breakfast menu ideas for GC trip?

[straycat]

OK, so we want to get on the water early to maximize sunshine and hiking time, so I planned on a lot of cold and hot cereal breakfasts, with big elaborate breakfasts on layover or short days. But some want big meaty hot breakfasts all the time, which could add an hour to our mornings. Any creative solutions for menu ideas that will satsify everyone?

[climbdenali]

Bacon. You can cook it ahead of time- either the night before, or even at home, and vacuum seal it. If you go this route, you can reheat the bacon in the bag, in the hot water that you're surely boiling for coffee/tea. I'd be pretty happy with a compromise of cereal and bacon. Despite my tendencies toward hot, meaty breakfasts, lately I've become a big fan of oatmeal and dried fruits like apricots, cherries, etc. Again, it can be prepared with minimal effort- just boiling water.

Don't be afraid to try things in the vacuum bags- you'd be surprised what will respond well to freezing/reheating. We've even had good luck reheating yesterday's layover breakfast leftovers in a gallon ziplock in the coffee water.

[bucket52]

Ditto on the Bacon, even Sausage frozen could work the same way...or done the night before.

Throw it on a biscut or in a wrap with some left-over veggies.

Eggs don't take that long. I have found salsa is always a must for me, as it compliments breakfast well.

I don't know how all of this could be laid out for a month long trip, but for a week at a time this is what we have done for a more substantial quick breakfast.

Most important meal of the day!

Also, granola or even grape-nuts with yogurt kicks ass and is one of my personal favorites.

Have a Blast, Eat Well.

MN

[gwheyduke]

Huevos Rancheros ... We take canned black beans (probably best to vacuum seal them at home), some per shredded cheese, salsa of some sort, tortillas and eggs (fresh or powdered). The quacamole in a bag is also a nice addition. You can add chorizo sausage if you want it but I find the vege option more than works for me.

[lhowemt]

I'm one of those morning protein people, so I can relate. Hard boiled eggs (boil the night before) are enough for me to complement those fast breakfast mornings. It's not hot, nor meaty, but may work for just a few of those crack-o-dawn morning departures. For just a few people, eggs in a bag also works great, have some bacon/sausage premade and then throw in whatever the person wants (inc onions, peppers, cheese, etc) with the eggs and boil in a bag. Fast cleanup, but more garbage unless you are diligent about reusing the bags. Breakfast burritos also can go fast if they are kept simple.

[climbdenali]

One other thing you can do that's easy and takes little time is to make sure that there are plenty of snacks for those cold breakfast type mornings- things you can stick in your pockets or a small bag. Granola bars, fruit, snickers. . .whatever. On colder trips I like people to bring thermoses for hot water at breakfast so they can make packets of soups or drinks as they please if they need a little something before lunch or to take the chill off.

Ihow- do you just use ziplock sandwich bags for the boil in bag omlets? Sounds easy if the trip's not too big.

[okieboater]

I have been on trips where the ziploc omelette deal was done and it is different. It does work. Personally, I just throw my omelette mixture in a fry pan as the taste is better to me.

I have done the freezer ziploc deal and drop them in boiling water. I once had a big ziploc bag of ham and beans that touched the bottom of the pan thru the boiling water and that one melted the bag on the bottom. So, be careful and make sure your ziploc bags are the heavy freezer issue and the bags do not touch the metal pans. The more expensive boil in bag versions seem to be more solidly built than the freezer bags.

[lhowemt]

The bag method is definitely not my first choice, just an option to speed things up for a few that want a meat/egg breakfast meal. Yes, be careful with the bottom of the pan (and sides less-so) and use at least freezer bags not regular sandwich bags.

[Robin]

Our friends brought homemade breakfast burritos that had been wrapped in foil & frozen, the morning they cooked breakfast they just piled them in a dutch oven to reheat on the stove. They were fantastic for breakfast & lunch.

[malloypc]

Originally Posted by okieboater

...
I once had a big ziploc bag of ham and beans that touched the bottom of the pan thru the boiling water and that one melted the bag on the bottom. So, be careful and make sure your ziploc bags are the heavy freezer issue and the bags do not touch the metal pans. ..

Throw some rocks in the bottom of the pot, they'll keep the bag from melting against the directly heated pot bottom.
A friend likes to use a steamer basket, but rocks work just as well and don't need to be packed.
Don't go cheap for zip bags on the river, freezer grade is superior to storage / sandwich.