Finally MRE Pizza

Finally the holy grail. MRE pizza.

http://www.armytimes.com/article/2014013...downrange-pizza

That's gonna take all the fun out of coming off the trail and heading to gorge at the closest pizza place....

But is it edible? Hardtack was a military invention too, and it was responsible for a lot of broken teeth! It had to be soaked in coffee or water to be edible (and to remove the weevils). And modern MREs are often called Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, although slightly more edible than 19th century hardtack.

My holy grail isn't a) heavy or b) anything with the word MRE tacked on.

Meals Requiring Enema leave a lot to be desired... anything pre-packaged with a laxative-containing piece of gum can stay far, far from me.... I like food.

Oh, MRE's aren't that horrible, other than the constipation - however they are simply *heavy*. they're a ton of calories and you carry all the water in them, and yes, I can usually make up tastier stuff from lighter components.

I've seen and tried *many* "backpacking pizza" attempts, both from scratch and kits.. I'm a firm believer of "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" - especially when it comes to this. I kind of doubt this will be any different.

I make a lot of things to eat in the backcountry - pizza isn't one of them. Bannock with cheese and pepperoni? yeah, that's ok, and probably better than most "pizza" hiking meals, but it's still not pizza

Actually I agree. I have never even tried a MRE. I am always amazed at the lengths some folks go to for backcountry meals. My meals are mostly whatever is fast and easy. Breakfast is oatmeal, lunch is snack stuff and supper is usually instant potatoes with dried vegetables and TVP. I can eat the same thing day after day and it does not bother me. YMMV

I always found it ironic that the MRE heaters, the packets that one adds water to in order to heat the packet of food, contained magnesium. When magnesium reacts ith water it generates heat and produces magnesium hydroxide. Magnesium hydroxide is an active ingredient in popular antacids like Maalox. So heat your food and produce a non-food grade antacid.

I ate my share of MREs in the Army, and I still take them if I'm only going for one night (which is the case more than half the time). Yes, they're heavier than dehydrated, but since I don't have to carry a stove and fuel it's actually the lighter option for a simple overnighter. And if I'm in an area with no water source, that's 1.5 - 2 cups more water that I can drink instead of using to prepare food.

As to the complaints of constipation, I've never had that issue, even after eating them for a week straight during field training exercises. And the "laxative gum" is an urban myth - they're just plain Chiclets. The fact is that today's rations are the most palatable and the most nutrient-rich with the widest variety that has ever existed in any military. No it's not gourmet, but then I'm not hiking into the backcountry for a fine dining experience.

MREs aren't bad but they are pretty heavy . I prefer , and my wife agrees , the dehydrated meals .

I agree the MRE's are not all that bad, I have better idea's and they taste better. The main thing is the disadvantage of the weight of the army meals.

After hurricanes Rita and Katrina, I ate a lot of MREs, courtesy of the LA National Guard, and I have to agree that they're palatable, if not downright tasty. I was especially fond of the beef ravioli variety. I never got constipated, and never had sudden urges while chewing the gum. They are heavy, but each one has anywhere from 2000 to 3600 calories, and you can take things like the toiletries and condiments/spoon, things like that, and even put it I'm a much lighter Ziploc bag. I'm talking to some of my buddies in the guard to see if they can snag me a case or two before I start hitting the trails in the spring.

I thought the holy grail of MREs was the peanut butter sandwich?

I think I may have insulted Ethiopians in my prior post. I've eaten at two different Ethiopian restaurants, and their food is delicious! At least some of it could be dehydrated and used for backpacking--I need to look for recipes.

I have a few cases of these stashed away. I think they're tastier than store bought dehydrated (Mountain House and such), and both options aren't exactly healthy.

I grabbed three from the top of the box, just to give an idea of the calorie to weight ratio.

-Macaroni in beef sauce: 1270 cal, 1.01 lbs. (79 calories per ounce)
-Homestyle chicken w/ noodles and veggies: 1190 cal, 14.95 oz (80 calories per ounce)
-Pasta with garden veg in tomato sauce: 1230 cal, 14.75 oz (83 calories per ounce)

So they're all hovering around 80. Mountain House meals are usually around 120. However, I haven't taken apart an MRE and removed the toiletries, heater, heater pouch, and tube of salt water to activate the heater. I received these cases after a hurricane a few years ago, and they are different than the ones distributed after Katrina. The outermost packaging is different, and the military version didn't contain the tube of salt water.

Other than weight, the MRE is a mush more complete meal. Compared to the MH Lasagna in meat sauce (the only one I happen to have):
Total fat: ~83% in the MRE, vs 30% in the Mountain House.
Sodium: ~50% vs ~30%.
Carbs: 180g (about 50%) vs 68g (about 23%)
Protein: ~30g vs 35

All of these vary from meal to meal, especially cholesterol. Unlike the Mountain House, the MRE is more than just a main course. The ones I have also include an oatmeal cookie, a pop tart, drink mix, peanut butter, and a cracker. The version I had after Katrina varied in the side dishes, so maybe these are a civilian version for emergencies.

I'd never considered them an option before this thread. I'll have to take one to work and weigh it without all of the extras.