Mountain House single-serving packets?

Has anyone else in the "I'm too lazy to cook real food" crowd noticed that you can't find the single-serving Pro-Pak entrees from Moutain House in the stores any more? Anybody know if they've discontinued them, or are the stores just not carrying them?

It doesn't affect me simply because the "Serves 2" packets are just enough calories for my own dinner. More times than not, when on a trek with a partner, we will each bring a "serves 2" packet and split each to add some variety...until that one trip when we both bring the same flavor!

The more trips I go on, the more I experiment with lighter alternatives for meals, but unfortunately the packs you speak of just wake up my appetite, without bedding her back down.

Hmm... I went to our local WalMart last week and noticed that they didn't have any 2 serving meals, they were all single servings. And they didn't have much in the way of those either, which was kind of depressing because, while they're not great, they are handy.

Everything I have seen have either been the 2 servings or larger. The only mountain house items I have seen with single servings are the granola breakfast meal and some of the desserts.

I agree with what was said earlier in that the 2 serving size seems to be be about right for a good dinner for me.

Assuming you can stand to eat the stuff (I can't!), you can divide the 2-person meal between two 1-qt. plastic freezer bags, so you have two separate 1-peron meals. (For long-term storage, keep in freezer.) I prefer to make up large batches of homemade 1-dish meals and use my dehydrator. Your Mileage May Vary, of course.

The most important thing, IMHO, is to test individual meals at home before preparing or buying in bulk. If it doesn't taste good, or won't rehydrate under camping conditions (I'm thinking of some home-dried peas that were still the consistency of buckshot after 20 minutes' cooking), you want to find out at home, not out on the trail! Ditto if half a 2-person meal isn't enough for you! You may find that half a 2-person meal isn't enough while a 2-person meal is too much (giving you soggy garbage to carry out). In this case, you could divide two 2 person packages into 3 portions.

I recommend a nice Chianti!

Walmart has single serving mountain house meals. But they aren't the vacuum packed pro meals.

Whenever I eat the mountain house meals, I need the 2 serving for my one serving. But, 12 years olds generally only eat one serving, there is a need for them. I think they taste like MREs, and since I lived off of those for a year, I don't mind the taste as much. Of course, I do like making something that is cheaper and more to something I like.

I usually buy the MH meals in #10 cans which drops the price per serving way down. I measure out what I need and seal it up in vacuum bags for the trip, but I don't vacuum out the air. What I don't use I put in mason jars and vacuum pack for future trips. I also use MH as an entrée and bring additional items to finish out the meal, like pita chips and cheese to go with the MH spaghetti.

Quick question to those who buy freeze dried in bulk, or split two-serving packs: do you ever have an issue with the portions being, well, disproportionate? For example, too much sauce in one, and too much meat and veggie in the other? I'm wondering if the dissimilar components tend to settle in separate layers, making it hard to achieve the same blend as you get in the single servings.

By the way, it's not the problem it was when I originally posted. The local shop now carries the single portion offerings from some of the new, small makers like Cache Lake and Camp Chow, so I'm good to go.

When I divide food into portions, I usually set up as many bowls as I want portions. I'll put one scoop into each bowl and then another scoop until the food is portioned out. That way each bowl gets a bit from each part of the can. I normally weigh all of the portions, but don't spend a lot of time trying to equalize them.

Glenn,
my only experience with bulk FD is with MH chicken and rice. I bought a can of it cause its not all that bad and it's nice for an unexpected weekender when I don't have time to dehydrate some homemade food. I just shake it up each time so the seasoning is redistributed and scoop out enough for the wife and I and its pretty consistent. I'll be picking up another can when campsaver has its next food sale.

I don't think anything would have improved that buckshot (home-dehydrated peas), but a nice Oregon Pinot Noir is great company for a lot of meals!

Glenn, a lot of stirring before repackaging is probably a good idea!

Thanks, everyone.

I have the same as wgiles. Also, be sure to stir the food well before starting to portion out meals to distribute thing as evenly as possible. My observation is most have a LOT of sodium and sauce, so I add compatible veggies and protein to stretch each meal. For some, this would defeat the purpose of buying the freeze-dried meal, but I find that I can stretch my "backpacking food budget" this way.

CamperMom opens up a whole new aspect here. One of my favorite things is to dehydrate shopped spinach and add some to each one-dish dinner. Unless your dinner is mostly spinach, you won't taste the difference, but it is practically weightless and adds nutrition. TVP (soy protein) is a good inexpensive protein source, which takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with. (Some folks have digestive problems with it, so, as with everything else, do some home trials first!)

You can do dehydrating in a low oven (usually with the door wedged slightly open, so you can get along without a dehydrator. This method is not, however, recommended for hot weather!

Right. I've used TVP, but prefer cooked and dehydrated ground meat from chicken to beef. Spinach goes especially well in dishes like spaghetti or beef Stroganoff, probably tuna mac and cheese. Dehydrated parsley and sun dried tomatoes are easy to find in most grocery stores and can boost nutrition easily.

I did an experiment with peas at one point. I'd read that you can supposedly freeze-dry food by just leaving it uncovered in a freezer for a long time. And, it worked! But, I think it took over a month in a nearly empty freezer to really be dehydrated! Not practical at all.

My wife lamented the loss of vegetables on the trail so I bought a freeze dried mix from Just Tomatoes called Just Veggies. I actually ordered it from REI. They taste fine as a crunchy snack, but rehydrate just fine. It's a mix of peas, carrots, corn , and peppers. I boil 1 cup of water, add 2 cups of veggies and 1 packet of mushroom gravy mix. Stir well, cover and set aside in one of our bowls (or a freezer bag) in a cozy. I then boil 2 cups of water to add to Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes. When the water is boiled, mix and add in the veggies. Stir in 3 tbsp.'s olive oil. We either cut up Oberto bacon jerky to add to the mix, or have smoked salmon from a packet on the side.
Good amount of calories and good taste. Not really DIY cooking, just selecting some ready made and put together that works well.
In theory, you could add all the ingredients into 1 bag and stir it into the 3 cups of water. The vegetables wouldn't re-hydrate as well, but the taste would still be good. You could easily split the ingredients in half for a single serving. The same process works with adding this mix to scrambled eggs. We've found that OvaEasy egg crystals (also available from REI) are the best of the best of lightweight eggs. It's what Packit Gourmet uses in their breakfast meals. We scramble the eggs with a little bit of olive oil (or sometimes ghee) in our pot, then add the vegetable/bacon mix and a packet of hot sauce. Roll in a flat tortilla.

That is pretty much my main go to dinner. 1/2 package of Idahoan potatoes, some just vegetables and some TVP. Put it in a freezer bag for 10 minutes and make some instant pudding for desert. Instant pudding with powdered milk works just fine.

Breakfast usually is regular cook oatmeal with powdered milk, dried cranberries and some almond slices. Freezer bag for about 5 minutes.

Lunch is cliff bar and/or crackers etc.

I buy freeze dried peas in #10 cans. They aren't as good as frozen peas, but they still taste great, and aren't rock hard. And, yes, you can eat them as a dried snack.

Yes, for peas you definitely want freeze-dried, not dehydrated!