protein options for non-cook dinners

[Wandering Daisy]

The harder the cheese (more aged, I think is the reason) the better it keeps. I take a wedge of parmesan. I prefer actual peanuts to peanut butter, if I have room. Peanut butter takes less room but is messy. If you do not fish, you may consider tuna packets. Not the can but the foil package where water has been removed. You get about 16-17grams of protein for about 2.5 oz. Any kind of smoked fish is good.

Maybe I have never found a good brand, but protein powders have been disappointing. I cannot find one that dissolves well in cold water. Not sure if they all are "complete" protein.

Although you are focusing on protein, be sure you get enough fiber to avoid getting stopped up. High protein-high fat diets can cause gut problems.

[paul]

Between my homemade, whole grain crackers , and nuts, and dried fruit, and granola for breakfast, I think I am okay on fiber. And while I like a nice tuna salad sandwich, without the mayo I am less interested.

[maverick]

Hemp protein powder best of both worlds, complete protein and high in fiber. 4 T = 7 g of fiber, 13 g protein, and good source of Iron and Magnesium.

[Wandering Daisy]

Tuna packets also come in all sorts of flavors and some ready to put in a sandwich.

[JWreno]

We did no cook for all 3 our our JMT trips. We made a lot of our own beef jerky, We also ate a lot of nuts and found bars that had good protein numbers. We also dried a lot of fruit. This helps with provide plenty of fiber.

We choose no cook/no stove to allow us to go from Cottonwood Pass to MTR for our only resupply. We only carried 1 pound of dry food per person per day on the JMT. We would eat 2 quart ziplock bags of food each day while on the trail. We only focused on getting water for overnight and morning needs, filling a bear can of water to wash up before getting into our sleeping clothes. We would spend about 15 minutes each evening filling up our 2 quarts of trail food for the next day. In the morning we would get up at 6AM and be hiking within about 20 minutes since packing up the tent and gear was all that was needed. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner was all just eating on the trail.

I prefer no cook in the month of August. There is still plenty of warm sun at the end of the day and I don't feel I need a hot meal. Once it gets to be mid September I like having a hot dinner since daylight goes fast and there are more hours of darkness so the hot meal seems right when it is dark and getting cold.

We are planning a Cottonwood Pass to South Lake trip this September and we will eat freeze dried dinners and do amped up oatmeal for breakfast. I hope Woods Creek is fordable by then.

[MeganBell]

I also like protein bars, but yes, it gets boring fast. I sometimes order takeout with some meat items or buy healthy sausages. They're pretty tasty and give you a lot of protein. I boil them or bake, which doesn't require much effort. Also, I like adding chicken broths (from https://healofoods.com) to my soups or other meals to make them healthier and taste better. Though these options are not exactly for non-cooking, it's easy to use them, and you don't need much hustle.

Megan