By now, everyone鈥檚 heard the hype about eating paleo, a diet low in processed foods and sugars that鈥檚 allegedly听similar to what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. Some tout the diet鈥檚 lean meats and antioxidant-rich vegetables as a route to superior metabolism and increased muscle function, while others have successfully lost weight by eating paleo. Whatever the overarching reason,听it鈥檚 widely accepted that eating a diet low in processed ingredients leads to better health and fitness. But for outdoor athletes on the go, sticking to the diet听can be very difficult鈥攊t鈥檚 not easy to slip a salad into a pack or听jersey pocket.
Enter Denver-based startup .
Mother and son team Dawn Anderson and Ty Soukup started making their own freeze-dried meals in 2013 after Soukup found nothing suitable on the market to sustain a backpacking trip in Colorado鈥檚 Maroon Bells. They strive to use as few ingredients as possible听and source only those of the highest听quality (non-GMO whenever available). The result:听a modest line of four freeze-dried meals and a pair of energy bars (not tested here), with more items in the works听designed to go head-to-head with other brands entering the growing gourmet freeze-dried market, including Good To-Go, which has vegan options.
In my series of tests, I found that all of the meals, which technically can be rehydrated with cold water, both tasted and rehydrated best when I used water听just below boiling. Rehydration鈥檚 quick鈥攋ust six minutes for all meals tested鈥攁nd complete. Bonus points for the paper packaging, which, thanks to a foil lining, did not wet out.
Final note: I鈥檝e included hacks for each meal鈥攕ome paleo听friendly, some not鈥攖hat can stretch听a single-serving pack to feed two hungry athletes.
Palisade Pineapple Mango and Cliffside Coconut Berry
Both of these听breakfast offerings start with the same base: a blend of freeze-dried coconut water, tapioca dextrose, flaxseed meal,听and almond flour. They rehydrated to a creamy听texture; the packaging suggests adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of听water. pairs bright pineapple with creamy bananas. Crunchy whole pecans and walnuts听round out the听decidedly tropical flavor profile. A dash of salt (okay听by some paleo standards) perked up the flavors. was somewhat less听sweet, with beautifully听rehydrated blueberries and slightly mushy听yet serviceable听strawberries taking center stage. Shards of coconut added texture.听Both flavors听are free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, and nightshade.
Non-paleo tasters liked adding half a package of vanilla Instant Breakfast for a creamier mouthfeel and more sweetness.听All testers happily chomped on an add-in of cubed candied ginger.听
Stats for both meals:
$13, 4.5 ounces each.听Calories: 680 (450 from fat).听Protein: 13 grams.听Carbs: 58 grams.听Fiber: 14 grams.听Fat: 50 grams.听Sodium: 90 milligrams.
Summit Savory Chicken
The smallest dish in the line, both in serving size and calories, is a lighter option for athletes听who struggle with eating after hard exercise, especially at high elevations.听Big protein numbers balance a lower calorie count. While freeze-dried chicken often rehydrates either mushy or tough, all of this meal鈥檚听ingredients, especially the chicken, had great texture, taste, and color. Fat chunks of broccoli鈥攆lorets and stems鈥攕wam in a light sauce with thick mushroom slices and asparagus spears. Spinach added micronutrients and vitamins A and C. Summit Savory Chicken is free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, and nuts.
Non-paleo hack: We added one听packet of soy sauce to the package to give it a slightly Asian twist and boost up the sauce. You can easily feed two by serving this meal听over one听package of boil-in-bag instant rice.
$13, 2.7 ounces.听Calories: 340 (140 from fat).听Protein: 45听grams.听Carbs: 11听grams.听Fiber: 5听grams.听Fat: 15听grams.听Sodium: 660 milligrams.
Mountain Beef Stew
One of our testers, a veteran backcountry gourmand, called this 鈥渢he best rehydrated beef I鈥檝e seen to date.鈥 The quarter-inch cubes retained a firm, toothsome texture and real-world beefy flavor. Carrots, celery, and mushrooms round out the dish and plumped up perfectly. Like the chicken dish, this听stew is very lightly seasoned听and benefitted from the addition of salt (included separately)听and a packet of pepper, which we added. At 13 grams of fat per three-ounce package, this meal will appeal to backpacking gram听counters鈥攊t鈥檚 tough to beat that fat-to-weight ratio in a prepared meal. The only complaint?听A high 1,390 milligrams of sodium. This meal is free of gluten, grain, milk, soy, nuts, and nightshade.
One packet of easily fed two鈥攁nd was reminiscent of shepherd鈥檚 pie鈥攚hen we served it as a topper over a four-ounce package of Idahoan mashed potatoes, available in most grocery stores.
$13, 2.89 ounces.听Calories: 300 (120 from fat).听Protein: 37 grams.听Carbs: 14听grams.听Fiber: 2听grams.听Fat: 13听grams.听Sodium: 1,390 milligrams.
听