Great Sledding Meals to Fuel your Adventure
Packing a lunch and high energy snacks is an important part of backcountry snowmobiling. Let’s face it though, we are all pretty much over the whole soggy sandwich that gets squished amongst the contents of our tunnel bag or backpack. So, what are some alternatives to sandwiches? Here are some ideas!
Muff Pot/Hot Dogger
These unique gadgets attach to your exhaust system, and warm meals for you while you ride. You certainly can go with the smokie/hot dog route with these, but some have gotten a little more creative.
Garlic/Rosemary Baby Potatoes with Shrimp: Utilizing canned baby potatoes, or pre boiled potatoes, season with your favorite herbs. Use pre-cooked shrimp for food safety precautions, as these cookers warm not necessarily cook meat to a safe temperature from raw.
Perogies topped with cheese- From the frozen food aisle choose your favorite perogy. We put a tablespoon of broth or water in the bottom to steam them somewhat. You can top with bacon or get fancy with taco seasoned beef or elk.
Meatballs: Meatballs are a go to for many riders. For a little extra nutrition, some will forego breadcrumbs as the binder using rice instead. Filling and nutritious meatballs will get you through the day with a great protein boost.
Leftovers such as spaghetti, lasagna or your roast beef dinner- This is a great way to utilize leftovers and have a great hot meal on the hill. You can freeze leftovers in your muffpot, then store in a airtight container until you’re ready to use.
It is important to note that these cookers will warm food but will not cook a large raw slab of meat to a safe internal temperature. Check out the frozen food section of your local grocery store and you will find the possibilities are endless.
For easy clean up use parchment paper or oven bags to line your cooker. Tinfoil tends to blacken them making clean up a bit messy. Here is more information on muff pots and hot doggers from our friends at Mountain Sledder Magazine: Muffpot Cookbook tips
If you do not have a Muff Pot or Hot Dogger
Hard Boiled Eggs are another great choice for a backcountry snack. They are an excellent source of high-quality protein and rich in B vitamins, zinc, calcium and other important nutrients and antioxidants like choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Use a Ziploc type container to store the eggs to prevent them from getting crushed in your storage bag.
Jerky and Pepperoni sticks: Another easy snack that packs well and provides a solid source of protein. Bonus points if it is your own wild harvest meats such as elk, goose, deer or bear.
Crackers and Cheese: A great addition to pepperoni sticks and jerky.
Trail Mix: Trail mix is a great snack that will help keep you fueled as you ride.
Protein Bars and Granola Bars: Again, extremely easy to pack and access, protein bars are an excellent choice for a snack, or for emergency rations should you become delayed in the backcountry.
Salads: Quinoa, Pasta, and potato salads are all easy meals that are easy to pack in a Ziplock type storage container. Be sure to pack utensils.
It’s also important to remember hydration. For those who are not a fan of commercial electrolyte drinks, some options include bone broth, tea and some high-quality H2O. (Yes, that was a Water boy Bobby Boucher reference)
While in the past, some may have opted for cooking meals in warm up shelters located in many of our BCSF club riding areas. The pandemic has changed the way that we should be utilizing our shelters. We want to remind everyone to limit their stay in these shelters along with the number of people in each shelter following the protocol recommended by the Provincial Health Officer. Please respect one another, maintain social distancing and obey occupancy limits posted. Please be prepared to manage your own risks if you go to the shelter and even better save the shelters for emergency use only.
Instead eat your lunch, on the back of your snowmobile, at any of the many beautiful lookouts we have in BC. Take a picture and tag #letsridebc to show the world what they could be enjoying while out riding a snowmobile in beautiful British Columbia.