Date: 2008-12-01
To: 3 Months...eek!
Miles today: 0.0

Exactly 3 months and counting...Several people have asked me about my food prep so I thought I'd give a little update. I have finally worked out my mail drop schedule (which I¢ll eventually post), and plan to have 25 packages sent to me along the way. This is close to 110 dinners alone (!!). I am over 75% of the way there, dehydrating between 3-4 dinners per week. If I run out of time, I¢ll just buy some Lipton sides or similar meals to make up the difference. For places where I am not having a mail drop, there are huge grocery stores so resupplying shouldn¢t be a problem.Some people wonder why I¢m spending so much time making my own meals instead of just buying dehydrated backpacking meals or buying all my food along the way in towns. First, I¢m a vegetarian and may find it difficult to find food I like in the smaller towns with only a small convenience store to resupply at. Second, since I don¢t eat meat, it might be harder to find protein-rich foods along the way. By making my own meals, I get to decide what goes into my meals. No preservatives are added, and my meals are packed with veggies, beans, and carbs. Third, its significantly cheaper. A Mountain House Meal can cost up to $10 bucks per dinner, whereas mine average $2-3. And lastly, it¢s fun! I like experimenting with recipes and figuring out what dehydrates well (and what doesn¢t! i.e. peas take much longer to rehydrate than other veggies, and tofu does not dehydrate well). I am mostly doing 1-pot meals, which I explained a little about in one of my first entries. I thought I¢d share a recipe that I¢ve made twice (which yielded 7 dinners). This meal has a whopping 13 g of protein per serving (the recipe yields 6 servings [probably as a side dish], but I can get 3-4 out of it since my portions are enormous).Indian Lentil Pilaf (from Vegetarian Times magazine):1 c brown lentils, rinsed and sorted2 tbs. olive oil1 medium onion, finely chopped (the smaller, the better. I also added red bell pepper)2 large carrots (I grate them on a cheese grater)1 c basmati rice3 cloves garlic, minced1 tbs. minced fresh ginger1.5 tsp garam masala (I use a bit more because I like it spicy)1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes1 c. vegetable brothCilantro, chopped finely1.        Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Reduce to low heat and simmer 15 mins. Drain, reserving 34 c. cooking water, and transfer lentils to bowl.2.        Heat oil and saut© onion for 4 mins. Add carrots and rice, and cook 3 mins, or until rice is toasted, stirring constantly. Add garlic, ginger, and garam masala, and cook 1 min more.3.        Stir in tomatoes, broth, reserved lentil cooking water and lentils, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 mins, or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped cilantro.Once the meal is done, I spoon it into a regular dinner bowl so I can see how big the portion is, then I spread it out onto the dehydrator tray (1 tray = 1 serving). I continue to do this for each of my 4 trays. I try to get it spread out as evenly as possible so it dries evenly. Then I dehydrate at 145 degrees for 5 hours (or until it¢s done), stopping every hour or two to break up the rice and lentils so it dries evenly and quicker.Once it is dry, I put each serving into its own freezer bag and label it with the date it was made, the name of the dish, and instructions on how to cook it. On the trail, I put the dried meal into my cook pot, cover with water, boil, simmer for a couple minutes, and then turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes before eating. In other news:- I purchased my 1-way ticket to Georgia!- My parents and sister are meeting me in Dahlonega to see me off, possibly with my aunt and uncle as well- As I mentioned above, I finalized my mail drop schedule (more on that to come)- I only have a few remaining gear items to take care of (hopefully Christmas will help with that) and then I¢m good to go in the gear department- Patrice, Liz, Angela and I went to Acadia last month for a weekend of hanging out. The weather was crummy but we managed to get in a day hike up Cadillac Mountain on MDI and ended up doing some unexpected night hiking. We giggled all night long in Patrice¢s 4 person tent, and I woke to soaking wet hair and a saturated pillow...it had rained/misted in our tent for hours once we fell asleep. I still can't believe I slept through that since I've always been such a light sleeper. SO funny!! I¢m still laughing about it...