How do you add protein to you meals?

Posted by: Jim M

How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/08/09 02:20 PM

Is there anything in the grocery store that would be like freeze dried meat? I want to add some protein to my dried soup mixture and/or my Top Ramen, potatoes, etc. I have tried those packets of tuna and salmon, and they are about twice what I need and need refrigerating after opening so I can't use just half while hiking.
Posted by: mosquito

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/08/09 06:31 PM

There are bags of chicken available or there are some very small cans of chicken. 2nd option would be to dehydrate the chicken which is what we do.
Posted by: DTape

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/08/09 07:09 PM

Dried or smoked sausage baby! drying and smoking were originally a means to preserve meats. Landjaeger is one of my favorites. Of course pepperoni is a familiar standby.

Also hummus powder (I like Fantastic Foods brand) is a great thickener and adds tons of flavor not to mention protein. (hummus is basically garbonzo beans). You can also get black bean powder which is good too.

But if it is meat you want, you can't go wrong with sausages! http://www.bplite.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1078
Posted by: finallyME

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/08/09 11:11 PM

Like DTape said, sausage is probably the most tasty and easy way. You could also try peanuts, or another high protein nut.
Posted by: lori

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/08/09 11:55 PM

there are smaller tuna portions in plastic tubs - I've seen them at some stores but also at Minimus.biz. there are also 3 oz cans of chicken. Canned chicken can be easily dehydrated, unlike any other kind of chicken; spread some on a cookie sheet, set the oven at a low setting, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and dehydrate away. You can pack as much or as little as you want in your meals.

Someone told me they've seen half size pouches of tuna at a grocery store - still looking for them myself.

packit gourmet (google it) has shelf stable meats of several varieties - I'm waiting for chorizo to come back in stock. Legumes and lentils make for good trail eats - I just made a lentil soup to throw in the dehydrator.
Posted by: GrumpyGord

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/09/09 09:16 AM

One easy and cheap way is to add TVP. The unflavored TVP adds nothing to the taste but add the protein. I have never used the flavored TVP because the only way I can find it is mail order and the freight costs more than the TVP. My frequent backpacking meal consists of Idahoan potatoes with Just Vegetables and TVP. The Just Vegetables and the unflavored TVP is easily obtained locally. My meal costs about $1.

PS: I did try the bacon bits which I believe is TVP but did not like the result.
Posted by: Haiwee

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/09/09 10:48 AM

I add a tablespoon or so of soy protein powder to just about all my dehydrated meals. It's essentially tasteless, so it doesn't affect the flavor. I also start most of my mornings with a protein shake: dry milk, a couple of tablespoons of chocolate instant breakfast and a tablespoon of soy protein. I usually mix in a teaspoon or so of psyllium husks for added fiber.
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/09/09 12:23 PM

Use the 3-ounce packs/cans of meat smile

Btw, I see you live on Kitsap Peninsula? If so....go to Central Market. Lots of good choices and they carry most of the Just Veggies line there.

Also, don't forget canned beans! They dry simply and easily - and you can use your oven if you don't have a dehydrator.
Posted by: aimless

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/09/09 01:44 PM

Added to suppers:

TVP (textured vegetable protein)
nonfat milk powder
jerky, shredded into small bits
tuna in 3 oz. pouch
grated parmesan cheese
cheese powder (from packaged mac'n'cheese)
dehydrated black beans
Oscar Meyer bacon pieces in sealed 2.8 oz pouch


Added to lunches:

string cheese
nuts and seeds
dry salami


Added to breakfasts:

nonfat milk powder
nuts and seeds
Posted by: BrianLe

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/09/09 01:57 PM

Last year I bought a lot of ground beef on sale, cooked it all and drained off/squeezed out as much fat as I could, dried the results in a food drier, and what I didn't use in making FBC meals (www.freezerbagcooking.com) I vacuum sealed in small individual portions and stored the results in the freezer. These little individual portions worked great for what you're talking about, for example, making a beef top ramen serving into something a lot more like a meal.

Doing a "lot at once" is an appealing idea for efficiency in terms of time and effort and perhaps in cost. Last year I was preparing to do so much backpacking that an assembly line process made sense just for my own personal food. But in a previous year my wife and I got together with another friend who backpacks and we made some meals together and split up the results.
Posted by: Jim M

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/07/09 04:16 PM

I tried the Textured Vegetable Protein and I think it is the answer to my nutrition needs. Doesn't taste like much, so I'm going to add more spices to my mix next time.
Posted by: wandering_daisy

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/07/09 11:00 PM

Check the nutritional information on the packages with sausage (very yummy but not so nutritional). You may be surprised how little protein you get. Some is mostly fat. You get a lot more protein for the wieght from jerkey.

