The Gas Station MRE challenge

[Barry Rowland]

Finally, Dinner!  I left my chili meal sitting in the sun at my vehicle.  At 92 degrees F. and no cloud cover, it was definitely warm!   Most of the MRE's I had while in the Army were unheated, so cold Chili wouldn't have bothered me much. 
Not pictured was the orange drink mix and M&M's I consumed while hiking.  I actually came out with food left over, up to this point.  I'll catch up with some raisins and probably some more M&M's as the evening goes on, but I rarely consumed all the MRE'S that I had on active duty. 

[Nix]

In honor of cbl51 and for just pure fun, I broke out the original pocket rocket, an Optimus 8 stove. 

Love these old stoves!   

[Barry Rowland]

 

[Nix]

I rarely consumed all the MRE'S that I had on active duty.

...and that's why we never grew up big and strong to make General.   

[Barry Rowland]

Me too buddy!  One time Def and I were chatting about camp stoves and I thought I'd take a picture of mine.
Turns out I have something to the tune of 12 stoves of all shapes and sizes!  I have no idea how I managed that 

Love these old stoves!   

[Barry Rowland]

  Right you are my friend!

...and that's why we never grew up big and strong to make General.   

[McStitchy]

...and that's why we never grew up big and strong to make General.   

[Adam5]

Hope this turned out OK..... 

( and didn't I say 'Tabasco'!    )

Somehow I have avoid stomach distress today 
I feel fortunate 

[Alan K.]

Chow Day 19:30
Well, I skipped having an afternoon snack because after carbo loading at lunch I took a 3 hour nap.  It was glorious.  Still not especially hungry, so I decided to have the instant oatmeal for supper instead of the SPAM.  I had finished the previous Propel water lemon crystals with lunch so I opened another for my evening tea.  I also had the snack pack of cheese dip and mini bread sticks because they had been calling me.  Started supper off by boiling another pot of water on the 2 burner Coleman stove. That's the same way I started breakfast but I didn't think of taking a picture of it earlier.  I had just enough for the oatmeal and the tea.  The instant oatmeal was 160 calories, 3g fiber, 32g carbohydrates.  The cheese dip and mini bread sticks doesn't have complete nutritional info on it so all I know is it had 70 calories.  I haven't had so many carbs and so much sodium in one day in a long time.  The thing about carbs and sodium is the more you have the more you want to have.  Remaining unused in the Ziploc bag is 1 more Glucerna snack shake, 2 more chocolate peanut butter Zone bars, 1 can of SPAM Lite, 2 more packets of Propel water lemon crystals, and 4 more tea bags.  I still have another 4 hours to eat out of my GSMRE if I get hungry again later.

[Nix]

 

[Alan K.]

Chow Day 20:10
Having a snack.  I had no more than finished posting my previous post when I decided to have one of the Zone bars.  Not worth another picture because I already had a Zone bar today. That's another 220 calories.

[Nix]

Chow Day 15:43 ( or thereabouts ):


I broke out the Snack module after I got home from my hike. Lovely hike, but I was hot, sweating, and had no appetite. However, I knew the snack module had some "Beverage base, Lemon", and that sounded really good.





Clockwise from the impressive looking pouch of Sport Beans:

• Sport Beans ( Jelly bean candies with a bunch of electrolytes. These make a great little snack when taken with a bunch of water. )
• More sweetened condensed milk
• Recoverite nutritional shake ( a lot of sugar, but a lot of protein and micronutrients, too )
• Gin Gins ginger candies (3)
• Beverage base, Lemon (True Lemon drink mix)
• Charms candy ( Like lifesavers or 'boiled sweets'. Charms candies have been added to lifeboat rations, pilot survival kits, and rations since WW2. I had to include a pack of these! )
• Tea (1)
• Pistachios ( lazy man's version: pre-shelled )
• Savory seeds ( A mix of seeds, cooked lentils, toasted buckwheat, and lime flavorings )


Still without appetite, I just used the True Lemon beverage. I do like this stuff. No nutrion to speak of, but it tastes like lemonade.

