Pancakes/Trail food

[DonnaGail]

I know pancakes are out for Whole30 but the suggestions I am getting for power food, does not give me enough energy.  I am a long distance backpacker and eating raisins and nuts does not give me enough energy for weeklong trip, carrying 40+ pounds and hiking up and down at high elevations, sometimes above treeline.  AND, I can not keep stopping on the trail to fix a snack.  I need to put things in my pockets that I can munch on while I continue hiking that gives me mostly energy, not protein. 

One thing I thought about trying (protein) is NutttZo  Power Fuel but I need to find something to put it on for energy.  I thought I would try making pancakes with shredded apple in it.  I was also thinking about adding dried craisins to the last half of the mix to test,  but never got that far.  I first used Tapioca Flour which tasted pretty nasty and rubbery.  So, I tried almond flour which was better, it browned but the cake doesn't stick together.  I added one egg and unsweetened almond milk to the mix.  

Does anyone have a pancake recipe that I can try adding apple and maybe craisins to?   Or other suggestions to use with Nuttzo?  Whatever  it is, it has to be edible after several multiple days on the trail.   I am also open to Whole30 ideas that can be eaten while hiking, put into the pockets that doesn't require stopping. 

 

 

 

[kirbz]

I'm also a backpacker,  hiker, newbie rock climber, and I'm trying to get into baby mountaineering and backcountry rock climbing. I've also been playing around with what I can eat on long days in the backcountry. Here are a few suggestions: 

• homemade banana chips (chips are okay if they're homemade!) 
• homemade plantain chips 
• mashed sweet potato (just throw it in a baggie and eat it along the way; or buy baby pouches) 
• mashed white potato 
• coconut butter (I love these for portability)
• olive packets (Olove is a mostly compliant brand) 
• RX Bars 
• Wild Zora meat and veggie bars 

What do you think? I hope some of these ideas help! 

[DonnaGail]

I have never made banana chips so I'm not sure how to dry them.  that would probably work well with the Nuttzo.  How long have you been able to preserve mashed sweet potato or white potato on the trail?  They would be heavy, so I should probably eat them the first couple of days.  I hate olives and think they would be messy keeping them in my pockets.  How many days do hike with olives?  I have not checked into the TX bars or veggie bars.  I am pretty picky when it comes to veggies, but I will take a look at them. 

I could use your advice on drying your chips without a dehydrator.  

Thanks! 

 

 

[DonnaGail]

I should also mention to you that I bought the 3 freeze dried meals from Elements.  I tried only one of them, The Coconut Mango Chicken.  It was delicious.  they are pretty pricy though at $12 a serving.   Yesterday, at REI I found Good-To-GO freeze dried meals for only $8 per serving that from what I can tell has no sugar, so I bought the Smoked Three Bean Chili and the Chicken Gumbo.  But as I am writing this, I noticed the Three Bean "has made with corn", so I may be picking out the corn and making it a 2 bean chili and of course the Chicken combo has rice.  RATS!  Well...you know the Whole30 is just not as accommodating for hard-core athletes sometimes.  :-(   

[ShannonM816]

8 minutes ago, DonnaGail said:

Smoked Three Bean Chili and the Chicken Gumbo.

beans are legumes and are not allowed on Whole30, and the gumbo has rice which is not allowed.

Is it possible for you to plan a Whole30 during a time when you don't have a long multi-day hiking trip planned? You could do your Whole30 + reintroductions, and then depending on how you react to different foods, it might be that you don't react to beans or to rice or corn, so those meals would work fine for you. This might be easier than trying to find whole30 compliant foods that will work for what you're needing. 

[DonnaGail]

Right.  I realized the freeze dried meals have corn and the other one has rice 'after' I purchased the meals, so I will eat them on the trail to use them up.  I am not trying to start the Whole30, I am trying to 'live by' the Whole30 all the time as a lifestyle change.  But with my daily activity level, it's been hard to find foods that are compliant that give me the energy needed like backpacking 70 miles with a 45 pd pack up and down mountains and valleys.  I am trying to stick to as much of Whole30 as I can on a regular basis.  The meals I have been cooking for home the past 1.5 months are all Whole30.  I have been doubling the recipe and freezing half the meal to use at a later time when I don't have time to cook.  

What I am finding, is that the Whole30 is really not possible all the time, depending on activity. 

[DonnaGail]

I just found freeze dried (one ingredient only) cauliflower rice, broccoli, onions, etc. on the Walmart website!  I am excited to see what other freeze dried foods I can find that are Whole30!  Maybe I will be able to put together my own backpacking meals.  I do need to learn to dehydrate myself at some point though to save $$$. 

