What food I bring and how much is a formula I am still working out. I know what I would want if I were at home with a large fridge/freezer, but those luxuries are either not available in a travel trailer or at best, minimal in size and power consuming.
I travel alone for the most part so stocking the shelves with food is a selfish process. I only need think of my own wants for the most part. At times my son is with me though he tends to eat the same foods as I. Perpetually skinny, I am also not a big eater so the quantities I buy may be much smaller than most. Unfortunately, I am allergic to most things natural (fresh fruits and veggies) which does limit me some.
While I do have a small 12v fridge in the van (soon to be transplanted into the trailer to replace the 120v fridge) it is only a few cubic feet of space and is always on my mind as it consumes battery power. I can, and will, buy more batteries and solar panels to offset this problem at some point, but I have found that the little fridge is not as necessary as I once thought it was.
I have been turning more and more to dry and/or canned foods and moving further away from foods that require a freezer or refrigerator. I truly enjoy the “struggle” my body and mind go through when boondocking and lacking those luxury foods. It makes them much more pleasing when you do get to them. The first burger after a week without beef is oh so good!
Below are a few idea-lists (aka my Shopping-lists) of dry or canned foods for each meal of the day.
Breakfast
- Oatmeal, Grits, or Cream of Wheat (easy to fix with only water)
- Boxed cereals (good for snacking too)
- Powdered milk (much needed protein)
- Powdered eggs
- Pancake mix
- Bread (toast)
- Fruits (fresh or canned)
- Instant coffee
Lunch
- Bread (sandwiches are your friend)
- Peanut butter (does not require fridge)
- Granola bars
- Canned Tuna
- Canned beans
- Chips and Pretzels
- Fruits (fresh or canned)
Dinner
- Canned soups
- Spam (just an idea, not for me though)
- Canned Chicken, Ham, Fish
- Tuna or Chicken Helper (check that it does not require milk)
- Instant mashed potatoes
- Instant rice
- Canned beans
- Canned veggies
- Stuffing mix
- Cornbread and muffin mixes (check that it does not require milk)
If I know I am only going out for a short period of time and do not need to worry about the power consumption of the fridge, then I can stock up on some of those ‘cool luxuries’ such as;
- Milk
- Beef and/or chicken
- V8 juice (my daily fruits and veggie intake)
- Lunch meats
- Butter
- Yogurt
I am learning that carrying a bottle of mustard, mayo, ketchup, etc is unrealistic for me. Not only do they all require refrigeration, I barely use them in any real quantity. So I am going to lean on the fast-food and deli joints for a few packets of those items until I build up a stockpile. They do not require refrigeration and take up little to no space.
Fending just for myself, I can get a week’s worth of food for well under $30 that require only water and fire to prepare. Sure, you could go the more expensive route and buy pre-packaged dehydrated foods, but I save those added costs for the times I am backpacking and do not have a vehicle or trailer to act as my mule. A good point to bring up is that all these foods can easily be packaged into zip-lock baggies and carried with you on those day-hikes. Peanut-butter sandwiches are my favorite meal to have at the end of a long trail… I’m not sure why they taste so much better when you are tired and sore, but they do.