Almonds added to rice dishes
Add a spoonful of powdered milk to meals
TVP - a spoonful per meal
Protein powder
Any kind of nut added to cooked cereal
Soy nuts
Cheese - use a hard cheese like parmasan- it keeps better
FD egg whites


Posted by: Roocketman

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/08/09 08:49 AM

Originally Posted By wandering_daisy
Check the nutritional information on the packages with sausage (very yummy but not so nutritional). You may be surprised how little protein you get. Some is mostly fat. You get a lot more protein for the wieght from jerkey.


Yes, when I did the actual label reading, I was shocked at how little protein I was getting from different sausages.
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/08/09 12:26 PM

Originally Posted By Pliny
I tried the Textured Vegetable Protein and I think it is the answer to my nutrition needs. Doesn't taste like much, so I'm going to add more spices to my mix next time.

Go to www.HarmonyHouseFoods.com - they sell flavored TVP. The "Beef" is quite food!
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/08/09 12:54 PM

Just remember that the meat protein and the vegetable protein are not the same thing.
Posted by: wandering_daisy

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/08/09 10:42 PM

It does not matter if you get protein from meat or plants as long as the total of what you eat at one sitting is a "complete" protein. Meat is complete - you do not have to even think about it. A "complete" protein is a combination of amino acids? (is that correct). Beans and rice are a combination that add up to complete protein. So is milk or milk products and grains or pasta (thus macs and cheese!). Soy and legumes are complete (or near complete?). TVP is a soy product. I used to know all this stuff- am a bit fuzzy on it now. You also need a lot less protein than most people think. I aim for 18-20% of my backpack calories as protein. I think you only need about 14% if all the protein is complete. If you were to really study what is in a freeze dried meal that says it has meat, you may find that there is maybe a spoonful of dried meat chunks and a lot of TVP! The best protein source when backpacking is to fish.
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/09/09 06:31 AM

Complete proteins: meat, egg, dairy
incomplete proteins, everything else

you can make a vegetable protein complete by adding a bee pollen extract that has the missing amino acid, nor sure of the name

20% is a good number after a day of backpacking, when you get home is when a complete protein would be real important for muscle recovery.
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/09/09 11:36 AM

Originally Posted By bigb
Just remember that the meat protein and the vegetable protein are not the same thing.


The one thing about TVP that most meat cannot do is be shelf stable for years. The flavored TVP's work so well due to that and being very light. They do not require long rehydration times and come back to life at high altitude. It is also considerably cheaper than using freeze dried meat - which, yes, can spoil if left exposed to humidity in air and not kept tightly sealed.

It also contains fiber, something meat doesn't have (which is why if one has never had it before, start with small portions!)
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/10/09 07:18 AM

just wanted to make sure the author knows that the two proteins aren't equal, vegetable protein is incomplete and animal protien is complete.

its nice to know how well vegetables keep, there is definitely alot more room for error with veggies hwere storage is concerned

I think the lightest protien for the actual content I've carried is dried egg whites
Posted by: CamperMom

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/10/09 09:13 AM

Hmm-I tried to post on this yesterday, but it is not showing up.

WAY back, when I was still a student, the common thinking was that the combinations of proteins had to be consumed at the same meal. I read recently that this info has been revised to "in the same day." So, if you have, say, peanuts as you hike, the amino acids consumed can combine with other amino acids from your morning oatmeal to give you the building blocks your body needs. Nuts, beans, and seeds provide some aminos and grains, preferably whole ones, can yeild the rest. I don't know about bee pollen. Corn and beans, and rice and beans are some well-known combinations. I read more recently that green peas also are considered a protein source. I don't know why I would have expected them to be regarded any differently from split peas as in soup. We still need to be careful to get enough of the right "B" vitamins if going vegetarian on the trail. Bananas or potatoes and milk are supposed to have all the nutrients we require. In the school where I work, the kids are told that the Native Americans could cover all of their basic needs with "The Three Sisters," corn, beans, and squash. After reading about potassium, I looked at some charts and found that white potatoes have double the potassium of bananas. Maybe that is one reason that instant mashed potatoes seem to be craved by long-distance summer hikers. Who knew?