[Jihanna]

If you're looking to put together your own stuff with dried items, I've used Harmony House (https://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/) in the past and have been really impressed with what we've had from them. They've got some freeze-dried options, but dehydrated is generally far cheaper, especially if you're using them often. Avoid the corn, peas, beans, mixed veggies, TVP, etc., but they've got a ton of options available that would work for Whole30. Don't go for the pre-packaged soup mixes, as those could have non-compliant bits, but putting together your own pouches with a home blend of spices and ready for re-hydration is easy.

You had a previous topic about needing carbs for energy, where there was some interesting advice given about dehydrating Whole30 meals you cook at home, using a sheet pan and the oven... I haven't tried that yet, myself, but I want to at some point  

[kirbz]

Here is a recipe for dehydrated banana chips that uses an oven: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261342/baked-banana-chips/. I haven't played around much with fruit for fueling on Whole30, but the latest fueling guidelines say it's a good option! 

How hot is it where you backpack? Because, unless it's really hot, I don't see why you couldn't munch on sweet potato for days... What's in it that would perish? Coconut milk and ghee are what I would use to make them and none of those things require refrigeration. You could also look at freeze-fried potato flakes and make up a batch each morning to get you through the day. That would also weigh less! In general though, I tend to backpack at high elevation (9,000+ feet) so it's often cool and I'm starting to push the boundaries on what I can take into the backcountry without refrigeration. Hopefully I don't pay for it too badly! 

Also, here's a list of every single pre-packaged backpacking meal I've ever found that's 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/) 
3. Elements Coconut Mango Chicken (https://www.getyourelements.com/shop/coconut-mango-chicken/) 
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) 
6. Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Summit Savory Chicken (https://wildzora.com/collections/all/products/new-summit-savory-chicken) 
7. Heather's Choice Dark Chocolate Chili (https://www.heatherschoice.com/collections/entrees/products/chocolate-chili-1) 

Heather's Choice (though they're almost always sold out) is now available on Amazon and I can find Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Go at my local REI. 

And, here is another thread that might be helpful: https://forum.whole30.com/topic/56359-whole30-for-mountaineers-fueling-endurance-training/?tab=comments#comment-502726. ultrarunnergirl gives some good options for long-distance fueling! 

[DonnaGail]

These are great tips.  Jihanna, I tried the oven dehydrated but it didn't work very well.  I do need to attempt it once more.  I feel really dumb, asking this question, but what is the difference between dehydrated and freeze-dried?  For years I assumed even freeze-dried has been dehydrated.  I need to Google that!  Haha! 

As far as backpacking, it's mostly in Colorado although I have done several weeklong packs in Utah (where you are) and in California.  Utah was a little warmer.  I did find freeze-dried sweet potato chips on Walmart.  They have vendors that sell all kinds of freeze-dried including all veggies (broccoli, green beans!), peppers, onions, beef, chicken, fish, eggs, sausage crumbles, fruit to include grapes, white potato dices, etc. making it much easier to put my own meals together.  I wonder if Elements buys in bulk or if they dehydrate their own foods.  $12 single servings is really pricy.  I will take a look at your other links, as well. 

Thanks girls for all the information!  It is VERY helpful! 

P.S.  I am investing in an upright freezer today because I am doubling the W30 recipes, freezing half and running out of room in my deep-freezer! 

 

[kirbz]

I'm in California. I do most of my backpacking in the Eastern Sierra (if you haven't been there, you should add it to your bucket list!). Colorado is certainly on mine! 

Note that all of the meals I linked are in the $12-14 range. So yeah, they are expensive. I actually purchased a dehydrator last year, fully committed to making my own backpacking meals, but I have yet to make the time for it! So here I am, still buying expensive meals to get me through backpacking trips! Oops. 

Anyway, best of luck to you! 

[kirbz]

Oh, and I also didn't really know the different between freeze-dried and dehydrated either! Here's a good article: https://www.thereadystore.com/food-storage/8376/dehydrated-vs-freeze-dried-food/.

It sounds like one the main difference (besides shelf life, which I don't really care about when it's the difference between 15 and 30 years) is that dehydration loses more vitamins and minerals than freeze drying. Freeze drying requires some seriously expensive equipment if you want to do it on your own though! 

[SugarcubeOD]

5 hours ago, DonnaGail said:

What I am finding, is that the Whole30 is really not possible all the time, depending on activity. 

We don't really want you to do Whole30 all the time so that's totally okay that it's not possible to do all the time.  We want you to do a Whole30 and then do the reintroductions and see what foods work for you and what doesn't... what ramps up your sugar cravings and what doesn't...if some version of pancake works for you on the trail when you are not doing an official Whole30 and you still look and feel your best and are not battling pancake demons because of them, then use the pancakes!

