Make your own MRE

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The only food that will do you any good in the field is the one you actually eat. I’ve tried some of these civi MREs that are available online, and they SUCK. I will put together 3 x24hrs rations for my go bag. Swiss miss (don’t like coffee), hard candy, maybe some powdered milk, sugar, salt and pepper packets (honestly stolen in the cafeteria), and I’m still looking for canned pâté and crackers. Powdered soup, mountain house freeze dried meals (1 per day) and protein bars. TP/napkins are in form of those towel pills.
What would you put in there? I’d like to take it easy on cans, but I’m not opposed to the. I have Tang powder for drinks.
 
Water purification tabs? Hand warmers? Tylenol? Wet naps?

Not sure if Tang is a good source of electrolytes but I buy something called Squincher. Basically a powdered Gatorade.
 
Water purification is done with a Grayle. Tylenol is in the med kit. Wet naps are basically those towel pils, and I have a 12 piece container of those. However, I will definitely look into Squincher.
 
Could you vacuum seal some peanuts to pack? I'd assume Mylar would keep them fine. Always a good snack and extra protein for a chilly night out.
Unless allergic of course, then don't. lol

For the coffee drinkers, I used to dry mix instant, creamer, and sugar at home and use and old spice jar to hold it. A regular sized spice jar was enough for 3-4 small coffees for a weekend camping.
 
I've put together a couple and stashed them at work.
Gallon ziploc with just food.
2 packages flavored tuna
2 packs precooked rice.
2 packs instant oatmeal.
Worked out to 2000 calories ish.
That was bare essentials for a tryout.
If I was actually packing a go bag then there would obviously be a lot more in each. Coffee, tea, soup, crackers, candy, wet naps, etc.
 
For on the go chow I use foil packs of meat and single packet servings of hot sauce.

Single serving packets of mayo, relish, and other condiments can also be found at gas station convivence stores.

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If I have the ability to heat water I like the foil packs of chicken and the rice.

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DIY Good 'Ole Raisin and Peanuts (GORP) works too.

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Plenty of choices out there.

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If the weather is cold and I can cook over coals or on a woodstove, frozen mixed veggies and sausage is great!

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Freezer bag cooking is also popular. In this case Chili Mac.

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Got out again today to practice with my Nano twig stove and try a new recipe.

I tried the soup alone at first; the solids seemed a little stale, but soup flavor itself was good.

Maybe if I had let the solids reconstitute a little longer they would have been better?

Adding the chicken made the meal all the better!

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I’ve bought some dehydrated meat as part of my emergency home plan. I’ve yet to try it as it’s damn expensive. How does it reconstitute and taste when bringing it into the field like this?
 
I kinda like the bare bones Esbit stove. If you run out of fuel, you can keep feeding it twigs. The frozen veggies and the macncheeze are good ideas if you know you’re moving out. I’m looking more for a grab and go kinda deal. Spam single serve looks good. Where did u get it? Never seen it at market basket or Hannaford. I do have some of those dehydrated rice and pasta dishes, although the protein/calorie content is rather poor.
Got out again today to practice with my Nano twig stove and try a new recipe.

I tried the soup alone at first; the solids seemed a little stale, but soup flavor itself was good.

Maybe if I had let the solids reconstitute a little longer they would have been better?

Adding the chicken made the meal all the better!

View attachment 953854
 
For on the go chow I use foil packs of meat and single packet servings of hot sauce.

Single serving packets of mayo, relish, and other condiments can also be found at gas station convivence stores.

View attachment 949763

If I have the ability to heat water I like the foil packs of chicken and the rice.

View attachment 949764

DIY Good 'Ole Raisin and Peanuts (GORP) works too.

View attachment 949766

Plenty of choices out there.

View attachment 949767

If the weather is cold and I can cook over coals or on a woodstove, frozen mixed veggies and sausage is great!

View attachment 949773

View attachment 949774

Freezer bag cooking is also popular. In this case Chili Mac.

View attachment 949775
Yup. I just bought a few each of the tuna that I liked. Also a couple of ready to go chicken salad. Tried one of those on crackers today. Meh.

I know that Dollar stores sell the meat/ fish & crackers as a snack pack.

Renewed interest now because grandkids are putting together GOOD bags and asking for ideas/ suggestions on things like extra meds, iodine, and such.
 
I’ve bought some dehydrated meat as part of my emergency home plan. I’ve yet to try it as it’s damn expensive. How does it reconstitute and taste when bringing it into the field like this?
I've found that some dehydrated meats reconstitute better than others, but I don't have any specific recommendations.

Back in the day, the USGI MRE dehydrated beef and pork patties never really fully reconstituted.

Just to be clear, the foil chicken packet in the picture above is not dehydrated.

As far as taste goes, it is nothing a small container of Season-All and/or hot sauce can't fix. :)

One of my favorite food quotes:

“Hunger is the best sauce in the world,” wrote Miguel de Cervantes in Part II, Chapter V, of Don Quixote, published in 1615.
 
I kinda like the bare bones Esbit stove. If you run out of fuel, you can keep feeding it twigs. The frozen veggies and the macncheeze are good ideas if you know you’re moving out. I’m looking more for a grab and go kinda deal. Spam single serve looks good. Where did u get it? Never seen it at market basket or Hannaford. I do have some of those dehydrated rice and pasta dishes, although the protein/calorie content is rather poor.
Dollar General.

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I don't know. There were a couple years I was so poor that my diet was pretty constantly Spam and Ramen Noodles. Not sure I could do that again. Then again, it depends on how hungry I am.......
There are a few choices for foil pack single serving meats - primarily chicken and tuna.
 


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