Originally Posted By BrianLe
Quote:
"I'm only interested in foods that require no preparation or only the addition of boiled water."

You're speaking my language here. Assuming you're not really picky about what you eat, i.e., you're not looking for the backcountry gormet experience, my specific suggestions:
  • Idahoan brand instant potatos. You might find that one package is suitable for sharing between two people. Can shred some jerky into it, add olive oil, but just the flavored potatoes alone are quite good. Surprisingly, many find them good when eaten cold too, just leaving the stove home.
  • Knorr brand side dish meals, either rice-based or pasta. Again, one packet might do well for two people. Ask at a larger grocery store if they carry TVP (textured vegetable protein). Add maybe an ounce of that and perhaps some olive oil.
    Do take care in picking your side dish meal to watch for any that ask for milk. You can carry powdered milk for these, just be aware that you need it.
  • Eat cold meals --- lots of options there. Sausage and some sort of bread or cracker. Foil tuna packets. Life is easy without a stove.

Et voila, that's pretty much my complete dinner meal plan for trips of arbitrary length, all purchased at the grocery store, literally at the last minute. For the potatoes and Knorr sides I highly suggest the freezer bag cooking method, i.e., put food and then hot water into a quart (brand-name) ziplock, put the result in a cozy of some sort to hydrate for 10 minutes or so. Then all you need is a quite small pot to heat maybe a couple of cups of water max (and you never have to wash the pot). And again, for the potatoes, the stove (hot water) is optional.


Splendid!