As mentioned in the Meal Plan intro and page, the goal is to carry 3-5 days of food at max, with each day giving approximately 3800 calories in under 2 lbs and $20.  All meal plans follow the same rubric, but the Week 1 grocery list is the cheapest and lightest of all the plans.  And looks mighty tasty all the same. Here’s a closer look at what will be pre-packaged and sent to me as a mail-drop for pickup 3 times while on this trek.

In total, this meal will provide 3835 calories, with a combined weight of 30.1 ounces and total cost of $16.84.  I’ll need an additional 2 Tablespoons of alcohol (1 for breakfast, 1 for dinner) for cooking, and that’s it.  Bon Appetit and Hello Neiman!

755 calories, 5.7 ounces, $2.61

Breakfast 1:  Granola with Coffee. Well, a bit more than granola – as it’s more of a complete meal then just oats. Take 1 cup of AF French Vanilla Almond Granola, add 1/4 cup of Harmony House-Freeze Dried Berries and 1/4 cup AF Raw Almonds. This could be enough on its own, but for bonus calories, add 1/4 cup of Nestle Powdered Milk and 8 oz cold water.  And since every morning starts with a warm cup of coffee, 2 Taster’s Choice French Roast Instant Coffee in 8 oz hot water.

960 calories, 6.8 ounces, $3.05

Elevensies 1:  M&Ms, Fruit Bar, Trail Mix. Every Elevensie meal consists of a protein-packed candy bar, fruit bar, trail mix.  For the week 1 plan, we get to enjoy 1 package Peanut (or Peanut Butter) M&Ms, 1 Pressed by Kind Fruit Bar, and 1 cup of Trader Joes Trail Mix (any variety).  These are meant to be snack foods, as one is likely to be constantly snacking throughout the morning.  That is until hiker hunger takes full control and a full lunch break is required.

930 calories, 7.1 ounces, $4.62

Lunch 1:  Beef Stick Snack. Packaged meat, cheese, and carbs – everyone’s favorite lunchtime treat. For this meal plan, we go with three 1 oz packaged beef sticks (after sampling a few, I like Wyoming Gourmet). Add to this 1 package of Market Pantry Cheese Sandwich Crackers and 1/2 package of Trader Joes Soft and Juicy Mandarins.  When it comes to dried fruit, it doesn’t get better than TJ’s, though I prefer the fruits without added sugar.

360 calories, 3.5 ounces, $2.50

Snack 1:  Bobo’s Bar. There is no shortage of options nor opinions on “bars”.  I’ll likely try every style under the sun when resupplying in towns, but for the ones I package in advance, I’ll go with the kind I know are tried and true.  For me, nothing beats a peach flavored Bobo’s Bar.

750 calories, 6.1 ounces, $3.81

Dinner 1:  Fancy Chicken Ramen. Ramen can be a pretty decent meal if you mix it up a bit. Instead of just the basic powder and noodle, I like to spice up life with much needed calories. Boil 2 cups water for 1 Maruchan Ramen, add 1/4 cup freeze-dried chicken (Honeyville or Future Essentials), 1/4 cup Harmony House dehydrated veggies and 1/2 ounce Olive Oil.  Garnish with 4 saltine cracker packs and you have a soup for woodland kings!

80 calories, 0.9 ounces, $0.25

Treat 1:  Fruit Snacks. Nothing fancy here, just a small Welch’s Fruit Snack pack to finish off the day. But let’s be honest, I’ll probably eat this sometime around 9:30am when I’ve already eaten everything else for the day in a fit of starved Hiker Hunger rage. Grr…