Backpacking Oatmeal: Reinvigorate your Oats

Remember when oatmeal used to taste sweet on backpacking trips? You’d call dibs on Maple Sugar and force Apples and Cinnamon on your friends. Now, unless you’re absolutely starving, it’s all blurred into the same bland, bowel-blocking blend of carbs.

No more! We’re sick of the slop. Time to stoke mornings in the backcountry with Active Junky’s top ways to reinvigorate your oatmeal.

1. Pancakes

A few minutes of night-before preparation and a dribble of Maple Syrup put energizing pancakes a Teflon pan away.  Pro tip: soak oats overnight to release more nutrients. Plus, pancakes enable you to avoid camp mug cleanup after a bout with sludgy oats.

Best For: Tastier mornings with fewer cleanups.

Active Junky Favorite Recipe

2. Traditional Scottish Bannock

Bring butter and a few tablespoons of baking soda to turn your slimy oatmeal into a traditional Scottish delight: Bannock bread.  Make extra to replace costly energy bars.

Best For: Filling snacks throughout the day

Active Junky Favorite Recipe

3. Oatmeal Marshmallows

Dip your marshmallow in oatmeal before toasting for the perfect crunchy compliment to a gooey interior. Sticky fingers are less frequent but more delicious.

Best For: Adding nutrition to s’mores

4. Oatmeal Bars

All natural snacks are making a comeback.  These 5-ingredient oat bars pack a boost on the trail.  Make them beforehand or, with a no-bake recipe, whip them together at basecamp. Stove set-up is optional tomorrow morning.

Best For: No-cook mornings, simple sustenance.

5. Make Your Own

A few pulses in a food processor turn rolled oats into healthier, fresher, tastier instant oats.¹   Packet-free packaging slashes waste as calorie-counters dial in serving size. Oats are naturally gluten-free, a guarantee not all pre-packed oats keep – suspicious, eh?  Add dehydrated fruit and nuts for personalized, no-crash fuel.

Best For: Use this in any of the above recipes to become a true oatmeal expert. 

Bonus: Better Butter

Many of these recipes call for a fat, usually butter.  For longer trips, make ghee instead.  It boasts stability at higher temps and an extended shelf life.

¹http://noshon.it/tips/how-to-turn-rolled-oats-into-quick-cooking-oats/