We do know that the Whole30 is very strict and that some people with more richly scheduled lives or more energy impacting sports will have a potentially difficult time but it's only for 30 days, not 300.  Use what you learn on the Whole30 to make a WholeDonnaGail that works with your life and then live by THOSE rules   You can adopt many of the principles of the program such as maybe not having dairy if that doesn't work for you for instance but then once you've figured out what you can and can't tolerate, and then ride your own bike.

[DonnaGail]

Thanks, ladies.  Sorry for the late comeback.  I have been in California.  Good to know I don't have to do the Whole30 for lifetime!  Thank you for that tidbit of information!  I have been making a bunch of recipes and doubling them to freeze so that I do the full 30 days again, I will have some quick meals.  I added LOTS of Sunmade raisins to my approved nuts of trail mix for next weeks backpacking trip, but do have some trail snacks that are not going to be Whole30 because I will need to snack while walking and not stopping.  It's a weeklong trip mostly above timberline in southwest Colorado, and will be needing lots of carbs, so I am mixing up the good stuff with the not so good stuff for this trip.  Trying to find a full month to set aside so my husband can do the Whole30 this time with me.  I was very successful 3 years ago when I did it on my own. 

I am still trying to switch over my pantry to mostly Whole30 compliant foods and making an excel spreadsheet that I have downloaded to my cell phone that will tell me what is compliant and where I bought it, etc. when I am in the store shopping.  :-) 

[John K]

I'm just about to start the Whole30 and I completely reject the idea of certain SWYPO restrictions. If all the ingredients are on the approved list, then they're acceptable, as far as I'm concerned. So pancakes made with all Whole30 approved ingredients? Yep. Tortillas made with all Whole30 approved ingredients for tacos/burritos (I'm looking at you, Siete Foods)? Oh, yeah. I get the overall idea of what that "rule" is for, but if you're going to try and force that rule on people, then all nut flours should be removed, nut milks, etc. If you need to keep all foods in their natural form then make that universal. But, that's just me knowing myself, which includes a reasonable amount of pushback when someone tells me I can't do something. So make some pancakes and go on a hike (even though I'm late to this thread and you're probably back now, but plenty of hiking weather left)!

[Jihanna]

@John K, I can totally understand your point of view and I applaud your self-knowledge.

BUT, I think it's important for anyone new to the Whole30 program to embrace the program as it's written -- including leaving out things like pancakes made of compliant ingredients. The program is written as it is for a reason, and following it as its written (at least the rules, if not the recommendations) is important if you're going to claim to be on-round.

No one here is telling you that you can't have pancakes, muffins, wraps, etc. made from compliant ingredients. But when you decide to do Whole30, that means skipping those items (and anything else that's restricted) for the duration. There's no such thing as a "Whole30 +", whether the plus is wine, or goat milk, or pancakes, or anything else on the restricted list. The only non-compliant things that should go in during a Whole30 round are medications (or other doctor-prescribed things where a compliant version isn't possible for you).

Follow the rules, or don't call it a Whole30. It's that simple, and it's only 30 days.

To reiterate -- I wholeheartedly suggest that anyone NEW to Whole30 follow the rules (and the recommendations, honestly) and use every bit of the experience to help heal food relationships and find food intolerance, so that can help shape a healthier personal diet moving forward.

For John K, it sounds like this might be something you've already got figured out... so maybe you could use that to help shape your personal journey, without allowing your prejudice against these restrictions to potentially sway someone who might benefit from embracing Whole30 as written. I know I certainly wouldn't have gotten nearly as much out of my own experience if I had allowed things like tortillas on-round... especially my first time through.

And for the record, you could TOTALLY do a 30-day elimination diet that excludes all the food groups kicked by Whole30 but keeps items like pancakes made with compliant stuff, but that's NOT a Whole30... it's just modified paleo, for however long you embrace that.

[Jihanna]

Just a quick note, because I think it might bear saying to avoid confusion -- my previous post is not in any way directed at the original poster. The OP was trying to get some ideas regarding trail food that follows the Whole30 food group restrictions while possibly (but not necessarily) following the W30 guidelines; this coming after having successfully completed a Whole30 round and liking how her body feels when the restricted food groups are removed, but wanting to have a convenient (and light) way of carrying additional protein on the trail. That's totally understandable, and seems to me like that's part of learning to ride her own bike -- she's taking what works well for her into her everyday life, allowing for some flexibility because sometimes life demands that (and darnit, sometimes we just plain need it).

My previous post was directed specifically at the idea of planning a "Whole30" round with the mindset that the rules don't matter, because they really do, especially for people who have never done an elimination diet and may be struggling with severe food relationship issues.

