsp seasoning mix that comes with stuffing mix
1/4 cup freeze-dried chicken (Mountain House)
1 tsp instant vegetarian chicken base (VegCuisine vegetarian chicken flavor)
1/4 cup freeze-dried peas, corn, carrots, tomato bits (Just Veggies)
1/4 cup dried mushrooms
1/4 cup dried leeks or onions
1 tsp olive oil
10 oz. water

AT HOME

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a quart size Ziploc freezer bag. Add olive oil to a small vial (I use Nalgene 1 oz bottle).

AT CAMPSITE

Add the dry ingredients to your camp stove and add the water, stirring well. Turn on the stove and bring to a boil. Turn off and let sit to soak for 10-15 minutes. This helps to rehydrate the dry ingredients before final cooking, plus it uses less fuel. Turn stove to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until done. Add the olive oil, stirring to mix in. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let sit for a few minutes.

ZIPLOCK BAG COOKING METHOD

Add boiling water to the Ziploc bag (must be a freezer bag, not regular), seal and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Squish the food around in the bag a couple of times to distribute the liquid if needed.