AK Basecamp Food

I'm heading up to the range in May and am looking for some recommendations regarding base camp food? We'll just be taking backpacking stoves, so nothing too elaborate. Any basic recipes to provide some relief from the top ramen monotony would be appreciated!

Ideally...
-cheap (broke college kid budget)
-tasty
-easy to make (minimal time/fuel usage)

Weight isn't too much of a concern as we'll be climbing off of the Ruth/Toke and will probably be hop-flighting any significant distances.

Cheers!
Chance

Bring a fly rod. You will not regret it.

I call it thanksgiving dinner:

Potato flakes
Stove-top stuffing
Craisins
Some brown gravy mix
And a can of chicken (pouches are lighter if you can find them)

Throw it all into some boiling water (amount takes some guesswork) and stir. Quick, easy, and filling

Chicken quesadillas:

Tortillas
Cheese (block cheese holds up better)
Taco seasoning
Can of chicken

May be hard not burning them depending on what stove you have.

TVP tacos:

TVP
Taco seasoning
Taco Bell salsa packets
Cheese

the sky is the limit,

if you can i'd suggest getting a coleman 2-burner white gas stove,

or 2 whisperlite's can work ok too.

you can put the 2 whisperlites side by side burning at the same time with a pot on top, and it makes a yuge difference in time it takes to melt/boil water.

going to the thrift store in ANC is yuge, get a giant pot for melting water, frying pan, real silverwear etc.

dont forget a nice stove board is key, (look around town in ANC you'll find some scrap wood)

we like to store our food in big rubbermaid bins, an icechest could also be great to bring. Bins are nice to keep the ravens out, they can get through duffels and bags pretty easy. Dont leave the food in a tent or they will rip through your tent.

Dont do fresh produce (or do a minimal amount), it will be ruined by the overnight freezes. Frozen veggies in a bag work well if you can keep em froze between buying and flying.

pre packaged pie crust and pie filling in a can was a hit one year, some reddi-whip on top could make it real nice. After you send the harvard route you can eat some nice apple pie.

also-

oreo milkshakes. a bit of water, crushed up oreos, powdered milk, vanilla if you have it, throw it in a nalgene with some snow, shake it all up until desired texture is reached.

If you fly in to ANC, go shopping and fly onto the glacier the same day it is totally reasonable to buy a few frozen skillet meals and store them in an ice chest.

I've always been a burrito man myself, pretty much just make whatever glop you have and throw it in a tortilla.

Cheesy bagels: bagels topped with cheese and fried in butter.

Couscous with some precooked bacon - very quick to prepare.

Dried tortellini with tomato sauce.

+1 on ravens - put your food in something solid, we used 5 gal plastic pails with lids.

Eli Buzzell wrote:Bring a fly rod. You will not regret it.

Ooh Eli I hear those glacier trout are pretty tasty, eh? Thanks for all the beta though. That all looks tasty! Christoph, thanks for all the input on Nate and my several posts! We may be in the PNW in late May if the AK range is in bad shape, let's get on something! Super stoked for this trip.

Camp Curry all the way! Go to the health store or bulk section, buy a box of zip lock freezer bags, get these and other ingredients on the cheap.

Water to boil, add handfuls in any ratio that suits u.
Minute rice to save fuel, else get the good jade rice.

Proteins
TVP - texturized vegetable protein - tofu crumbles
Dried bean soups - already cooked, just add water
Lentils

Veggies - WF has crunchy veggies to add to the top, other mixes available.

Spices, etc - get more than one type of curry to change it up.
Red pepper flakes
Nutritional yeast - B vitamins for vegans, cheesy umami flavor, thickening agent to be added last.
Sea salt - mountaineers use Himalayan pink salt

Mix up the proteins, veggies, curry, etc for flavor change. Reuse the ziplock bags for near zero waste cooking.