No-boil oatmeal idea - advice / critique appreciated

[thetwelvebens]

Hi all, I am planning a 2018 SOBO and I've been contemplating some easy food ideas. The one I wanted to ask about today / share is my own favorite healthy / easy oat mix. I am trying to avoid eating junk as much as possible for my thru hike attempt.

My idea is to have 1 large zip lock filled with the oat mixture and to then pour into a 32oz wide mouth nalgene and mix with plenty of water (adding more as needed). I would then let it sit
while I picked up camp and got ready. I only want to use my stove for dinner.

This would all be premixed and then put in a ziplock and mailed in drop boxes along with my lunch creation (more on that in another post). My mother would be my wonderful trail helper mailing me these as needed.

My question is does anyone have experience with cold oatmeal and just giving it maybe a half an hour or so to thicken? I don't see a need to use a stove in the morning.

THE MIX
-Quick oats
-Salt
-Cinnamon
-Chia seeds
-Honey (added from backpack)
-Whey protein
-Powdered milk
-Instant coffee (maybe)

*This would all be made in LARGE batches and portioned into weekly sized ziplocks that would then be mailed out. I hate instant oatmeal packets because they are just sugary junk so I want to create my own.

I plan on having this for breakfast everyday. I have eaten oatmeal for the past two year almost every single morning so I am not worried about getting bored of it. Food to me has a purpose. With the above mixture I am getting plenty of protein, carbs, omega's, fiber, and caffeine. All from a very light source that can be quickly prepared. I am just wondering if the cold oatmeal works... Since it's going to be a 2018 I don't want to go out purchasing items until I get some feedback from experienced thru-hikers.

[thetwelvebens]

Thank you, any advice is appreciated! I am finishing my Masters at the University of Maine in 2018 and planning to attempt a SOBO.

[Ktaadn]

I think it would work fine. You would just need do some trial and error with the amount of water that you put in. I would also add some toasted pecans and some raisins. At the end of the process of course.

Also, I totally agree with you on the instant stuff. I don't eat it.

[thetwelvebens]

I use pecans and raisins at home usually, I think I could add that in as a luxury finisher. Good idea, that will help break up the borringness of this meal everyday! Thank you for the support and vote of confidence.

[DLP]

I eat something similar nearly every day. I often do not take a stove and usually eat it cold.
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The spreadsheet is old and Medaglia D'Oro instant dissolves way better cold.

Flaked coconut is also light and calorific. I do that instead of raisins some days.

I have not thru hiked, but by day 7-8, I'm pretty sick of it (once to the point of gagging a little!). I now pack one different breakfast a week for a change. But mostly, I eat the above.

PS. I eat it like cold cereal or musilie. I'm not a chia fan, but you should probably make up a batch and see how you like it.

[thetwelvebens]

Good input! I love the idea for Medaglia, I was reading the Amazon reviews and it seems perfect for a cold mix, thank you for this. And flaked coconut...I will have to look into this! Awesome. Thank you.

And as far as getting sick of it, I will probably cave in after the first week and get some pop-tarts for the "one different breakfast" a week change. Good ideas, thank you DLP

[Odd Man Out]

I have eaten non-cook oatmeal by adding boiling water to a mix such as yours (as in Freezer Bag Cooking), but not boiling to oatmeal. The texture is somewhat different. It does not thicken up as cooked oatmeal does because you need to boil the grains to melt the starch granules. It is the cross linking of the dissolved starch molecules that causes the thickening. Without heat this will not occur, giving the different texture. I actually like the uncooked version as it isn't so gummy and it doesn't set up like glue when it cools they way cooked oatmeal tends to. This makes it easier to get the right texture. It isn't so temperature dependent. It is also easier to clean up when it isn't so gummy. I have not tried using cold water, but given the chemistry, I would not expect your oatmeal to thicken substantially by soaking it in cold water. It should thicken some as it absorbs water, but without boiling, you won't get the same result. I agree that the instant oatmeal packs are pretty vile. My basic mix is quick oats, brown sugar, butter, salt, Nido, and cinnamon. I'll add maple syrup instead of brown sugar as a treat some times. Adding any nuts or dried fruit is also a nice addition. You could of course add bacon. Bacon makes everything better!