[Adam5]

Overall, the challenge went well for me today. To be honest, in certain ways it resembles what I typically eat during a work day. I eat fruit bars (with a banana and yogurt) foe breakfast. And there are many days when I have tuna or salmon salad for lunch. But I typically do not have snacks during the day. I may have to change that.

Breakfast: Could have eaten a little more, but it was enough.
Morning snack: I was ready for a snack at that time. Don't think I will choose to have a Slim Jim combo in the future.
Lunch: Would have been better to choose either tuna or salmon, but not both. Felt a little too full afterwards.
Afternoon snack: Enjoyed it except for the old tasting cashews.
Dinner: By this point, I could have gone without food. But I ate what I could.

Something to point out:
The food I chose cost me as much or more than if I ate fast food for all three meals. Gas station food is not cheap! Of course, I could have bought many of the items from grocery stores and saved money. But it was more fun hitting the gas stations/convenience stores instead.

If this or a similar challenge occurs again, I am going to make sure that I am not working. I am interested in the portable stoves that were used today and would like to try something like that out.

PS
I am glad that Nix thought up this challenge and that it appears Mags kept his head. Though there could still be a day of reckoning for Mags if the crew ever discovers what he did!

[Nix]

Chow Day 20:10
Having a snack.  I had no more than finished posting my previous post when I decided to have one of the Zone bars.  Not worth another picture because I already had a Zone bar today. That's another 220 calories.

 

( I've had some Zone bars in the past ( several years ago ). I thought they were pretty good. But my memory might be faulty there. )

[Nix]

I am glad that Nix thought up this challenge and that it appears Mags kept his head. Though there could still be a day of reckoning for Mags if the crew ever discovers what he did!

Great wrap-up!  And a very nice job, too. Especially since you put yours together quickly from the eponymous Gas Stations. 

And wise words for Mags to heed!

( I'm thinking we will try to run this again in a "Holiday Edition".  )

[Nix]

Something to point out:
The food I chose cost me as much or more than if I ate fast food for all three meals. Gas station food is not cheap!

    I used somethings that I already had on a shelf. Some items, like the olives, I picked up at a super market. The Charms candy I found at a specialty store downtown. The rest I found at a couple different Gas Stations. I didn't keep track, but I spent a fair amount of money on this day's food.

I'll have some left over food and snacks for future adventures, but this was not 'budget dining'!   

[Sea Monster]

I try not to crack a pack until I'm on the highway, but as soon as I was up to speed I reach across to grab breakfast - some nice honey, vanilla and cranberry glazed nuts.

I was hungry, but I had to try to keep it slow. It was an effort, they were quite moreish.
Washed them down with a bit of water.

The first hour's not too bad, the day is young, energy is good, it's the first playthrough of songs.

200kms on, it's time for another snack. I don't want to crack into anything too nice, so it's a muesli bar, and some more water.

Another 100kms on, it's the worst part of the trip, sixty zones, traffic, lights, the works. Time for the big guns - out comes the biscuits. At this point eating is a distraction to avoid wanting to run people off the road.

The packet disappears over the next hour, and it's time for some Jerky. There's still a couple of biscuits left. Saving them for some variety later in the evening.

Another hour, and we're halfway through the day, time to crack the energy drink. It's super sweet and I'm in it for the long haul, so just a sip, and into the cup holder it goes.

Jerky is getting a bit old now, but it's a resealable pack, so it gets closed up and I reach back into the sack, I'm navigating by feel and out comes the berry nut mix.
There's really not much of it, and it hasn't hit the spot, so I go straight back in and get the orange nut mix too. It's a bit more flavoursome.

A growing pile of wrappers makes me worry I'm not going to make the rest of the day, so I have another sip of the energy drink, and settle in for another hour of no snacking.

The roads are good and we're well out of town, the only vehicles on the road are trucks, and its a nice easy surface, so the kms, and the time, slip past easily.

We're about 600kms in, and I'm feeling peckish again, so I grab the mini meal.
It's dense and crumbly, and very very dry. I take a bite, then jam it into the armrest. Some water to lubricate, then a sip of energy drink.
I last maybe twenty minutes, and it's time for another bite, same routine.

