Whole30-Approved, Freeze-Dried Meal

[kirbz]

Hi! I follow both Whole30Approved and melissa_hartwig on Instagram. A while back, one of them shared a story at some conference where a supplier had a new freeze-dried meal that was Whole30 compliant. I believe it was some sort of cinnamon pork with butternut squash or something like that. I would love to buy it as a backpacking meal. 

Does anyone have any idea what it was? Or the brand?

[berry straw]

Was this it?  I spent a fair bit of time researching gluten, dairy, soy free backpacking foods for my Boy Scout son last month.  He ended up with a couple of Mountain house things but one had rice.  These look like good options for future trips. 

https://wildzora.com

 

 

[kirbz]

@berry straw It wasn't those but they look great! I LOVE Wild Zora bars as a healthier emergency snack for Whole30. I had no ideal they did meals! It looks like only one would be Whole30 compliant (as most have coconut sugar) but they're definitely a better option than traditional backpacking meals. I'm definitely going to give them a try. Thank you! 

[slc_melissa]

They're kind of pricey and I've never had one, but I've heard good things: https://www.heatherschoice.com/

 

 

[slc_melissa]

I don't see that specific flavor you're mentioning, but also:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2074001/these-5-small-batch-companies-are-shaking-backpacking-food

[kirbz]

@slc_melissa Well, it wasn't those either but they look very promising as well! LOL, I guess this is a good way to find pre-packaged backpacking meals! I believe the company maybe started with the letter "b" but I honestly can't remember and it's driving me nuts!

But, in the meantime (and all thanks to you guys), it looks like I've found two other Whole30-compliant, freeze-dried backpacking meals: 

1. Paleo Meals to Go Mountain Beef Stew (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/paleo-meals-to-go-mountain-beef-stew-3-oz-pouch) 
2. Heather's Choice Dark Chocolate Chili (https://www.heatherschoice.com/collections/entrees/products/chocolate-chili-1) 

Thanks for all the help so far! 

[kirbz]

I found them!! The Whole30 approved, freeze-dried meals I remember seeing on the Whole30 Instagram story a while back and could never find again... 

The brand is Elements and they have one approved backpacking meal today and two more coming in September. They are officially Whole30 approved! 

So, here's the complete list of all freeze-dried backpacking meals I have found that are Whole30 compliant:

1. Elements Broccoli Cinnamon Pork (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/broccoli-cinnamon-pork/)
2. Elements Dill Chicken Avocado (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/dill-chicken-avocado/) Coming Soon
3. Elements Coconut Mango Chicken (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/coconut-mango-chicken/) Coming Soon 
4. Paleo Meals to Go Mountain Beef Stew (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/paleo-meals-to-go-mountain-beef-stew-3-oz-pouch) 
5. Heather's Choice Dark Chocolate Chili (https://www.heatherschoice.com/collections/entrees/products/chocolate-chili-1) 

Elements is doing 20% off right now if you go to their website and want to order... :-) 

[slc_melissa]

Thanks for following up with that info!

 

[kirbz]

Well, now that I went out and spent a fortune on an Excalibur dehydrator (deciding that I would just make my own healthy, Whole30-compliant backpacking meals), it appears that there are even more out there! 

Did Wild Zora change the ingredients on their meals? Because the packaging is new, I can now buy them at REI, and more of their recipes appear to be compliant. I swear I scoured every product they had and they only had one but I now see three! 

So, for anyone following this thread, here are a few additions to the list of compliant backpacking meals: 

1. Elements Broccoli Cinnamon Pork (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/broccoli-cinnamon-pork/)
2. Elements Dill Chicken Avocado (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/dill-chicken-avocado/) Coming Soon! 
3. Elements Coconut Mango Chicken (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/coconut-mango-chicken/) Coming Soon! 
4. Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Go Mountain Beef Stew (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/new-mountain-beef-stew)
5. Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Go Caldera Chicken Curry (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/new-caldera-chicken-curry) New!
6. Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Summit Savory Chicken (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/new-summit-savory-chicken) New!
7. Heather's Choice Dark Chocolate Chili (https://www.heatherschoice.com/collections/entrees/products/chocolate-chili-1) Always Sold Out? 

[slc_melissa]

It looks like Wild Zora had recently taken over Paleo Meals to Go and then created some new flavors as well.  This has been really handy for me, thanks - I'm about to go on a backpacking trip and although not currently whole30, I'm always GF.  I often make my own meals but am feeling far too time crunched to do it this time around.  However, you save TONS making your own meals, plus can make exactly what you like.

[kirbz]

@slc_melissa Ah, that explains it! I'm glad you found this list helpful! I have a backpacking trip coming up at the end of the month and will plan to make my own meals using the dehydrator but this is a good list to have as backup options! I do hope to save some money since I just spent a small fortune buying that dehydrator! 

Enjoy your backpacking trip!