Gee Old_Salt...
And, I love onion rings so much!!!   I will remember to try Gordy's Hi Hat next trip... I remember you and Dan, telling how good their fish burger was!! 
     As for pre-trip meals, I like to have a simple meal that gives you energy, either Chicken or steak with a potato... the night before.  Last year for breakfast before we left we had blueberry pancakes and bacon at Smitty's on Snowbank...  darn good stuff!!!!
     In regards to meal planning since I do most of the planning, and the outifitting and purchasing of supplies... I generally plan the menu also.  I prefer quick easy good tasting meals that are full of those terrible Carbs... Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, for energy.  There are a couple of traditional meals I started a couple of years ago when I started doing my own outfitting... for example, first night out we don't do steaks, we do Jambalya and Pita bread, with good Petit Jean smoked Italian sausage (local brand) brought from Arkansas... good and spicy to get your system reved up
     Then of course there is the fish we catch (hopefully)... I learned to cook those from an old family recipe... naw, actually Old_Salt showed me the best way several years ago... The thing I changed was the seasoning...  Cajun Walleye, or even Cajun Northern is pretty darn good to eat, or course the lemon-pepper is not too bad either... other than that simple add meat and water prepackaged meals are the way I go.  Other than the trail mix I make... which is rather well liked too... the  4 gallon bags I made to take last year... lasted 5 days between 4 people...  ;   
     Oh, I guess my favorite is enjoying a good breakfast of pancakes or bannock, with butter and squeeze strawberry Jam, with a good hot cup of Irish Creme flavored coffee in the morning...  I got to quit talking about food... I am getting hungry

Bruce

Seems this thread ''got lost'' on the subject of ''trip meals''. While that is a worthy topic, I'm sure there must be some pre-trip meal traditions that may influence whether or not the fish bite, or only the bugs.

I like to stop at Gordy's Hi Hat in Cloquet. Before you get there, be sure to talk up the ''to die for'' onion rings, especially if you have rookies in your party. They melt in your mouth. They also serve huge orders. Offer to split a box with the intended victim, just make sure he gets most of them. Along about the first significant portage, the desired ''cleansing effect'' begins. Keep the TP handy.  He'll 'thank you' the rest of the trip. ???

I like their fish burger, and blueberry malt. If the blueberry malt can be ordered to ''wash down'' the onion rings...  

Day 1: breakfast: Fish n' Onions
         lunch:      Fish n' Onions
         dinner:     Fish n' Onions

Remainder of trip: Fish n' Onions
Simple, well balanced meal plan.
Saves time otherwise wasted debating over what to add to the oatmeal.
BTW, I agree with paragraph 3 in previous post by Snowdog. No better cook in Q in my opinion.

I don't do fungus.  I will eat nothing related to that which grows between my toes.

Onions are fine.  However, unlike old_salt I prefer to have a little food with my onions too.

I think there are some advantages to having one person plan meals and buy food.  It's a lot of work, but there's less chance of missing items, duplicated items, too much/too little food, etc.

Some good ideas here, thanks guys!  Here's ours:
1.) Breakfast - restaurant
     Lunch - day pack (sandwiches, etc.)
     Supper - chili, cheese & crackers, pudding
2.) Breakfast - sausage & eggs
     Lunch - day pack (still traveling)
     Supper -spaghetti, garlic/cheese biscuits, baked apples
3.) Breakfast - bacon & pancakes
     Lunch - snacks (busy fishing)
     Supper - fried fish, mac & cheese, cornbread
4.) Breakfast - biscuits w/sausage gravy
     Lunch - snacks (you guessed it - fishing)
     Supper - chicken & noodles, 4 cheese potatoes, corn
5.) Breakfast - skillet hash (potatoes, eggs, cheese, bacon)
     Lunch - snacks (yep, fishing)
     Supper - fish, chicken fried rice, peas, hush puppies
6.) Breakfast - bacon & pancakes
     Lunch - snacks (why change a good thing!)
     Supper - chicken tacos, applesauce
7.) Breakfast - boiled eggs, maple & brn sugar oatmeal
     Lunch - day pack (gotta leave )
     Supper - ham & scalloped potatoes, corn
8.) Breakfast - pop tarts
     Lunch - day pack & leftovers
     Supper - steak in Ely!

We usually take homemade cookies packed in Pringles cans for desserts, we make an apple cream pie one night, sometimes cheese cake, plus there's always marshmallows to roast & popcorn to pop!      

Since canoejack provided a sample menu, here is the one we used on our last trip.  These are dinners only.  Each person is responsible for their own breakfast and lunch choices.

