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A Ski Traverse Dinner

A store bought vs. DIY calorie bomb.

By

Jason Albert

I’m somewhat of an omnivore when it comes to winter-style overnights and refueling. Ski traverses present a nominal puzzle regarding refueling. The variables I consider are what will pique my interest, considering I may have a suppressed appetite (especially terrain at higher altitudes—I live at 3500 feet), low weight because I’m hauling meals in my pack, and easy prep and cleanup, because we’ll be eating at the end of long days. The basic program should look like this: Get into camp, make camp, snack, hydrate, melt water, warm water for rehydrating dinner, eat, clean up, drink tea, melt more water, go to sleep, get up sometime during the cold, cold night, and pee, try to fall back to sleep.

I’ve eaten all sorts of dehydrated meals, and I return to a freeze-dried dinner that meets the needs outlined above: Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai with Chicken. The meal, which includes a packet of peanut butter as a flavor and calorie enhancer, all told, and eaten, packs in 850 calories. That’s more than 3 x 3 Snickers (at 250 calories each), which I have, on occasion, eaten as a gotta-eat-now dinner.  

A proven higher-cal meal. And, it’s pretty tasty.
A proven higher-cal meal. And, it’s pretty tasty.
According to this nutrition label, the pad thai with chicken (with added peanut butter, which is included), packs 850 calories.
According to this nutrition label, the pad thai with chicken (with added peanut butter, which is included), packs 850 calories.

A few years back, six of eight dinners on a traverse, I ate Pad Thai with Chicken. And mostly, I felt nourished. But this time, there seemed to be a run on Pad Thai and Chicken, so I had to explore some other high-calorie alternatives. 

Enter one who knows how to grovel, shuffle along for days, ski a bit, and certainly save a bit of money and make a high-cal DIY (mostly) dehydrated meal. Here are the needed items and recipe according to Kelly.

  • Ziploc bag, if you get the right ones, they don’t melt. (Note: I am using Target-branded 1-gallon freezer bags. I’ll test with hot/boiling water before I hit the backcountry.)  
  • 2oz cheese
  • 2oz salami
  • .5oz/1 tbsp butter (I’m using Ghee Butter)
  • Instant mashed potatoes ~4.1oz
The salami and cheese.
The salami and cheese.
Measuring out the dehydrated spuds.
Measuring out the dehydrated spuds.
The KC special: Potatoes, salami, butter, and cheese. A 1,000-calorie boost.
The KC special: Potatoes, salami, butter, and cheese. A 1,000-calorie boost.

Packed, this amounts to 8.6oz of weight and ~1000kcal, from “tons of carbs, protein, and fat.” Further, because the mastermind behind this meal is fastidious, here’s the nutrient breakdown:

  • 2oz cheese = 220kcal, 18g fat, 0g carbs, 14g protein
  • 2oz salami = 220kcal, 16g fat, 0g carbs, 16g protein
  • .5oz 1 tbsp butter= 100kcal, 11g fat, 0g carbs, 0g protein
  • 4.1oz Instant mashed potato packet = 440kcal, 10g fat, 80g carbs, 12g protein

Responses

  1. David Hackbarth

    Ok since we are discussing high energy foods.

    RECIPE: High-Energy Oatmeal
    Mix together the following ingredients:

    2 sachets of INSTANT oats/oatmeal. SUggest BOBS Red mill instant oatmeal better than Quaker.
    2 tablespoons dried coconut (75 calories) Bobs Red mill shredded coconut.
    2 tablespoons WHOLE -milk powder (80 calories) Bobs Red mill powdered whole milk
    1 tablespoon powdered cream (40 calories) You could just use 3 WHOLE milk
    3 teaspoons dried strawberry powder. Some flavor
    1 FBomb or other packet of nut butter (200 calories). Justins Almond butter packets are readily available add while cooking!
    1 scoop whey powder (45 calories) Bobs Red mill Red Mill has whey protein
    Total Energy = ~650 kcal

    Justin’s Almond butter packets are a great energy source for a super price vs. some high priced gel packets

    This breakfast recipe can be made up before you leave for your trip and stored in individual ziplock bags. Remember to test it out before you leave. Ingredients can be adjusted to suit your taste preferences

    1. Jason Albert

      This looks good and is likely to quell my gag reflex when I have to chow down on oatmeal each morning. I also recently upped my oatmeal quality index by using Kodiak Peak Oatmeal packets: Calories 300/pack…Total Fat 7g, Total Carbs 40g, Protein 20g. Two of these packs + a Justin’s peanut butter squeeze (+200 kcal) bring this breakfast meal into the 800 kcal range. Remember to have some semi-quality instant coffee to wash it down, although the banana nut Peak Oatmeal flavor is pretty tasty.

    2. tzed

      Suggestions where to buy powdered cream and what brand you like?

  2. Alex Hatcher

    Ghee is the truth! It doesn’t freeze 🙂

  3. John B

    I’ve been partial to Andrew Skurka’s beans and rice recipe recently. I haven’t ever tried it as a boil in a bag recipe though.

    1. Duncan

      Can’t beat skurka’s beans and rice. Works great in a quart ziploc for zero cleanup

  4. tzed

    Just did overnight oats with plain rolled oats, chia seeds, nuts and dehydrated fruit. We placed 8oz of mix into a 500ml nalgene, pour hot water in at night and use it as a small hot water bottle overnight. In the morning it was fully cooked and the fruit tasted fresh.
    Then make some coffee in the AM in the same bottle.

  5. Patrick Fink

    Nido, the real powdered milk, was a mainstay for us at NOLS for courses with winter camping. It’s not super calorie dense, but much higher fat than typical powdered milk. Added to coffee it makes for a good bonus calorie source.

    If you need a secret booster to add to any meal, an entire tube of pringles will pulverize down into a ziplock snack bag, makes a solid sprinkle, and packs mean caloric punch. Just don’t open the bag in a strong wind or it becomes airborne.

  6. Zach

    You can also buy the smaller flavored packets of instant mash and can substitute protein for bacon bits or pre-cooked bacon.

    1. Jason Albert

      Bacon—when does it not make something/anything… taste better? Good suggestion.

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