Playa food for the extremely lazy?

[yellowpants]

Sorry if this topic has already been done, but I'm way too lazy to search.

Hi there!

I kinda suck at feeding myself when on the playa. So this time I decided to organize my shit a little bit. With your help.

Help me decide what kind of food to bring. It has to meet the following requirements:

1) No cooking (no time for that)
2) No ice (way too complicated)
3) Somewhat healthy (trying to avoid sugar and processed food if possible)
4) Some variety (eating canned tuna all week gets boring)


My ideas for now:

- oranges (is it true those last in the heat?)
- granola bars
- canned fish
- powder milk
- dehydrated fruit
- nuts

Any other ideas? What kind of fruits and raw veggies last on the playa?

Thanks!

[Packoderm]

This with saltines.

[Elorrum]

Where is anybody finding powdered milk? It used to always be in the baking aisle with the canned milk. I guess since the China/melamine thing, major chains are shying away from it. I need to shop around or find an alternative. I like powdered milk in coffee, on cereal, and as a treatment mixed with lemon juice for playa foot (not really) just the coffee and the cereal bits.

[Shotglass75]

Maybe cook some Bacon beforehand and just bring it with you.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/604365

When bacon is smoked it is smoked in it's entire, unsliced entity. When that happens, a sort of skin or shell is created on the outside (like when you sear a steak, or fry a french fry) that kills bacteria and allows the meat to have a longer life because everything stays on the outside of the "skin." This changes, though, as soon as the meat is cut, like prosciutto. Meaning, a leg of prosciutto can be kept for months but a slice of prosciutto only a few days.

I say ALWAYS err on the side of freshness. There's so much to do with bacon. If you need ideas http://baconporn.me/ is amazing. But, nothing beats bacon drenched in an amazing maple syrup.

I cook a whole pound of bacon at once by baking it. Lay the slices out on a cookie sheet with edges (bun pan) and bake it until it is about 3/4 done. Drain it on a stack of newspaper with paper towel on top and sop off as much fat as possible. Store this in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. When you want a couple of pieces of bacon, wrap them in a paper towel and zap for 30-60 seconds. Very handy.

Maybe substitute that last part with just letting them sit in a pan in the sun for a little bit

[Eric]

Tasty Bites & the pre-cooked pouches of rice. Put them in the sun. Go wander. Come back hours later, open pouches which are now warm & eat.

No cooking. Healthy-ish. Definitely food.

edit- bad tequila spelling. Oops.

[jpstiffin]

Use the tuna in foil pouches - way better. I like fresh pineapples and green bananas.

[phil]

http://www.cieux.com/bm/quickMeals.html
for meals with self-heaters or that need only boiling water.

[Savannah]

Where is anybody finding powdered milk? It used to always be in the baking aisle with the canned milk. I guess since the China/melamine thing, major chains are shying away from it. I need to shop around or find an alternative. I like powdered milk in coffee, on cereal, and as a treatment mixed with lemon juice for playa foot (not really) just the coffee and the cereal bits.

Oh God, powdered milk. Sometimes I had it on my cereal as a child. I'm not quite over it.

I use the Horizon Farms shelf-stable milk boxes on the playa. They're right next to the juice boxes (usually) in grocery stores. For coffee, I use the Starbucks Doubleshots canned espresso, which has some cream & sugar in there already. I chill those too, but again, not necessary

Hey Yellowpants. Wow, you're right. You are lazy. (You don't even have to click to the second page of Q&A: Tips & Tricks forum to find the most recent "Realistic non-cooler based menu planning" thread.)

[Playa Foot]

Peanut Butter and Jelly washed down with a Pabst. PBJ and PBR, the playa don't get no better than that.

[Boijoy]

Jerkey & PBR.

