NomNomNom

On my first long distance bike trip, I ate out for all my meals/snacks and it was great. It was convenient, delicious and it meant I carried far less gear than if I were preparing my own food. It was also expensive and unsustainable, kind of a Bummer. BUT...Camp cooking can be fun and with some finagle and experimenting, I've found some really tasty, affordable and easy to make eats. The first thing to consider is that to cook, I only have a tiny biofuel stove, the flame of which is little more than that of 2-3 candles (and the flame only lasts around 14 minutes), a 900mL lightweight pot and a small collapsible bowl that also functions as a cutting board and Tupperware. The second thing to consider is that water is very, very heavy and most things that are easy to heat up have very high water content or come in heavy packaging. Anything canned, in a sauce or in bulky packaging is a no-go . Third, I'm vegetarian. The challenge was figuring out how to navigate those considerations into something yummy then portion it into 10 day increments, far in advance.

I found a few companies that specialize in organic dehydrated foods and made bulk purchases of beans, corn, spinach, garlic, onions, peas, peppers and sweet potatoes. I portioned out quality steel cut oatmeal with a hearty mix of seeds/nuts/dried fruit. The biggest perk in meal prep is living in lower Manhattan with easy access to Chinatown, an amazing mecca for dehydrated, shelf stable foods and amazing/unique snacks. I stocked up on ramen that comes with seasoning the boasts 20 grams of plant protein and enough umami to satisfy any meat-eater, shelf stable seitan/soy based mock chicken/beef and even truffle flavored plant jerky. I also grabbed some harder to find, yummy snacks like matcha pocky and wasabi seaweed. You know what's nice after a long day of biking? A bowl of noodles in a mixed veggie broth topped with some mock sesame chicken.

Sweat: I do a lot of it. I carry a lot of rehydration/electrolyte powder.

Caffeine: If you've met me, you know how much I like my coffee. For my "coffee system", I have one of the lightest thermos on the market, a reusable/collapsible pour over mesh that clips onto the edge of my thermos. To slow down the water and make the coffee a little stronger, I use unbleached filters even though the mesh can be used alone.

Water: Technically, my water carrying capacity is about 5 liters in the form of a very large 1.5L bottle, two 1L rollable water bags, 1L cage and a thermos but very rarely will I need to carry that much. Most campsites have easy access to potable water and most of my routes pass through populated areas where I can stop and refill. I usually start the day with 1.5-2L, refill at some point during the day and replenish at the campsite. Depending on the temperature/time biking, I usually drink between 3-7L a day. Like I said, the sweat is real.