[Slo-go'en]

The idea is okay except hydrating it in a Nalgine bottle. That's gonna be a pain to clean out. You might as well just use the zip lock bag if it's packaged as individual servings. Which is probably the best way to do it since otherwise the various components will settle out and you'll never get a proper mix if it's all in one big bag.

[wannahike]

"My question is does anyone have experience with cold oatmeal and just giving it maybe a half an hour or so to thicken? I don't see a need to use a stove in the morning."

Since you have some time why don't you mix up different stuff and see if you like it?

I mix up muesli and coconut milk powder and sometimes add dried mango or dates, then in the am I add cold water and eat up. I think it's great. I just stir until the coconut milk is dissolved and then eat.

[Puddlefish]

Most mornings I add warm water to old fashioned oats. I'm not a fan of mushy oatmeal. For the trail I added all sorts nutritional or flavorful additives in individually prepared zip lock bags.

I felt it helped with more constant energy throughout the day.

[Traillium]

I use half a cup of homemade granola (with another third of a cup of mixed nuts!) with about a third of a cup of Nido dried whole milk and three (3!!!) sachets of StBks instant Via coffee. To the granola and Nido in a ziplock I added the instant coffee and then put in a generous amount of cold water. After stirring and eating some of the floating nuts, I drank much of the coffee liquid, ate the remaining granola and packed the dirty ziplock in my food bag. My fav meal of the day!
The only part of this I didn't like was producing yet more plastic garbage … (That's another thread, I'm thinking …)


Bruce Traillium

[kayak karl]

This is one of the easiest things to test at home to see what you like. It would be worth the effort. I do agree with it being done in ziplock. Would make clean up managable.

[Venchka]

1. Bob's Red Mill sells instant oatmeal in bulk. http://www.bobsredmill.com/instant-r...FQyCaQod7HoHww
2. 32 ounce Nalgene bottle of oatmeal???? There are much lighter containers around. Ziplock makes a 32 ounce leftover container that is weightless compared to a Nalgene bottle.
http://www.target.com/p/ziploc-twist...g&gclsrc=aw.ds
My opinion? Half that size would be adequate.
3. Look at Kind Grains as an additive to the oatmeal. Variations in flavor and ingredients are pluses for me.
4. I make up single serving batches of an instant breakfast Nido milk protein shake coffee concoction. 3 ounces of dry mix fits in a snack size Ziplock with room for more. 2 of the snack bags fit in a sandwich size Ziplock. 8 ounces of water to 3 ounces of powder = 365 calories and 27 grams of protein. They pack small in my food bag.
5. Don't sell hot instant oatmeal short. Add Kind Grain, Craisins and Agave Nectar. Yum!
6. It's 2016. Go hiking. Come back in January or March of 2018.
Have fun!
Wayne


Old. Slow. "Smarter than the average bear."

[garlic08]

Have you tried cold oats without the long soak? That's my normal breakfast, on the trail and at home. Rolled oats are parboiled during processing and are ready to eat.

[The Cleaner]

I eat on the trail like I do at home.1/2 cup (dry) steel cut oats or 10 grain cereal.Sweetened with chopped dates.It take about 20 minutes to COOK and you do have to wash a pan when you're finished.I don't know why some hikers refuse to do this.Seems like hikers do this to carry less fuel.Some hikers carry less weight by using fire pits just like a trash can.Let someone else build a fire and burn their trash.IMG_4079.JPGIMG_9324.JPGI go hiking to get out and enjoy being out and not in a hurry to do anything.Maybe this thread should be for speed hikers.

[MtDoraDave]

Hi all, I am planning a 2018 SOBO and I've been contemplating some easy food ideas. The one I wanted to ask about today / share is my own favorite healthy / easy oat mix. I am trying to avoid eating junk as much as possible for my thru hike attempt.

