Snacks for bushwalking & hiking.

“You don't need a silver fork to eat good food.”

Paul Prudhomme

I am a total grazer when out bushwalking. I very rarely if ever “stop” for a snack, but rather like to eat on-the-go. For this reason my snacks must be easy to get to, easy to eat, easy to digest and energy dense!

My day walk snacks will often vary to the snacks I take on multi day walks. Why? On a day walk I am not too fussed about the weight or shelf life of my food where as I am conscious of both those things for a multi day trip! For instance, I take fresh fruit on a day walk but mostly dried fruit for longer trips. That is just one example of changing the “form” of the snacks I pack. Using my 8 Golden Rules choosing enjoyable snacks for your adventures is pretty easy. Tasty, nutrient dense and easy are the key factors in snacks.

Listed below are a few of my go-to snacks and the reasons why I love them. I would love to hear yours!

A few of my favorite things.

  • Museli Bars

    A variety of either homemade or commercial museli bars. Remember Rule 3 and mix it up! If making your own remember to keep them energy dense and ensure all the ingredients you use are shelf stable.

  • Fruit - Fresh, Dried, Freeze Dried.

    I love fruit! A crunchy apple is great on a day walk and juicy grapes are particularly nice on a hot day but fresh fruit often gets bruised and yuk on a multi day trip. Try dried or freeze dried fruit instead. I love dehydrated kiwi fruit and strawberries.

  • All things meaty.

    Individual salami sticks are a great snack out on trail as they are energy dense and filing. Homemade beef jerky is also great. Experiment with different flavors before dehydrating your jerky to mix it up a little.

  • Let them eat cake!

    Homemade banana bread, muffins and date loaf keep really well for multi day trips. My all time favorite cake to take though is fruit cake and/or date loaf. Filling, calorie dense and lovely with a cuppa!

  • Scroggin

    Homemade scroggin really is the bees knees. It can be quite heavy I find though so only pack what you will eat! I like to use peanut M&M’s in mine as they don’t melt. Salty pistachios, decadent macadamias and dried mango make a lovely mix.

  • Forget fruit, get your veggies in.

    I love, love, love dehydrated tomato and zucchini chips on trail. Simply slice the tomatoes in THICK wedges, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs and dehydrate. They are divine. Zucchini and sweet potato chips are just as lovely. Just lightly steam your vegie chips and salt before dehydrating.

  • Small things, big punch.

    Bliss balls really are a bushwalkers dream. Bite sized, nutrient dense and so versatile. Being a coffee addict I add some expresso to my mixture. I guarantee if you make my Expresso Bliss Balls below you will love them!

  • Lollies and all the sweet stuff.

    I used to live on lollies and chocolate whilst walking but found I just felt sick in the end. Now I take a small handful of lollies as a back up but try instead to get all the sugar I need from fruit, homemade date loaf or bliss balls. If packing sweets consider if they will melt before adding them to your pack!

  • Drink your snack.

    Sometimes I prefer a drink to a snack. I often take a small bag containing a mixture of plain protein powder, strawberry Nes Quick and Sustagen. I toss a few teaspoons in my water bottle with some icy cold water and enjoy a strawberry milkshake out on trail!

Expresso Bliss Balls

Ingredients:
75g Oats
50g Pumpkin Seeds
50g Sunflower Seeds
150g Hulled Hemp Seeds
4 Shots Expresso or very strong black coffee.
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
3 TBSP nut butter of your choice (almond is best)
4 TBSP Cacao powder.
80g Cranberries, chopped
300g Dates, chopped (fresh or dried)
150g Roasted Almonds, unsalted.
200g Unroasted Buckwheat groats
Pinch salt.

Method:
1. Roast the buckwheat groats in the oven at 180C (Fan forced) for about 10 minutes and cool.
2. Soak the dates in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain.
3. Add the dates, cacao powder, nut butter, coconut oil, expresso and salt into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the almonds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds and blend again. Don’t over blend as you want texture - just enough for the nuts to be chopped into smaller pieces.
5. Place mixture in a mixing bowl and add cranberries, buckwheat and oats. Mix well.
6. Roll into balls and store in the fridge until ready to take out on trail!