It's now a game of patience. I've got half a mini meal, half a pack of jerky, and a couple of biscuits to last me about three hours. I'm saving the tuna for arrival.

I finish off the energy drink. It's horrible stuff, sickly sweet. I'm on the home stretch now. I alternate between the scraps that are left, polishing off every crumb, by the time I'm done I've still got 90 minutes to go.

Not to worry though, the excitement of arrival is plenty to keep going on.

Finally, I pull into the yard.

I've been sitting in the cab for nearly 12 hours, and the bladder is quite full...so I do what I gotta do, and prepare for the final meal of the day - sweet chilli tuna.

It's dryer than I expected, the stuff in tins usually has a lot of oil, this stuff appears to be "sandwich ready" I guess that's good if you're putting it on bread and don't want to drain it, but it makes it a bit hard to swallow straight from the pack.

I finish it off in a couple of spork fulls, wash it down with some water. Take my collection of wrappers to the bin, and crawl onto my crap mattress for the night.

[Sos24]

Chow Day 1930 (7:30pm)

I went in for the freeze dried beef stroganoff that I “cooked” in the solar bag.  It wasn’t hot, but it was definitely warm, so I would call it a success and good product.  I would use the solar bag again.  I also, finished off the trail mix and at a fruit cup.

I forgot the picture until after I ate everything, but the trail mix.

[MadPlumbarian]

I’ve had a few of the real military ones back in the day and now the kid said he wants to try one.
JR

[Nix]

I try not to crack a pack until I'm on the highway, but as soon as I was up to speed I reach across to grab breakfast - some nice honey, vanilla and cranberry glazed nuts.

I was hungry, but I had to try to keep it slow. It was an effort, they were quite moreish.
Washed them down with a bit of water.

The first hour's not too bad, the day is young, energy is good, it's the first playthrough of songs.

200kms on, it's time for another snack. I don't want to crack into anything too nice, so it's a muesli bar, and some more water.

Another 100kms on, it's the worst part of the trip, sixty zones, traffic, lights, the works. Time for the big guns - out comes the biscuits. At this point eating is a distraction to avoid wanting to run people off the road.

The packet disappears over the next hour, and it's time for some Jerky. There's still a couple of biscuits left. Saving them for some variety later in the evening.

Another hour, and we're halfway through the day, time to crack the energy drink. It's super sweet and I'm in it for the long haul, so just a sip, and into the cup holder it goes.

Jerky is getting a bit old now, but it's a resealable pack, so it gets closed up and I reach back into the sack, I'm navigating by feel and out comes the berry nut mix.
There's really not much of it, and it hasn't hit the spot, so I go straight back in and get the orange nut mix too. It's a bit more flavoursome.

A growing pile of wrappers makes me worry I'm not going to make the rest of the day, so I have another sip of the energy drink, and settle in for another hour of no snacking.

The roads are good and we're well out of town, the only vehicles on the road are trucks, and its a nice easy surface, so the kms, and the time, slip past easily.

We're about 600kms in, and I'm feeling peckish again, so I grab the mini meal.
It's dense and crumbly, and very very dry. I take a bite, then jam it into the armrest. Some water to lubricate, then a sip of energy drink.
I last maybe twenty minutes, and it's time for another bite, same routine.

It's now a game of patience. I've got half a mini meal, half a pack of jerky, and a couple of biscuits to last me about three hours. I'm saving the tuna for arrival.

I finish off the energy drink. It's horrible stuff, sickly sweet. I'm on the home stretch now. I alternate between the scraps that are left, polishing off every crumb, by the time I'm done I've still got 90 minutes to go.

Not to worry though, the excitement of arrival is plenty to keep going on.

Finally, I pull into the yard.

I've been sitting in the cab for nearly 12 hours, and the bladder is quite full...so I do what I gotta do, and prepare for the final meal of the day - sweet chilli tuna.

It's dryer than I expected, the stuff in tins usually has a lot of oil, this stuff appears to be "sandwich ready" I guess that's good if you're putting it on bread and don't want to drain it, but it makes it a bit hard to swallow straight from the pack.