CamperMom
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/10/09 05:01 PM

Maybe one day the FDA will come up with an actual protein rating system instead of the current PDCAAS joke and we won't have to rely on so many different sources.

Two of my friends, well I have four friends but two of them are nutritionist one a vegan to the point of obsession, which I guess is reduntant and one who has trained pro bodybuilders and I rely on them for my diet info. Both agree that things that don't have muscles are not very efficient at feeding muscles without very careful planning and knowledge of what each food contains, and that there is no more effecient protein than an egg white.

They disagree on everything else.
Posted by: CamperMom

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/10/09 08:44 PM

Don't know that it matters much, but did they elaborate as to why they consider egg white to be so efficient? One guess is that the albumin is pure protein. No fat at all. I don't recall if there is any vitamin content to egg white. Egg yolk has the same amount of protein, but it also contains fat, vitamin A (maybe others), and iron. It has been a very long time since I felt the need to look any of that up. I do recall that egg white protein was one we kept away from babies for the first year because of the frequency of allergies. Egg white was the big culprit. It seemed pretty ridiculous that mothers were told to use only the commercially prepared jarred baby food egg yolks because we couldn't be sure we removed all the white from our child's food if home-prepared. Talk about propaganda.

CM
Posted by: thecook

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 12:28 AM

If only animals are good sources of protein to build muscles, how do bulls, oxen, elephants, etc.... get so strong?
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 07:04 AM

Genetics, maybe if we chewed on sick all day we would get as strong, they process things a bit differently.

Actually animals are the most effecient source of ptotein to build muscle, not only good sources.

Apperently by trying to let the author know that the 2 protein sources are not equal the thread has went a bit off track
Posted by: finallyME

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 09:40 AM

Originally Posted By bigb
Maybe one day the FDA will come up with an actual protein rating system instead of the current PDCAAS joke and we won't have to rely on so many different sources.


Rely on the FDA, are you kidding?

Originally Posted By bigb

one a vegan to the point of obsession, which I guess is reduntant


Now that is funny, I don't care who you are. laugh
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 11:32 AM

Frankly for most hikers this kind of thing isn't a huge issue. It only becomes something to think out if you go past 3 weeks or so out. For the typical hiker you could eat Ho-Ho's all weekend and exist. My point being is that until you burn off all your excess fat and your body becomes tuned to day in/day out hiking (as with thru hiking) you have little to worry about. What happens with thru's is they burn off the fat but then cannot add in enough food for what their body is burning. At that point yes, they can start eating away at muscle. But just eating protein won't preserve it. Eating muscle doesn't give muscle back. Rather one needs a balanced diet with carbs and protein for the body to work. And lets face it: long distance hiking is not the way one builds bulky muscle!

As long as your belly is full, you are getting a semi-balanced diet and have energy - then don't worry. If a person eats well at home they have little to worry about when hiking for a day, a weekend or a couple weeks.

PS: And consider this - take a look at what many thru hikers eat for a diet. It is often binging in towns, then eating a steady diet of what many would consider less-than-good picks of food. These diets of Snicker bars, Pop Tarts, Ramen, Lipton noodles and jerky have fueled many a hiker thopusands of miles. It is easy to digest.

And that is a simple thing to think over - a diet high in animal based protein is very hard to digest. It takes longer, leaving one sluggish while the food works it way through. Carbs are easy to get through, fueling you up quickly. Wheat based carbs contain protein as well........
Posted by: phat

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 12:15 PM

Originally Posted By bigb

...complete!..
...incomplete!!..
etc. etc. etc.


With the possible exception of Wandering Daisy... I challenge any of you to name the backpacking trip you've been on where you think you'd have any issues due to protien deficiency. Ok maybe there's someone else here who does a month out at a time unresupplied. Even through hikers hit towns every week or so and pig out.

yes, it's very nice to have some. but by the time you're splitting hairs over protein quality it's not something that is going to matter on a backpacking trip. You're simply not going to be out that long for this to matter. Especially when you consider the world runs on rice and beans smile

I wait with bated breath for the day I can take off long enough to have to worry about protien deficiency.. Maybe when I retire.. and even then I expect my better half will have a heck of a lot to say about it.

Posted by: Zalman

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 12:22 PM

Originally Posted By phat
I challenge any of you to name the backpacking trip you've been on where you think you'd have any issues due to protien deficiency. Ok maybe there's someone else here who does a month out at a time unresupplied.


