I'm a huge fan of oats while on the trail. (actually I have eaten it all winter this year as well). I have always just put raisins in and that's fine. But lately I have been adding some dried dates as well. Quite tasty and supposedly quite good for you being very high in anti-oxidants.

Makes me wonder what else I've been missing.

I like both raisins and dates.  But I also like dried cranberry or dried blueberry.  Dried apple also, cut into small pieces.  Depends what I'm in the mood for.  And sometimes when I have run out of all those, I'll put in a touch of cinnamon instead.  I'm not an oats purist, by the way.  In all these combinations, I always add milk and sugar/sweetener.  At home I warm the milk in the microwave; on the trail, I add powdered milk and use more hot water than most folks.  And I also don't have the patience for the classic cook-em-forever.  I always get the "quick" variety.  At work, even packed in six workers in a cubicle, I keep my bowl, a small bottle of milk in the refrigerator, pre-packaged one-serving packets, and some little packets of sweetener.  It's a standard snack for me.  Hasn't killed me yet; must be OK.

Probably not the most healty oatmeal choice, but at least it is convenient. 

For MOST of my backpacking/canoeing life I've taken Quaker instant oatmeal with raisins, dates and walnuts (2 envelopes per breakfast).  That, plus a mug of coffee and I'm good to go ... quick and easy.  All you need is boiling water--with a little extra for after breakfast clean-up.  (I use home made coffee bags in my 20 oz. insulated mug with lid.)  The oatmeal envelopes make good fire starter at the next campsite.

On longer trips (something over a week), I'll usually take something like pancakes and/or Cache Lake cinnamon-raisin bread to break up the monotony.  Its good for a layover day.

dd

I said above:   Quote:
But MT said:   Quote:
So how come I do this no-no, and don't notice anything?  I have the answer:   My daughter says I'm so full of it, I just can't notice a little bit more!  

Hit your local bulk barn & go crazy in the dried fruit & nuts section.  Or buy the fuit and dry it yourself.  Dates, prunes, figs, beer nuts, pralines, almond slices, blueberries, cherries, mango, pineapple, watermelon...

If you have a sweet tooth toss in some M&Ms or chocolate chips.

I found the monster sized bags of Craisins (dried cranberries) at Sam's club which i love w/my oatmeal.....This past year they also carried bigger bags of dried blueberries and cherries.....when I go out, I usually make up my own oatmeal packets w/instant oats, powdrered milk, brown sugar and a blend of the above dried fruits......I'll have to try some nuts...

Mike

ST-
Hate to rain on your parade, but craisins are soaked in sugar- some of the off brands (non Ocean Spray) use high fructose corn syrup.

If you have the time an the fuel try steel cut oats- delicious but take at least 15 minutes to cook.

I understand the need for speed. I tend to be out late in the season and the mornings are often cold- if I spark a fire I'll splurge and make the steel cut. My favorite addition to oatmeal is dried cherries- hard to find at a reasonable price but excellent.

I like a spoon with mine...maple sugar, nuts, dried cranberries or mangos, cinnamon/Ginger, and fresh berries if available, smiles are good too.

You all have thrown in some suggestions I'll have to try:  ginger, maple syrup, mangoes.  M&Ms?  I don't know about that--I use lots of sugar anyhow, and I'm not a big chocolate fan.  Pralines--willing to try.  Beer nuts:  probably won't.  I'm going to go out and try to find some off-brand dried cranberries with the corn-syrup--the oatmeal provides some stick to the ribs, but I like to have some get-up-and-go also.  You all might have inspired me to put in some flavorings like amaretto and other such things that some folks put in their coffee.  Hmmm, I'm going to go do some oatmeal right now, and I think I'll add some hazelnut flavoring.  The bottle is still out on the counter from when I last added it to my coffee.

Quote:


Dried fruit without any added sugar is a powerful source of energy.
Take any fruit/vegetable dry it, and the flavor/sweetness becomes more intense. Natural sugars found in fruits along with the fiber is what gives you that long term get-up-go your looking for.

Added sugar, especially corn syrup is defeating the benefit of eating dried fruit. It will give you short term/crash and burn energy, not what you need or want. It's working against not with the natural sugars already concentrated in the dried fruit. Try some dried cranberries  sans any additional sweeteners, you might be surprised how good they are.

I went back through the thread and realized there was more good input than I knew if only I had paid attention. Kudos to Preacher who came up with "candied ginger". That got me googling and I stumbled upon this site which seems to be a good one. All sort of dried fruits (including cherries and other more unusual ones).

Check out their trail mixes (snacks) and power bars. My idea of a power bar has always been a snickers (which seems to do pretty darn good BTW). I haven't done much with the Cliff type bars I wonder how these stack up against them?

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Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, honey and raisins. It can be a sticky mess if not packed carefully.

MA...no brown sugar? Heresy!

Various comments on dried fruits, however, are well taken in my view. I make my own trail mix and though the exact contents varyl dried fruits are always a big component.

Crystalized Ginger

Serving Size:  41 grams
Sugars:  33 grams.

Anytime you see the word "crystalized" you can pretty much assume that it's going to be predominately sugar by weight.

If you want ginger in your oatmeal then just grate in a little fresh...or you can find freeze-dried at some grocery stores...or just use the spice form (dried ground ginger).

Several "dried fruits" are really more like candied fruits (i.e. lots of sugar to preserve them) in their most readily available forms.  Pineapple, ginger, papaya, and mango come to mind immediately.

If you'd like a healthier alternative, you can find some great freeze-dried fruits with no sugar added from here:

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I've used most of their fruits and found them to be excellent.  They even sell powdered freeze-dried fruit if you want to cut down on the bulk even more for canoe trips. 

At home, nothing beats fresh berries in oatmeal.

solotripper wrote on Apr 20^th, 2011 at 3:27pm:


Well, the sugar in them is simply white sugar so you might as well just spoon sugar into your oatmeal.  The only thing you are getting extra out of the ginger is the flavor and there are other ways to do that (a little will go a long way, so add cautiously).  And hey, if you don't mind the sugar, have at it.  I'm not trying to dictate, just to educate.  

whether i'm canoeing or in deer camp, i grab a handful of the nearest gorp and throw it in the oatmeal, which is instant, by the way. 

raisins craisins dried fruit peanuts walnuts coconut M&Ms -- whatever.

Quick. sweet. salty. crunchy.

when it's 5:30 a.m. and I'm struggling to wake up and get out into the woods, i guess i don't give much of a thought to the sugar.

at home, it's the same deal. love oatmeal. or maybe some Cream of Wheat with a dab of honey.

- kypaddler

Tried the de-hydrated cranberries in with my usual raisins this morning. Left the lid on and let them sit for 5 minutes plus added a little extra water. Pretty dang good. Should offer a little variety. I also picked up some dried peaches and strawberries.

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mastertangler wrote on Jul 5^th, 2011 at 7:28pm:

I don't know.  The reason the various quick-oats cook fast is because they're already cooked.  Steel cut hasn't been cooked yet.

I wouldn't consider corn on the cob that has been soaked overnight then undercooked to be good.

I guess it all depends on if raw oats are ok to eat.

Preacher wrote on Jul 6^th, 2011 at 6:36pm:

My horse doesn't seem to mind.   

dd