The Menu: Summer Adventuring 👩🏼‍🦽

If you read my personal blog, you'll know that I'm using a "lunch backpack" this year, to bring a meal or two along to summer events I'm planning to attend this year. Which means I need ideas for what to bring along to eat while I'm not planning on being back to my own kitchen for a good long time.

This one's going to be a bit different. As of this writing, this is an active planning document, unlike all the other Menu's I've been serving for awhile. Which means not every recipe is on my blog, some of them are still in my head or on other peoples' blogs, yet unmodified to my diets.

The equipment: a 3L cooler, two mini Igloo ice blocks, and a bunch of wheatgrass meal prep containers, including single compartment meal containers (1), double compartment "main and a side" meal containers (2), and 4 compartment snack containers (4). I also have separate 30 and 48 qt coolers, if needed for longer trips.

Between The Buns:

A few preliminary notes: remember to package any condiments or vegetables separate from the "meat" and bread, and put the sandwich fully together right before eating. Anything pre-cooked is meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. Anything "pre-cooked" can also be brought to the party in a state ready to go directly on the grill, packed separately in the cooler from the buns, and also from the veggies and condiments.

• Pre-cooked Kosher hot dogs.

• Pre-cooked Lentil burgers

• Mashed chickpea salad sandwich

Salads That Eat Like A Meal:

• Mujaddara (2)

• Vegetarian or cooked tuna/salmon/SPAM poké bowl (1)

My brain interrupted...

You're welcome.

• What I called "cold tacos," to the amusement of my friend's kids. I'm sure there is an actual Spanish or Nahuatl word for mixing beans, corn, and chopped veggies, dressing it with lime and salt, and eating it like a relish that I don't know and don't really know how to search, but I do know Pinterest started calling it "Cowboy Caviar" awhile back. Yummy with tortilla chips or street taco sized corn tortillas, or in a lettuce boat, also yummy eaten as-is as a hearty bean salad (1 or 2)

• Sorghum & Sweet Potato Salad (1)

• Roasted Veg Salad with Tahini Lemon Garlic Dressing (1)

• A tabbouleh-esque salad, but without tomatoes (1)

• Protein, Peas, & Pasta Salad (1)

• "Michigan Salad" with rotisserie chicken, fresh mixed berries or sliced apples and pear, thinly sliced red onion, shelled/roasted sunflower seeds & pepitas, and crumbled goat cheese on mixed greens with a sweet Vinaigrette (1, dressing on the side)

• Hearty Bean Salads that aren't Cowboy Caviar. The possibilities are endless (1)

Snacks:

• Cucumber slices or watermelon chunks sprinkled liberally with chili lime salt (like Tajin or Valentina) (1)

Since we're also discussing how my brain plays free association constantly here, does anyone else's internal echolalia kick right into this when they reach for their bottle of Valentina?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLTnRPoP2OM

Anyway.

• Veggie sticks and hummus (2)

• Gherkin pickle and olive assortment (4)

• Princess Pudding or agar agar jelly with fresh fruit (2)

• Fresh grapes coated in Jello powder (1)

• Medjool dates, Turkish apricots, prunes, and SunButter or a tahini & raw honey whip for dipping (4)

• GORP but I'm allergic to peanuts, so it's more like a baggie of raisins and shelled/roasted/salted sunflower seeds and pepitas. GORSSP. Like a portmanteau of "horse" and "gossip." Also, I am likely spooning it into my face with a soup spoon or shot glass, so I don't have to touch anything (sandwich baggie)

Bag-Stable, No Weight, Single Serving, Actually Nutritious Emergency Meals:

These were first posted on my personal blog, but bear re-sharing:

1. Instant Oatmeal

   1. Combine 1/4 cup plain instant oats, 2 tablespoons flax seeds, 1 packed teaspoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon powdered oat milk, and 1/8 teaspoon pink salt in a sandwich baggie, seal, label & date, and pack. To prepare, transfer the contents of the baggie to a heat-safe bowl or mug, and add 1 cup of hot water. Stir well, and let the oatmeal sit for 2-3 minutes to cool and firm up before eating.

2. Microwave Lentil Soup

   1. Combine 1/4 cup red lentils, 2 teaspoons chicken bullion powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon sumac powder in a sandwich baggie, seal, label & date, and pack. To prepare, transfer the contents of the baggie to a microwave-safe bowl or mug, and add 2 cups of water. Stir well, and microwave for 3-5 minutes each go, stirring well between sessions, until the lentils are cooked how you like them. Garnish with sachets of olive oil and lemon juice before serving. This can also be prepared in a small rice cooker, or over a burner.

3. Totally Travel Tuna

   1. Pack 1-2 single-serving envelopes of tuna or pink salmon, and just before eating, dress with sachets of lemon juice and Sriracha hot sauce, as well as salt & pepper to taste. Best if served with a fresh avocado or red pepper, or on a hearty toast, but just fine straight out of the bag with a fork as-is.

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