The longest I've been out unsupported is 21 days. Enough protein was relatively easy to carry. What I ran out of, and what I craved when I couldn't catch fish, was fat. That's the heavy stuff.
Posted by: bigb

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 12:35 PM

So to answer the authors ?, you don't need to add protein at all your soup is nutrition enough, can't get much simpler than that.
Posted by: CamperMom

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/11/09 07:01 PM

Hmm-

It may not be so much a protein deficiency that would hit me on a weekend, but rather a satiety issue.

CM
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 11/12/09 11:10 AM

Originally Posted By CamperMom
Hmm-

It may not be so much a protein deficiency that would hit me on a weekend, but rather a satiety issue.

CM


I'd agree. Those times when you just don't feel full. That was one reason I upped my fat consumption over the years. It really triggers the "I am full" feeling smile

Olive oil in nearly every meal. A drizzle here, a Tablespoon there. Easy to digest as well.
Posted by: skippy

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 12/31/09 09:37 AM

I often take a few types of "real" protien with me and if I'm lucky I will get a bonus from a lake. They include summer sausage, jerky, pepperoni, and the best of all worlds = bacon.

I look for the smallest thing of sausage and add this to soups, pita bread with cheese, etc.

Jerky I can add to ramen noodles and other soups or just snack on it.

Pepperoni is good with tortillas/pitas melted with string cheese or pita pepperoni pizza. I heat up a pita with pieces of string cheese, sundried tomatoes, and pepperoni and it makes a great pizza.

My personal favorite is already cooked bacon that is sealed in plastic and doesn't require refrigeration until opened. You can find this at many grocery stores. I just brown it a little and add it to anything that strikes my fancy. When I'm not packing light I will take bagels, cheddar, and powdered eggs and make my own breakfast sandwich. I make the eggs first, then bacon, and then brown the bagel in the pot (leave the little bit of bacon grease in the pot) with the cheese melting on the bagel. Just add the eggs and bacon to your sandwich and you'll eat like a king.

I only eat like this on half of my trips as it is a little on the heavy side but will stick with you for hours.
Posted by: oldranger

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 12/31/09 11:01 AM

Stop it! I haven't had breakfast yet and this makes my standard oatmeal look pretty puny!

Posts like this should come with warning labels. Now where did I put those bagels?
Posted by: skippy

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 12/31/09 06:08 PM

Originally Posted By oldranger
Stop it! I haven't had breakfast yet and this makes my standard oatmeal look pretty puny!

Posts like this should come with warning labels. Now where did I put those bagels?


Sorry Oldranger, my wife is a fantastic cook and influences me to eat better than I would if I was single. Thank God for women as they make the world a better place! smile
Posted by: Jo_C

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 01/04/10 11:16 PM

I rely on dried beans, like lots of other folks.

You may want to consider how much protein you really need. Between 10-20% of your total caloric intake is generally plenty of protein. I recently did some research on this.

You're welcome to check out the protein article recently posted on my non-for-profit blog @ www.redElephantEats.info.

Too much protein, as I'm sure you are aware, can be pretty hard on the body.

Take care ~ Jo
Posted by: barking spider

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/12/10 05:21 PM

We take farm fresh eggs and add them to some foods we prepare. They go well with Ramen, rice, and many others. They are great by themselves! When I say farm fresh I'm talking about fresh from the chicken not the grocery store. The ones you get from the grocery store are usually a week or two old at best, and they have been refrigerated. Fresh eggs can keep for several weeks without being refrigerated. They also keep better than hard boiled eggs because the film that prevents bacteria from entering the porous egg shell is still intact. Pasturing and or boiling removes that protective layer, and can lead to early spoilage.

We actually keep a small flock of chickens so we have access to them year round. If you have local farmers market or, local farmer you should be able to get them there. Sometimes you can find them in route to your destination. Just look for eggs for sale signs in the front yards of homes out in the country.
Posted by: sarbar

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/15/10 01:16 PM

Originally Posted By pinku
What's the best type of protein and in what amount for women who want to lose fat, tone and firm their body and achieve the sexy look they've be dreaming of?


I know all of us here spend all our time worrying about maintaining a sexy look while hiking crazy spam
Posted by: oldranger

Re: How do you add protein to you meals? - 02/15/10 06:29 PM

Gosh, now I am confused. If you wanted protein, wouldn't you add the Spam, not delete it? I know Spam has fat as well, but still, you are hiking.....