My question is does anyone have experience with cold oatmeal and just giving it maybe a half an hour or so to thicken? I don't see a need to use a stove in the morning.

THE MIX
-Quick oats
-Salt
-Cinnamon
-Chia seeds
-Honey (added from backpack)
-Whey protein
-Powdered milk
-Instant coffee (maybe)

.

There are some similar recipes around - and I do like this one, but for me, oatmeal doesn't satisfy my hunger very long. When I mentioned that, one of the other members here suggested adding fat to it. Nido (full fat) powdered milk was one of the suggestions to do this.

Steel cut oats work well if soaked overnight - but a week's worth of it might be significantly heavier than the "quick" oats.

I have time to hone my morning breakfast menu down, as I won't be doing a thru for several years, but in the mean time I keep doing 1 week sections, and I can experiment with breakfasts that stick around longer so I don't have to carry so much weight in trial mix to keep me going until lunch. :/ ... and for 1 week at a time, I can carry the big can of gas to boil for breakfast AND dinner all week.

[MtDoraDave]

There are some similar recipes around - and I do like this one, but for me, oatmeal doesn't satisfy my hunger very long. When I mentioned that, one of the other members here suggested adding fat to it. Nido (full fat) powdered milk was one of the suggestions to do this.

Steel cut oats work well if soaked overnight - but a week's worth of it might be significantly heavier than the "quick" oats.

I have time to hone my morning breakfast menu down, as I won't be doing a thru for several years, but in the mean time I keep doing 1 week sections, and I can experiment with breakfasts that stick around longer so I don't have to carry so much weight in trial mix to keep me going until lunch. :/ ... and for 1 week at a time, I can carry the big can of gas to boil for breakfast AND dinner all week.

Oh, and there is powdered honey available if you don't want to have to deal with the sticky stuff in your pack.

[Slo-go'en]

I go hiking to get out and enjoy being out and not in a hurry to do anything.Maybe this thread should be for speed hikers.

It depends on if your out there to camp or to hike. It takes long enough to get packed up and moving in the morning as it is, so a quick and easy breakfast is desirable. With that justification, I gravitate towards the sugar intensive Honey Bun/Pop tart/Hostess Apple pie for breakfast myself.

I'm not a big fan of oatmeal, but it is reasonably light, so I'll be giving it another shot soon on the CT. The down side is I'll have to get up 1/2 hour earlier then I'd normally like to.

[Venchka]

thetwelvebens,
What is the breakdown on the whey protein? Grams protein/grams bulk product?
I'm using pea protein and a serving is 20 grams with 15 grams protein.
How does whey protein compare?
Oh, and the pea protein has ZERO sweeteners.
Wayne


Old. Slow. "Smarter than the average bear."

[Puddlefish]

I eat on the trail like I do at home.1/2 cup (dry) steel cut oats or 10 grain cereal.Sweetened with chopped dates.It take about 20 minutes to COOK and you do have to wash a pan when you're finished.I don't know why some hikers refuse to do this.Seems like hikers do this to carry less fuel.Some hikers carry less weight by using fire pits just like a trash can.Let someone else build a fire and burn their trash.IMG_4079.JPGIMG_9324.JPGI go hiking to get out and enjoy being out and not in a hurry to do anything.Maybe this thread should be for speed hikers.

OR... maybe some of us prefer to actually hike than to hang around a campsite and cook. I liked the walking myself. I avoided shelters and the tent sites that were 10 feet from the trail. When possible I went the full 200 feet from the trail and found a nice flat spot for the tent. This meant that there often wasn't a nice picnic table, or convenient fallen tree to sit on or to cook on. If I cooked at all, I carefully attended my stove for the five minutes it took to heat up some water.

Then I packed everything up and started plodding along slowly for the first 30 minutes to get my plantar fasciitis inflicted feet stretched out so I could hike the the next ten hours in minimal pain. Speed hiker? Nope!

It baffles me why people feel the need to judge other people's hikes. Eat your oatmeal how you like, go as fast or slow as you like. None of this impacts anyone else's enjoyment of the trail.