I finish it off in a couple of spork fulls, wash it down with some water. Take my collection of wrappers to the bin, and crawl onto my crap mattress for the night.

Nice write up.     And sounds like a successful trip!   

[Nix]

Chow Day 16:45ish :

After having a bunch of water and relaxing a bit, my appetite perked up. I decided to try the Patagonia 'seed' mix, which is new to me.





With my first bite I thought the seed mix was "interesting"....toasty and malty  I told Mrs Nix that it tasted "earthy" and like "Hippy food, but in a good way."  As I sampled it more, the flavors grew on me: some sharp lime and a little heat. It was nice and crunchy. Before I knew it, I had polished the little grains off.

I'll pick up some more of this at some point. Makes for a nice snack and provides 130 Kcal of mixed proteins and carbs in a small package. It would be easy to stuff one or two of these in a fishing vest, motorcycle tank bag, or waist pack.

[Nix]

Chow Day 17:30ish :

Broke out the Dinner module. I was really looking forward to this meal.





Clockwise from top-left:

• Tuna fish ( As SeaMonster noted, this is dry packed with very little liquid. Makes for an easy carry. )
• Hydrant beverage powder, Lime ( Another low-calorie drink flavoring, but this one has some electrolytes. )
• M&M's ( Another military ration classic. During WW2, sales were limited to military buyers only. )
• Crackers with cheese  ( I had difficulty finding small packages of crackers. 'Hardtack' is a classic ration item. These were my substitute. )
• Chana Masala ( Chickpeas in sauce. I love chickpeas. )
• Licorice tea (2) ( Non-caffeinated hot beverage useful for sitting around and telling exaggerated tales of adventure. )
• Hot Cocoa mix
• Center: Vegemite, small serving ( I'm completely jealous of the New Zealand and Australian rations that come with Vegemite. I love the stuff. Soooo much better than Marmite, too. )

[McStitchy]

    I used somethings that I already had on a shelf. Some items, like the olives, I picked up at a super market. The Charms candy I found at a specialty store downtown. The rest I found at a couple different Gas Stations. I didn't keep track, but I spent a fair amount of money on this day's food.

I'll have some left over food and snacks for future adventures, but this was not 'budget dining'!   

True that!
I never had a MRE put together before like this. I've got them provided 

I'll definitively keep one or two handy and explore alternatives. Also, maybe it is possible to make something home cooked shelf stable 

[Nix]

Chow day 17:40ish ( Dinner ):

This one is for Sos24:




Chana heating up on the old Coleman Peak 1.

The Peak one still had some fuel in it ( and was under pressure! ) after sitting in the garage for the past....6...8....12 months? 

I added a few tablesppons of fresh fuel, pumped it up, and it fired up with one match. Truly a sturdy and reliable stove.

And, as can be seen in the photo, it has a nice low simmer feature.





Overlook the weight and the bulk and you'd think this was the greatest stove ever.   

Chana got heated up and then Tuna and Tabasco was added at the end. ( Made with Tabasco, it has to be good! )





If it looks a bit soupy, that is because I added a bit of water to help prevent scorching. ( Ask me how I know.    )
If it looks a bit messy, that is because I stirred frequently to help prevent scorching. ( Ask me how I know.    )

Blending Thai tuna with Indian chickpeas might not be a perfect marriage of flavors, but it worked really well. ( Must have been the Tabasco that tied it awl together.....    )

[Sos24]

I try not to crack a pack until I'm on the highway, but as soon as I was up to speed I reach across to grab breakfast - some nice honey, vanilla and cranberry glazed nuts.

I was hungry, but I had to try to keep it slow. It was an effort, they were quite moreish.
Washed them down with a bit of water.

The first hour's not too bad, the day is young, energy is good, it's the first playthrough of songs.

200kms on, it's time for another snack. I don't want to crack into anything too nice, so it's a muesli bar, and some more water.

Another 100kms on, it's the worst part of the trip, sixty zones, traffic, lights, the works. Time for the big guns - out comes the biscuits. At this point eating is a distraction to avoid wanting to run people off the road.

