healthy snacks for hiking
Backpack Food
The best healthy hiking snacks are homemade! Stay fueled and energized! Fortify yourself before and during the hike with these recipes that travel!
In this blog post, I am going to share some of Ally’s recipes, perfect for a healthy-hike and staying fueled on the trail. It’s backpack food that will be easy to tote and keep you fueled. This will include quick breakfast options to power you up prior to the hike, trail munchies, and lunch ideas for the top of the mountain/trial.
Food for Hikes
Quick Breakfast Options to Fuel-up
Food for hikes requires a lot of energy and this means calories are important on highly active days. Whenever my family hikes, we like to leave the house in the early morning, so something healthy and quick has always been my Mama’s motto—I know she wishes she had known about the two recipes below when we were children.
The first option is full of protein and only eight ingredients! This One-Minute Omelet can be eaten at home or is a great on-the-road option for mornings the family is running a little behind—which was a common reality when rallying my family to leave before 9:00am.
Oatmeal combined with fruit is full of complex-carbohydrates and healthy fiber. That means you will hit the trail with lots of energy and stay full longer—but if you get hungry before the top of the mountain, we have some trail options below. This recipe can be made in the morning as a hot dish, or the night before as an over-night cold oat option—both delicious!
Citrus Honey Nut Oatmeal w/ Cream & Fresh Fruit
Best Hiking Snacks
When summer approaches that means family vacation season! And, we’re always looking for those best hiking snacks. I have crafted a list of healthy hiking snack recipes for these moments. Some of my favorite memories with my family include our annual hiking and camping trips. I remember my brothers, Banks and Cage, and me digging out our hiking boots from the garage, planning our course, and most of all, packing each of our fanny packs with snacks and trail must-haves.
This recipe makes me think of trail mix—but a scrumptious bread version that’s just as easy to eat on-the-move. The use of walnuts and fruit reminds me of a homemade trail mix I used to make with my mama. She would take me to the grocery store with her and we would pick out nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and a few kinds of seeds. This recipe complements these elements with the apple, current, and walnut ingredients.
Applesauce Current Walnut Bread:
This recipe has only five ingredients and is easy to store in a plastic bag for travel. In addition, all the ingredients in the title of this recipe have incredible health benefits. Sea salt is a great alternative to iodized table-salt and carries a much better flavor. Raw sugar is a great alternative to white sugar, as it is less processed. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory agents and tastes like the beginning of autumn.
Day Hike Snacks
Sea Salt, Raw Sugar, and Cinnamon, Roasted Walnuts:
Hiking Recovery Food
The name says it all—mountain + hippie + cheese! These are simple, delicious, and the perfect sandwich to look forward to after you’ve finished your hike. Or you just might want to have it at the top of the mountain or scenic lunchtime stop.
Mountain Hippie Grilled Cheese
Tag your photos at Ally’s Kitchen on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you try any of these recipes on your next adventure. We would love to share. While this is a time of social distancing and quarantining with minimal outer-world contact, nature still provides a respite. Blessings on your May!
By Allie Mitchell