[portaplaya]

I second some of the comments here:

*Shelf-milk (instead of powdered milk), with cereal in paper bowls, which you burn. Single-serving goodness.
*Pouch Indian food, such as Tasty Bites. Leave in sun all day to "heat".
*Use tuna in pouches instead of cans. Better tasting and garbage compacts better.
*Chips stay dry, even when left open. Small jars of salsa can be eaten in one sitting, so you don't need to ice it.
*Pickled goods only need to be refrigerated after opening if you want then to keep more than a week. They will do fine at room temperature during the burn. I like Okra and spicy Indian mango pickle. And regular pickles, of course.
*Many volunteer departments (Rangers, Gate, etc.) give a meal token for the BM Org commissary for each shift done. That's a rounded meal for six hours of work.
*And, as you listed, trail mix/nuts, granola bars, dried fruit are all good.
*Oranges should be kept in an air tight container or they dry out some over a week. Or eat them in the first three days.

[Sail Man]

breckfast: pop tarts
lunch: cheese whiz and ritz
dinner: pbr and bacon

repeat as necessary

[capjbadger]

Boil-n-bag curries from Trader Joes. Toss in a boil-n-bag rice. Awesome meal in no time. NOM

-Badger

[VeganChoirGirl]

You can get canned bacon. Yum. It's actually pretty good straight out of the can. I second everything everyone has said here.

Canned soup works well to. Get whatever kind you like, leave in the sun for several hours, come back...hot and ready to eat. Or grow a pair and just eat it luke warm...it's just as good.

I agree with Sav whole heartedly...HORIZON SHELF STABLE MILK! You will thank us later. Put it on cereal, in coffee, or make some coco at night. Totally yummy.

Salmi's and other shelf stable cured meats are wonderful. Even after you slice them, it's so dry out there they do just fine, though usually you have to cut off the end bit if it has been sitting out for a while.

[capjbadger]

-Badger

[Sic Pup]

You can get canned bacon. Yum......

Salmi's and other shelf stable cured meats are wonderful. Even after you slice them, it's so dry out there they do just fine, though usually you have to cut off the end bit if it has been sitting out for a while.

VeganChoirGirl

Wait....what?

I'm so confused.

Again.

[VeganChoirGirl]

DAMN IT! I forgot canned fish. How could I??

Number one piece of advice about canned fish on the playa is:

IN OIL, NOT WATER!!!

A little tuna with paprika is devine. Also try mixed with mayo packets, dill, pepper, capers (a jar will be fine unrefrigerated for the week), and lemon (a couple grocery store lemons with thick skins will last you the week).

These are BY FAR my favorite anchovies. If you can find them, a little anchovie and a cracked pepper table water cracker...YUM!



Bring some wine, have crackers, cured meats, tined fish, caviar and some shelf stable cheese and you'll eat like a king.


Smoked oyster and mussles are especially wonderful.

Trader joes has a canned, smoked trout that I think is absolutely out of this world. TRY IT!

Crab, shrimp, salmon, gifilte fish, clams, mackerel (try Smiling Fish Green Curry Fried Mackerel...soooo good), herring, sardines, catfish (try Smiling Fish Fried Catfish with Chili), and cockles are all available in abundance. Try kosher markets, asian food stores, organic stores, your regular grocer, gourmet markets, and british specialty stores. If you hurry, you may also be able to order from an online grocer and rush deliver.

I stock up all year

[VeganChoirGirl]

You can get canned bacon. Yum......

Salmi's and other shelf stable cured meats are wonderful. Even after you slice them, it's so dry out there they do just fine, though usually you have to cut off the end bit if it has been sitting out for a while.

VeganChoirGirl

Wait....what?

I'm so confused.

Again.

Sigh...I have addressed this issue in numerous threads...but just for you!

I was vegan for five years until I went to the burn for the first time. I cam prepared with a fully vegan menu. I had not consumed meat or cheese or any other animal product, nor had I wanted to from the time I went from vegitarian to vegan five years earlier.

At the burn all I wanted to eat was canned fish. I ate meat, cheese, and many other things I would never have touched before. It was delicious. I didn't have any digestive issues.

I picked my user name when I was still vegan.

Thanks.

[Sic Pup]

Ah, sorry to make you chew your cartilage again, but thanks. I won't even go down the choir girl road.

The fish in oil not water thing, personal taste preference or something else? I actually prefer the oil but thought water might be easir to deal with disposal wise.

Forgive my ignorance what constitutes shelf stable cheese, Wiz, Velvetta and stuff of that ilk or something along the lines of a hard parmesan grana padano?