1. Santa Fe Chipolte Soup plus dehydrated chicken
     Betty Crocker Ranch Potatoes
     3 Berry cobbler

2. Fried Lake Trout                  
     Couscous w/pine nuts
     Biscuits      
     Lemon Cream Pie      

3. Vegetable beef soup plus dehydrated hamburger
     Vigo Jambalya cajun rice
     Cinnamon apple crisp                        

4. Fish Tacos (veggies/tortillas/salsa/cheese)
     Banana Cream Pie            
                 
5. Navy Bean Soup
     Red beans and rice
     Wild Rice pudding

6. Lake Trout poached in onion soup      
     3 Cheese Potatoes
     Biscuits      
     Strawberry Cheese Cake
                       
7. Chili Mac plus dehydrated beef
     Arborio Rice with Mushrooms            
     Hershey Milk Chocolate candy bar            

8. Pasta combo w/spaghetti sauce                  
     Mocha Mousse Pie                        

9. Refried bean burritos (w/cheese & salsa)      
     Betty Crocker Ranch Potatoes
     French Vanilla Mousse
     
10. Teriyaki Noodles (w/Chicken)            
     Blueberry Cheese Cake
                             
11. Fried Walleye
     Cheddar and Broccoli Flavored Rice
     Hershey Milk Chocolate candy bar            

12. Tortellini w/pesto sauce                        
     Crepes w/Peach Topping            
           
13. Fried Walleye
     Chicken Broccoli Rice
     Hershey Milk Chocolate candy bar
                       
14. Mac and Cheese
     Veggie-Chicken Noodle soup (w/Chicken)
     3 Berry cobbler

dd

I like the simple plan. 1) If Snowdog is on the trip, he plans and cooks ALL the meals. Never heard a complaint other than a lack of onions and mushrooms in the diet. 2) If Snowdog is not on the trip, I do it. Never heard a complaint other than a surplus of onions and mushrooms in the diet. 3) If neither of us is on the trip, who cares??

Quote:

Leftover spaghetti makes a great skirt for your buzz baits and Mepps spinners. The sauce gives a bloody appearance and is a good trigger, especially on pike. (Just dip your black/silver Rapalas into it and see for yourself.) 
-YB

For trips with my wife, we plan meals together.  For group trips, I take a militant approach toward meal planning, in the tradition of old lumber camp cooks.  Everyone knows that the cook is the man in charge: as Norman Maclean wrote, "He's the man with the golden testicles."  Everything else about the trip is open to discussion, except the food.  So I plan it, buy it, pack it and cook it.  And if they don't like it, they know where they can go. Cookie has spoken.

Not sure if there's educational value in this, but here's a typical menu for a week.  This is with lots of portaging and moving every day:

Sunday Lunch
Aji Tuna & Fresh Vegetable Pitas
Amish Potato Soup
Sunday Dinner
Spicy Venison Chili with
Stone-Ground Corn Chips & Aged Cheddar
Sunday Desert
Campfire-Baked Apples alá Anne

Monday Breakfast
Oatmeal with Tart Apples & Cinnamon
Monday Lunch
Oriental Ramen Noodles
Cheesy Cheddar & Broccoli Soup
Monday Dinner
Jack’s Trail Jambalaya with Smoked Beef Sausage & Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread
Monday Desert
S’mores with Fire-Roasted Marshmallows

Tuesday Breakfast
Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Secret Spices
Tuesday Lunch
Aji Tuna Pita Trail Sandwiches
Roasted Vegetable and Rice Soup
Tuesday Dinner
Campfire-Roasted Potatoes & Onions
Pasta Parmisano
Fried Fresh Walleye (if available)
Tuesday Desert
Campfire-Baked Apples alá Anne

Wednesday Breakfast
Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
Wednesday Lunch
Ramen Noodle Surprise
Chicken and Noodle Soup
Wednesday Dinner
Almond-Crusted Walleye Fry
Wednesday Desert
S’mores with Fire-Roasted Marshmallows

Thursday Breakfast
Oatmeal with Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar
Thursday Lunch
Macaroni in a Delicate Cheesy Sauce
Navy Bean Soup
Thursday Dinner
Amish Beef and Noodles with
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Thursday Desert
Hershey’s Chocolate Bars (4 Flavors!)

Friday Breakfast
Oatmeal with Apples & Cinnamon
Friday Lunch
Ramen Noodles alá Jacques
Mom’s Chicken and Noodle Soup
Friday Dinner
Spicy Spanish Rice with
Campfire-Roasted Potatoes and Onions
Friday Desert
Hershey’s Chocolate Bars (4 Flavors!)

Saturday Breakfast
Oatmeal with Maple & Brown Sugar
Saturday Lunch
Ultimate Ramen Noodles
Minestrone Soup

I’m not usually allowed to plan meals and when you hear my philosophy on canoe camping meals you’ll know why. Preparation, eating and cleaning up after meals takes time away from other things I would rather be doing. Therefore, meals I plan would be lightweight, simple, fast and boring with little or no cleanup afterward. Afterall, I can eat as much variety and spend as much time at it as I want at home. Usually though somebody in the group takes more of an interest in planning and cooking than I.
The exception to all this is fish meals. I’ve been the go to guy when it comes to fish and actually include quite a bit of variety in preparing it.