Camping Gluten Free. Conquered.

We love to be outdoors, every season, all activities... from ice climbing in the winter to kayaking in the summer. Clearly this is the year I will face my "normal activities" with a new approach, and depending on the time span of the activity, the stress of food fluctuates...bike rides, a day hike, snowshoeing. Easy. But backpacking for 2 days in an area on the map labeled "desolation" (seriously), I was not sure how to approach.

First instinct is to see if GF freeze dried meals exist, and yes they exist, but are not widely available. When you not only work 12 hour days,but are still trying to feed yourself during the work week (and those pesky lunch meetings!) driving to several stores for a single freeze dried meal was not happening.

Plan B.

I knew there would be a lot of calorie burning (18miles!!), so I needed substantial food. The plan was to be on the trail by 11am, camp over night, and hike through the afternoon to get back before dark... Did you do the math? ... The meal math: 4meals and plenty of fuel.

My approach...

 I started by eating a hearty breakfast before arriving at the  trailhead, Natures Path GF waffles with sliced banana, ground flax and maple syrup. YUM!

Next I decided to take a combination of "snacks" and "meals" ...

 To be specific:

Beef Jerky- now there is not A lot of GF jerky... My all time favorite by far is Krave although you can't find it everywhere. Jack Links is pretty much at every gas station, but only a small handful of flavors are GF, my favorite is Hot &Spicy.

Easy energy snacks: apples, dried fruit & nuts, and KIND bars (available everywhere!).


A little more: sandwich made with Udi' s GF bread and Applegate lunch meat (Boars Head packaged is also GF) and cheese. Luckily it was 30 degrees and I didn't have to worry about keeping for long periods of time! I also made a peanut butter and jelly sand which.

For dinner I brought a bag of edamame and corn and added to a package of Thai Kitchen noodles packet.All you need is boiling water (campfire!). I also may have thrown in a bar of chocolate and wine! 

For breakfast I brought a pre packed bag of Bobs Red Mill Muesli.

With all of the snacks, sandwiches and meals- I successfully sustained a full energy weekend that was stress free and all fun!

PS. Thankfully we went with an awesome couple (one vegetarian) so there was zero food awkwardness and a lot of understanding around cross contamination! 

The proposal.

Last month, while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, my boyfriend of 5  years...(often referred to as my "other half" -sometimes the better half), proposed while we were taking in the view of snowfall on a still lake. Of course I yelped with excitement and said yes... But it didn't take long for me to start thinking  how wedding cuisine  is almost as important as the open bar and music...all potentially containing lots of gluten-especially that cake!!

I'll  have to admit, I need to get through Thanksgiving first but this is obviously on my mind! Keep checking in to follow the planning of my GF wedding (or mostly GF...I couldn't possibly deprive guests of a fine IPA).