Becoming Mobile: Dehydrated Meals

My second round of traveling on SCD was a success!  Most of our family went to Québec this summer for a beautiful wedding, a birthday, and to catch-up with the large family on the side of the "Queen Bee" (my mom).  This time around, traveling was much easier: I had access to a kitchen and 'legal' foods for the duration of my stay...thanks to my ninety year old Grandma for the use of her kitchen and one of my lovely aunts who provided meats/veggies/fruits and cooking machines (yogurt maker, hand blender, yonana, crockpot).  So, all I needed to prepare for this trip was some dehydrated meals to have on hand for the plane there and back, meals to cover the first couple of days, and then some extras for emergencies.  Of course, I went overboard and made way too much...but no problem, I can keep them for a sudden trip that gets thrown on us or for a camping getaway!

You can check-out how I used dehydrated foods to travel to France last summer by clicking here.  Since that post didn't have specific pictures (and I used every last package), I want to give you more of a visual of what these dehydrated meals look like.  Obviously, I'm not at a very advanced phase of SCD but if you are interested in doing this with the types of foods that you eat, it is possible! You can dehydrate stews, lasagna, chili, and most meals that you make...which could bring a whole new level to camping or wilderness hikes.

All of the packages that I make are prepared to be equal to one serving.  To create these packages, I cook my food the exact way that I normally do and then I cut-out freezer paper to place on the dehydrator trays (shiny side up).  I then place a servings worth on the paper and flatten it out as much as possible (I can usually fit 2-4 servings per dehydrator tray).  Keeping the servings separate makes it so much easier when packaging later (you don't have to guess about how much a portion is when it is all shriveled-up).  I always have to play a bit with the heat and length of time that I dehydrate the foods but most are close to what the dehydrator has marked.  Half-way through dehydration, I flip over the meals so that way they are dried all the way through.  All of the meals basically become crunchy, chip-like.  Another thing to keep in mind is to dehydrate like foods together, otherwise the flavor of some foods can be tasted on less 'strong' foods.

When finished, I place them in "Cook-In-Bags" from Packit Gourmet.  These bags are amazing!  When ready to eat, I add hot/boiling water to the bags and then clip the area shut (with a chip clip) to trap the heat.  After a few minutes my food is reconstituted!  The small little rectangles in the bags are called silica gel desiccants (also from Packit Gourmet), which absorb all moisture and have a "near indefinite lifespan" (they are removed before adding water and eating). 

So, when traveling, all I really need is access to hot water and I can have a gourmet meal in minutes.  An added bonus is that these packages are small and very light, so it's so easy to have a couple in my purse when flying/traveling and not be weighed-down by transporting food everywhere.

I am guessing you are wondering about the labels, wonderfully produced by "The Godfather" (my dad)!  Well, when I flew to France, it was required that all food brought into the country was commercially packaged (unopened).  So, The Godfather came up with an 'official' packaging label so that way they looked legit...which includes a list of ingredients, meal name, logo, and barcode.  Although this wasn't necessary for Québec, it did make it easier to keep track of each food item, so we did it again. 

I hope that gives you a better idea of what it means for me to travel with dehydrated foods.  The possibilities are endless with this type of food preparation, even for non-SCDers: you can have packaged meals on hand if the electricity or fridge/freezer goes out, you are able to hike without tons of canned foods weighing you down, it's an easy way to travel with baby food, and, of course, it's a great solution for food sensitivities!  All in all, this has definitely made me more mobile and I'm so thankful for the people and resources that have helped me build my confidence when traveling.

~Andréa

I'm curious, how do you think you could use this idea in your own life or to help others?