Meal Plan: 19 People 6 Days in Backcountry Canada

We are traveling in Canada right now.  I scheduled this blog post and have several scheduled guest bloggers for the time we’re away.  Enjoy!

As is often the case when planning an event, the people who care the most about a particular element are the ones who invest in planning that element.  In the case of our Canada trip, I care about food and therefore helped with menu planning, shopping, and packaging of foodstuffs.

The challenge is to feed nineteen people ages four – 63 for six days.  There is no refrigeration available and dry ice will likely only last two days.  All food must be carried over several long portages, therefore weight should be minimized. Food also has to be hung in bear trees overnight, no small feat, so we aimed for reduced bulk.  Fuel and stoves are at a premium, so low cooking items are preferred.

The Menu

Saturday: arriving in South River from a day of driving, camp at outfitters

Dinner at outfitters – brats, beans, green salad, and potato chips

Sunday: paddle all day, camp on North Tea lake

Breakfast – choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch – cold cut sandwiches, side (choose among pretzels, goldfish crackers, animal crackers, dried fruit, granola bars)

Dinner – chicken veggie stew OR penne and meatballs

Monday: paddle all day, camp on Biggar Lake

Breakfast – choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch -tuna salad or salmon with crackers and side (choices above)

Dinner – meat on a stick + veggie soup with dumplings OR bean and cheese burritos

Tuesday: Chill on Biggar

Breakfast – pancakes and bacon

Lunch – quesadillas/refried bean and cheese wraps and side (choices above)

Dinner – meatless chili OR cheese tortellini

Wednesday: Chill on Biggar

Breakfast – choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch – hummus, tabouli, pita chips and side (choices above)

Dinner – Soba noodles with peas, tuna, and peanuts

Thursday: Paddle all day, camp on North Tea

Breakfast – choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch -peanut butter and jelly english muffins and side (choices above)

Dinner – quinoa and madras lentils OR rice and beans

Friday: Paddle to outfitters

Breakfast – choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch – leftovers or couscous and veggies

Dinner – first restaurant we can find, hopefully one with poutine, that wonderful Canadian creation of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds

The Package and Poundage

Each dinner is packaged in a ziploc bag with written instructions so that any canoer can prepare the meal.  Breakfasts and lunches are serve yourself, also packaged in water tight containers.

Meal bags and containers are packed according to campsite, as the group is split into two sites and will have two cooking areas.   There are five group food bags, each weighing approximately thirty pounds.

Each person is also bringing one to three pounds of personal snacks and food items.  My snack bag contains Jerquee meatless jerky, home dried Charlie’s apples, chocolate, and nuts.  The plan is that each of these snack bags will be combined into a larger stuff sack for nighttime tree hanging.

The Price

The food budget was set at $30 per person, or $570 total.  As all receipts haven’t been entered, the actual spent total isn’t calculated yet, but I approximate it to will be more along the lines of $650.

The toll to our personal health has yet to be determined.  There aren’t a lot of vegetables on that menu, nor rich proteins.   It’s a diet we all can survive on for a week, for sure, but I’m sure we will all miss fresh foods by the end.  Undoubtedly I will report back how the back country meal plans worked out.