I'm with you though, my list so far looks like a antipasto platter, anchovies, roasted peppers, pickled beets, olives, pickles, tuna, artichoke hearts and if I go the cooler route boiled eggs, alas not my world renown condiment shelf deviled egg but they'll do.

[VeganChoirGirl]

and if I go the cooler route boiled eggs,

skip the cooler and bring small jars of pickled eggs. Put two pickled eggs, some canned, sliced banana peppers and a little of the egg juice over some pretzles. Totally delicious with a beer for lunch mid day.

Also try canned doulmas and stuffed peppers. Middle Eastern and Greek markets will have them. YUM!

There are a number of ways shelf-stable cheese can be taken. Yes, ez cheese and velveta are shelf stable...and even a little bit yummy out there for some reason. However, a good AGED hard cheese...think that expensive seven year old cheddar you've been saving for a special occaision or an extremely hard sheeps milk cheese. As long as you keep them hydrated (ie not left out to the elements)...they should be fine. There are also a number of companies that make faily standard cheeses (swiss, jack, cheddar) in a shelf stable form. They usually come in those aweful baskets you get at xmas with the terrible cheddar filled salami. But...they are pretty good for the playa when you don't have a cooler.

[yellowpants]

Some cool ideas in there, thanks!

I'm linking to the other similar thread that was mentioned:

viewtopic.php?p=574467


Is shelf milk UHT milk? Never seen that in the US... Maybe I missed it, do most stores have it?

[phil]

http://www.campingsurvival.com/moomates ... bAoddyDdbg

[Sail Man]

Hey Phil, nice link. Thx.

[Katka]

Know what you mean... This year I'm trying to upgrade quality (and I don't eat starch, and like you, am avoiding processed foods too):

- A hard parmesan, in block form still -- full of salt
- Prosciutto -- also super-salted
- almond butter -- loaded with vitamin E, a natural- and excellent preservative
- pickled veggies
- black olives
- yeah, sardines, especially in olive oil, and especially in a jar

In the pre-frigeration era, all meat was just salted to all hell, and that lasted. I figure thats good for a few days in the desert, especially if you have a good stomach.

[theCryptofishist]

The playa is a hell of a place for people who are fussy eaters.




Like me.



All this thread makes me think is: Yuch!

[chiefdanfox]

Giardiniere. (small jars)
Spam "lite" individual wrapped servings.
Smoked salmon in the mylar foil packages (next to the tuna).
Goat cheese in olive oil (jar).
Like everyone said, the Horizon box milk (it rocks).
The Candwich. (PBJ & BBQ Chicken)

[chiefdanfox]

I don't know what veggies will last without at least minimal cooling.

[C187]

-Cliffbars
-Powerbars
-other protein bars
--Keep these under something (sleeping bag in tent) and out of direct light, to reduce melting

-Salted Peanuts
-Soft Tortilla
-Pita
-Chips and Hot Salsa
--Seal bags/jars with tape, keep out of light like above.

-Multivitamin
-B-12 Pill
-Electrolyte Pack

[LindseyRaeFace]

A guy gave us clif bars last year "They're kind of a commitment" he said... They saved us! Keep them in the cool place so the chocolate doesnt melt but they are great ang vegan. :) Like a grown up chewy bar!

PB&J works, if you dont mind not cooling your Jelly.
Chips & Salsa was AMAZING! The Salsa felt cold all week even though we didnt have ice. YUMMMM :)
V8 for salt and vitamins, great when youre hung over
We loved the Boost nutritional drinks in the morning, better chilled, but a cool shot of vitamins and protein in the hot mornings is perfect, especially if you partied teh night before.
Canned soup with pop top lids, leave it on your dash or on top of a car, somehwhere in the sun for the day, hot soup for dinner :)

Gonna try applesauce this year, Simplay Asia noodle bowls (in the sun, oh yeah), chili made at home too. Hope they go good!

[Super Evil Brian]

Tasty Bites & the pre-cooked pouches of rice. Put them in the sun. Go wander. Come back hours later, open pouches which are now warm & eat.

No cooking. Healthy-ish. Definitely food.

edit- bad tequila spelling. Oops.

That sounds tasty. Maybe add mango salsa or something. I'm *pretty sure* it keeps well enough to not have bleeding diarrhea.