The packet disappears over the next hour, and it's time for some Jerky. There's still a couple of biscuits left. Saving them for some variety later in the evening.

Another hour, and we're halfway through the day, time to crack the energy drink. It's super sweet and I'm in it for the long haul, so just a sip, and into the cup holder it goes.

Jerky is getting a bit old now, but it's a resealable pack, so it gets closed up and I reach back into the sack, I'm navigating by feel and out comes the berry nut mix.
There's really not much of it, and it hasn't hit the spot, so I go straight back in and get the orange nut mix too. It's a bit more flavoursome.

A growing pile of wrappers makes me worry I'm not going to make the rest of the day, so I have another sip of the energy drink, and settle in for another hour of no snacking.

The roads are good and we're well out of town, the only vehicles on the road are trucks, and its a nice easy surface, so the kms, and the time, slip past easily.

We're about 600kms in, and I'm feeling peckish again, so I grab the mini meal.
It's dense and crumbly, and very very dry. I take a bite, then jam it into the armrest. Some water to lubricate, then a sip of energy drink.
I last maybe twenty minutes, and it's time for another bite, same routine.

It's now a game of patience. I've got half a mini meal, half a pack of jerky, and a couple of biscuits to last me about three hours. I'm saving the tuna for arrival.

I finish off the energy drink. It's horrible stuff, sickly sweet. I'm on the home stretch now. I alternate between the scraps that are left, polishing off every crumb, by the time I'm done I've still got 90 minutes to go.

Not to worry though, the excitement of arrival is plenty to keep going on.

Finally, I pull into the yard.

I've been sitting in the cab for nearly 12 hours, and the bladder is quite full...so I do what I gotta do, and prepare for the final meal of the day - sweet chilli tuna.

It's dryer than I expected, the stuff in tins usually has a lot of oil, this stuff appears to be "sandwich ready" I guess that's good if you're putting it on bread and don't want to drain it, but it makes it a bit hard to swallow straight from the pack.

I finish it off in a couple of spork fulls, wash it down with some water. Take my collection of wrappers to the bin, and crawl onto my crap mattress for the night.

Love the recap.  Sounds like a long day of driving and snacking.

[Nix]

Also, maybe it is possible to make something home cooked shelf stable 

Yes, it is.

In my younger days, I made some crude 'energy bars'. I forget where I got the recipe, but they were dense, compact, durable, lethal when throw hard, and more or less edible. Making them involved baking and re-baking the little bricks. The kept really well and I took them on camping and fishing trips. They were completely uninspiring, but they kept one going ( because after eating several for several days I was will ing to go anywhere and do anything for some good food. )

More recently, I made some 'granola bars" that I packaged in zip top bags and stored in the freezer. I'd take a few out and pack them on trips, hikes, or office lunches. Often they would sit around for days and days, but remained good and fairly tasty.

I might be tempted to make another batch of granola bars.....if I can find the recipe....

[GearedForwards]

There's also hard tack 

[Nix]

There's also hard tack 

I've looked at recipes for that, but never had a go. I should.

....because who doesn't love hard tack........ 

[Nix]

Chow Day 20:10ish :

Chow Day is winding down here. Made a mug of that delicious Licorice tea and opened up the M&M's





I'd never tried the caramel filled M&M's before. And I only got to try half of them...because Mrs Nix decided she needed to try some GSMRE luxury..... They were good. They won't replace peanut M&M's in my world, but I'd eat them again.   

[Sos24]

    I used somethings that I already had on a shelf. Some items, like the olives, I picked up at a super market. The Charms candy I found at a specialty store downtown. The rest I found at a couple different Gas Stations. I didn't keep track, but I spent a fair amount of money on this day's food.

I'll have some left over food and snacks for future adventures, but this was not 'budget dining'!   

It seems gas stations and convenience stores usually charge 25-50% more just for the “convenience” factor.  I’ve gotten in the habit of trying to avoid convenience stores because of that.  Fortunately at home, the nearest grocery store is at the same intersection as the nearest convenience store and the next closest  is still within a mile and usually a quick trip because smaller.  Even when traveling, I’ll try finding out where the nearest grocery store is.