There are countless articles about the best recipes for climbers or the most nutritious food a climber can cook. We’ve all had to scroll past the long, emotional stories and too many pictures of unrelated food to get to the no-bake granola bar recipe that we probably weren’t ever going to make. So, what we’ve done for you here is put together some simple, no BS recipes. No stories. No skill required. Just put these in your back pocket for your next climbing trip and let us know what you think!
Pre-trip Recipe: No-bake banana granola bar
So here’s that no-bake banana granola bar recipe. This recipe should take no more than 10 minutes and is super easy to make vegan. You can bring about 5 of these out on a day trip and munch on them all day.
Ingredients
2 large (preferably overripe) bananas
1 cup of any oats
1/2 cup of any nuts
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp chocolate chips (try dark chocolate)
2 tbsp dried fruit
3 tsp cocoa powder (try unsweetened)
(optional) 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or any other sweetener
Instructions
Mash those bananas up good! Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and cocoa. Mix well.
Throw in everything else.
Use paper liners in a muffin pan (if you don’t have a muffin pan, lay out and shape on a tray), and press the mixture in tight.
Freeze for 90 minutes!
Fair warning: on a hot day, these puppies may melt if you leave them in the heat. But if you prep these the night before a day trip and bring a Tupperware full of them, you will not regret it. I’ve tried these with all kinds of nuts, fruits, chocolate, seeds, and sweeteners. We promise there is no wrong combo.
Each granola bar is probably going to be somewhere around 100 calories, depending on how big you make them and what ingredients you use. All in all, though, these are an excellent, easy snack for a day trip and can easily keep you fueled to send.
Campfire Recipe: Tinfoil bombs
There is nothing worse than doing the dishes outside. To add to that, getting enough protein is one of the toughest things about eating and cooking in the outdoors. So, campfire meals must a) be effortless to clean up and b) have as much protein as possible. With that in mind, here is a campfire classic that we like to call tinfoil bombs. You can put anything in these. Again, no wrong answers. A protein, some veggies, and just the right seasoning. But here’s a favorite that we have used countless times.
Ingredients
Heavy-duty tinfoil (please do not eat)
One salmon fillet
½ potato cubed
¼ onion diced
1 tbsp olive oil
lemon pepper, rosemary, garlic powder, salt (to taste)
Instructions
It’s easiest to cut up the veggies at home and throw them in a container and prep the seasoning in another small container (if you put about a half teaspoon of each and salt to taste, you should be good). Keep the salmon in the packaging, no prep necessary. And always have a small bottle of olive oil with your car-camping equipment!
Unwrap the salmon and make a couple of cuts along the fillet. Be sure to rub some of the seasonings in before adding in the rest of the ingredients.
Mix everything in heavy-duty foil. Pro tip: always double wrap.
Throw that bomb in the fire! You can either place it on a BBQ grate or right into the flames. Depending on the heat, it will probably need to cook for around 45 minutes. Just be sure to check on it at approximately 30 minutes to make sure you don’t overcook it. The margin for error is surprisingly large! Don’t stress about pulling it out at the exact right time.
Eat it right out of the tinfoil. Throw the foil away. Done.
Backcountry Snack
Everyone has a favorite backcountry recipe or snack, but there is only one acceptable answer.
Ingredients
Cheez-its
Instructions
Open the bag of Cheez-its.
Eat all of the Cheez-its.
Comment below and let us know what you think about our recipes or any favorites that you would like us to try out!
“You can’t outrun your diet.” You also can’t outclimb it. Read about How To Eat Your Way To Better Climbing.