Recipes for Adventure Action Guide: Dehydrating 31 Meals

"When you keep a supply of dehydrated meals on hand – for adventure, work, and travel – you’re automatically prepared for emergencies."

Step-by-Step Instructions:

FORWARD

Recipes for Adventure started out as a food drying guide for backpackers who, like myself, wanted to eat healthy, homemade meals on the trail. Light-weight, well-preserved, and easy-to-cook, dehydrated meals turned out to be great for work and travel, too.

As the weekday chef for our family, it’s my job to send wife and son off to work with nutritious lunches. Leftovers from the previous evenings’ meals usually suffice, but sometimes there are no leftovers. When that happens, I employ dehydrated meals and our thermos food jars. It’s a simple task to boil water in the morning. Come lunchtime, their meals are hot and ready-to-eat.

Dehydrated thermos meals go with us on vacations, too. Before heading out for a day of exploration, we boil water using the kettle in the hotel room. Instead of looking for a restaurant that isn’t crowded during lunch, we stroll to the nearest park, and open our thermos.

When I wrote about thermos meals in my newsletters, people responded with notes like these:

   “The thermos method is my go to now for hot lunches at work.”

   “Just did this when skiing earlier this week.”

   “Great for school lunches.”

   “I’m making these meals for my truck-driving husband.”

   “It’s nice not to have to dig everything out for a quick lunch en route.”

   “Fixing lunch is quick and easy, so I have more hours in the canoe.”

And, there were notes like this one:

“We use your recipes to dry meals for our emergency survival kit.”

Recently, friends in Florida and the Carolinas had to evacuate their homes due to hurricanes. In California, my sister evacuated because of a forest fire. Usually, we hunker down during storms. I’m reminded of the Great Blizzard of ‘93. My family got snowed in for a week, without electricity.

Preparing for emergencies was the impetus for this Action Guide. It’s a step-by-step plan to assemble thirty-one meals, using recipes and drying techniques from Recipes for Adventure.

The Action Guide starts with a shopping list of ingredients, as well as a discussion of substitutions you might consider. Dehydration instructions are presented in logical order, followed by directions for meal assembly and storage. And the final step… bon appétit!

Thank you for your trust. It is an honor to help you with your preparations.

Chef Glenn

---

INTRODUCTION

The meals are assembled in large portions, between 450 and 650 calories each. Most people find them quite filling. While sufficient caloric intake is needed during times of heavy exertion, such as while backpacking, nutrition is equally important. Each meal contains starch, meat or beans, and vegetables. You’ll get protein, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and energy in every bite.

New in this Action Guide, are instructions for rehydrating meals in thermos food jars. The main difference is that you increase the water by a quarter-cup, compared to cooking meals in pots. Extra water is needed, because you eat thermos meals several hours after the boiled water is added, and the food has more time to absorb water. The large portions featured are ideal to fill 24-ounce thermos food jars.

Also new, is a metric-friendly option to measure ingredients with a digital scale. Quantities are given in both grams and cups. The choice is yours; use a digital scale or measuring cups to assemble the meals. Likewise, liquid measurements are given in cups and milliliters.

In the recipe assembly card above, note that quantities are given in both cups and grams, so you can choose your method of measuring.

After assembling all thirty-one meals, it’s best to vacuum seal them. Vacuum sealing ensures the meals will keep well for up to a year, rather than for a few months if you don’t vacuum seal. Considering the effort you put into making the meals, don’t just leave them on the shelf. Enjoy your tasty meals regularly, and run through the steps again, as needed, to stay prepared.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INGREDIENTS: CONSIDERATIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS

• Meat
• Vegetables
• Beans
• Bread
• Cheese Powder
• Pasta
• Ramen Noodles or Linguine
• Quinoa
• Broth/Soup Stock (Chicken, Beef, Vegetable)
  

SHOPPING LIST

DEHYDRATE THE FOOD

STARCHES

• Breadcrumbs
• Pasta
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Potato Bark & BBQ Potato Bark
  

MEAT

• Ground Meat Preparation
• Chili
• Ground Beef
• Ground Chicken
• Ground Turkey
• Ham
• Tuna
• Shrimp
• Imitation Crabmeat
  

VEGETABLES, FRESH

• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
  

VEGETABLES, FROZEN

• French-cut Green Beans
• Corn
• Okra
• Broccoli
• Peas

BEANS & BAKED BEAN BARK

• Beans
• Baked Bean Bark

MARINARA SAUCE LEATHER

ASSEMBLE THE MEALS

1. Chili
2. Chili
3. Chili
4. Tuna Mac & Cheese
5. Tuna Mac & Cheese
6. Ham & Cheese Macaroni
7. Pasta & Cheesy Tomato Sauce
8. Taco Mac & Cheese
9. Mexican Beef & Rice
10. Curry Chicken & Rice
11. Curry Shrimp & Rice
12. Unstuffed Peppers
13. Spinach & Bean Raminara
14. Spinach & Bean Marinara
15. Seafood Raminara
16. Crab Marinara
17. Bean Bark Stew with Ham
18. Bean Bark Stew with Turkey
19. BBQ Beef Stew

20. BBQ Chicken Stew
21. BBQ Turkey Stew
22. Potatoes & Chicken with Veggies
23. Potatoes & Turkey with Veggies
24. Potatoes & Ham with Green Beans
25. Chicken & Rice Cacciatore
26. Hawaiian Shrimp & Rice
27. Ham & Veggies with Rice or Quinoa (shown with quinoa)
28. Ham, Beans & Veggies with Rice or Quinoa
29. Turkey & Broccoli with Rice or Quinoa (shown with quinoa)
30. Turkey, Beans & Veggies with Rice or Quinoa
31. Chicken, Beans & Veggies with Rice or Quinoa

VACUUM SEAL THE MEALS

RESOURCES

Share this page with friends on social media.

Reader Comments

“I have just prepared the ingredients from the Action Guide and have recently tried a thermos meal with great success.” –Bob

“Just wanted to let you know I really like and appreciate all your recipes. I’m now a retired fish and game officer and Survival teacher. I carried and continue to carry your recipes with me. Thank you so much.” –Milo

“Thanks! I bought your Recipes for Adventure book as well.  I absolutely love it!  My boyfriend is bikepacking the Tour Divide beginning mid-June from Banff BC to Antelope Wells, NM.  He’s going to eat like a king. The meals are fantastic; tasty, hearty with lots of variety and plenty of room to improvise. I’m beginning to assemble things and the action plan keeps me very organized.   Thank you for putting together such a valuable resource!” –Lisa

“Hi Chef Glenn! Just purchased and downloaded your new Action Guide. The book looks so awesome and helpful! Thank you for writing the book for us!” –Joyce