[ArtFossil]

On 9/5/2019 at 6:10 PM, John K said:

I'm just about to start the Whole30 and I completely reject the idea of certain SWYPO restrictions. If all the ingredients are on the approved list, then they're acceptable, as far as I'm concerned. So pancakes made with all Whole30 approved ingredients? Yep. Tortillas made with all Whole30 approved ingredients for tacos/burritos (I'm looking at you, Siete Foods)? Oh, yeah. I get the overall idea of what that "rule" is for, but if you're going to try and force that rule on people, then all nut flours should be removed, nut milks, etc. If you need to keep all foods in their natural form then make that universal. But, that's just me knowing myself, which includes a reasonable amount of pushback when someone tells me I can't do something. So make some pancakes and go on a hike (even though I'm late to this thread and you're probably back now, but plenty of hiking weather left)!

You are an adult and you can do as you wish.

But if you don't follow the rules, you are not doing a Whole30 and can't say that you are. Nor would you get the benefits.

For those who do want to do a Whole30: you only have to follow the rules for 30 days (and then do an introduction.) It's not hard.

[DonnaGail]

I don't think I made myself clear with this post as some of you think I am trying to do the Whole30 again.  I am trying to eat better whenever and wherever I can. I did the whole30 program 3.5 years ago and don't have even one pound left to loose. My goal is to move forward with a daily lifestyle change even when I am outdoors using the guidelines for the Whole30 to eliminate where ever possible processed sugars, no msg, no sulfites, etc. but I needed to figure out fuel for energy.

I just returned from a week long 75 mile backpack up and down mountains in the Colorado San Juans.  No, I did not bring pancakes, and I did not pack Whole30 compliant trail snacks because I never could figure out the fuel for energy thing.  Since returning, I have done more research and know that I can use Chomps jerky (for protein) and a trail mix of nuts to include craisins, raisins and dried figs etc. for energy.  I did bring along the 3 type of hydrated meals offered from ELEMENTS which were all great, or maybe I was just hungry after packing 40 pds for 16 mile days and 3,000ft elevation gains.  I think I can start creating my own backpacking meals and not pay the $12 prices once I found the hydrated items online.  I just bought an upright freezer last week, easier to store extra meals, nuts, etc and actually find them in the freezer.  I never knew what foods I had in my old deep freezer.  

I created an Excel spreadsheet with all the foods and ingredients that I enjoy having available to cook with that are Whole30 compliant. I also download the Excel app in my cell phone.  When I am in a particular store like Safeway, Costco, etc.  I created columns with the store names next to the brands so if I am in a store shopping for items, I just sort the list by store and pick up the list of items I need to replace.  I also printed the sugar cheat sheet with notes about what is ok, like citric acid etc. what is NOT ok, laminated it with clear wrapping tape that I keep in my purse at all times. 

My husband lost his older brother this past April.  He was 63 yrs old.  Another oldest brother died 3 years ago at 63 years old.  My husband will be 63 in December.  He is a little nervous about his health. He needs to loose 20 pds and I want him to live longer than 63!  I am cooking Whole30 meals on a regular basis (cooking and freezing half) and doing the Whole30 with him.  Although I don't need to loose weight, I want to do this with him and also inspire him to continue eating healthier. 

It's getting easier for both of us to be more aware of what we put in our mouths and make better choices.  I am stoked! 

Thanks for all the advice!  This forum is invaluable! 

 

 

[True Primal]

Chomps are definitely great.  Also That's It bars.

Also the Paleo Traileo blog is all about eating paleo things while hiking/camping, and they reviewed True Primal soup here: http://paleotraileo.blogspot.com/2017/11/oregon-elk-hunt-true-primal-100-grass.html

[DonnaGail]

Thanks! I will check it for dinner time. My struggle was figuring out what trail snacks could I eat for energy while hiking or backpacking. I needed something to put in my pockets that did not require stopping. I figure it out since returning for my backpacking trip. I discovered dried figs from Costco, apparently they are a power fuel food. I can mix them with bag of nuts (no peanuts), raisins, craisins and other dried berries, all compliant, good for both energy and protein and can fit in my pants pocket. Thanks for the link though. I will def chk it out!

[True Primal]

Chomps are definitely "power fuel" in my mind, also Nick's Sticks.

[DonnaGail]

On 9/7/2019 at 6:56 PM, ArtFossil said:

You are an adult and you can do as you wish.

But if you don't follow the rules, you are not doing a Whole30 and can't say that you are. Nor would you get the benefits.

For those who do want to do a Whole30: you only have to follow the rules for 30 days (and then do an introduction.) It's not hard.

I agree doing the Whole30 as instructed the first go round is really important. That was the only way I figured out what my digestive system doesn't like. My new way of eating on a daily basis beyond 30 days is going well. Cravings have subsided and my colon is happy!