When you have a long day of mountain miles ahead of you, it is important to start your day with quality fuel. If you are burned out on the countless bars, instant oatmeals, or other common backcountry breakfast options, then you are in the right place. The recipe that we're sharing today is jam-packed with quality calories and can be easily adapted to your preferences. Best of all, this recipe is simple to assemble, easy to pack, and easy to prepare on the mountain.
The foundation of this recipe came from a podcast discussion with Jessica and her father, Steven. When telling the story of their epic father-daughter sheep hunt, Jessica mentioned how she prepared all of their meals for that backpack hunt. And her father, Steven, chimed in to comment how especially delicious the breakfast was.
After the podcast, Jessica agreed to share the recipe with me, and with you.
I was able to purchase ingredients for the recipe from Amazon, and I will leave those links below. Think of this recipe as a template — something you can add to, or change, based on your preference for taste, serving size, or specific macronutrient targets.
Jessica originally shared the recipe with volume measurements — cups, tablespoons, etc. I prefer to measure the ingredients using weighted measurements (grams). To do so, I set an empty bowl on my kitchen scale, then zero-out the scale. I add the prescribed amount of the first ingredient to the bowl, then zero the scale again. Add the next ingredient by weight, zero the scale, and repeat. That said, I will include both weight and volume references for each ingredient below...
THE BASE INGREDIENTS
- 90g Protein Granola (3/4c)
- 16g Egg White Protein Powder (2tbsp)
- 16g Peanut Butter Powder (2tbsp)
- 20g Powdered Milk or Coconut Milk Powder (2tbsp)
- 21g Slivered Almonds (1/4c)
- 28g Dried Fruit / Berries (1/4c)
Add all of these ingredients to a resealable bag and you're ready to go. To prepare the meal, just add hot or cold water to achieve your desired consistency and then mix everything thoroughly to avoid any clumps of powder. Somewhat to my surprise, I enjoyed this meal at room temperature, as well as when prepared with hot water.
Remember, this is a template, so customize the recipe with your choice of spices, flavors of granola, types of powdered milk, and choice of fruit, berries, or other mix-ins. I am a big fan of bananas and cinnamon and the driving flavors.
NUTRITION DATA
With the quantities and ingredients I used, including DIY dehydrated bananas as my fruit choice, here is a breakdown of the nutrition data...
As you can see, this meal packs a punch with well over 800 calories. As Jessica mentioned in the podcast, you can eat a portion of this at breakfast and save the rest for later in the day, if needed. With the ingredients and amounts shared above, this meal offers a good mix of macronutrients — 37% carbohydrates (energy), 19% protein (muscle recovery and repair), and 42% fat (sustainment). Given the total calories and packaged weight, the meal has 126 calories per ounce of weight.
MORE NUTRITION FOR THE MOUNTAIN
If you're looking for more recipe ideas or information on nutrition on the mountain, check out the free Backcountry Fuel Guide and other podcasts, including Episode 126 on making Do-It-Yourself Dehydrated Meals.