Apple Quinoa Oatmeal
Precooked quinoa, hemp seeds, and freeze-dried apple mixed at home. Real pieces of food, ready in five minutes.
- calories
- 340
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 106
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 240 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Rolled oats | 1/3 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Precooked quinoa | 1/4 cup | instant or boxed is fine |
| Freeze-dried apple | 1/4 cup | break into chunks if pieces are large |
| Hemp seeds | 1 tbsp | |
| Cane sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Sea salt | a pinch | add more to taste at camp |
Method
- At home, mix all ingredients into a single-serving freezer bag. No measuring in the dark.
- At camp, pour the bag into your mug or pot.
- Add 240 ml of boiled water and stir well.
- Cover and let sit five minutes. The apple softens fast and the precooked quinoa needs no further cooking.
- Stir and eat from the bag or mug. Add salt to taste.
Visible ingredients matter. Unlike instant packets full of dust and artificial flavor, you taste actual apple pieces and seeds. The precooked quinoa is already soft, so it doesn’t compete with oats for water. No mushy grain race, no dry bits left behind. Hemp seeds carry calories without weight, and the mix of textures—soft oats, firm quinoa bits, chewy apple—keeps breakfast from becoming a uniform paste.
This meal runs low on salt, which is fine. Add a pinch at camp to taste. Freeze-dried apple rehydrates in minutes, and five minutes total gets you fed and moving.
Packing
Mix a batch into small freezer bags the night before you leave. Everything is shelf-stable and travels loose or in a ditty bag. Label the bags so you track how old they are.
Variations
- Swap the apple for peach, strawberry, or blueberry—freeze-dried fruit softens the same way.
- Add a tablespoon of peanut butter powder for more protein.
https://trailcooking.com/2024/01/17/commercial-meal-review-backpackers-pantry-cinnamon-apple-oats