Not necessarily healthy, not necessarily backpacking meals, but relatively quick, easy, and tasty.
Trail Chicken & Noodles:
One package creamy chicken ramen noodles, one small can or foil pouch of chicken, a couple dashes of powdered ginger, a couple dashes of dried chopped onion, a healthy shake of dried orange peel. Add some crumbled cashews or peanuts, and some dried mango, papaya, and coconut from your trail mix. (or whatever nuts and fruits suit you. I sometimes use crushed Sahale Snack Mix for my nuts and fruit, mmm mmm good! ) Add boiling water to the desired consistency ... Add soy sauce to taste.
Variation: you can add dried veggies instead of the nuts and fruit if you like before adding the boiling water.
Cole Slaw:
This goes good with just about any barbeque
I buy prepackaged cole slaw mix with shredded green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots. The package is enough to fill a large mixing bowl. I add one chopped Fuji apple, half a chopped Walla Walla Sweet Onion, about a half cup of Hidden Valley Ranch Cole Slaw Dressing (in a bottle) one small container of Lemon Yogurt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of Honey Dijon Mustard. (Lazy, I know, but it is quick and easy)
(Variation: you can add raisins if you like, or chopped celery. You can also add powdered ginger to the dressing)
Bratwurst and Beer Stew:
Boil about 4 sausages in a bottle of beer. ( I know, hard to fit those fat little sausages in the bottle. O.K., so put them in a pot already! ) After they boil , add about 8 ounces of water. Add one thinly sliced potato, one sliced sweet onion, (I don't like hot onions, can you tell?) one sliced turnip, a thinly sliced carrot, one sliced apple, one 6 inch sprig of rosemary, black pepper, & celery salt to taste. Simmer until the veggies are done. (you can substitute apple juice for the apple and leave out the water if you don't like the consistency of the cooked apple with the other veggies, or add the sliced apple about 5 minutes before the other vegetables are done for firmer texture.)
Variation: You can add herbed dumplings to this dish if you wish. For backpacking, you could use dehydrated vegetables and apples. You would still have to pack in the Bratwurst and Beer though.
Almost Famous Chili Dip:
O.K., I haven't figured out how to get this one into the woods, but it's a great dip for summer potlucks, or when it's just too hot to cook, and can be heated for a hearty one-dish hot meal in the winter.
One can Mild Chili Con Carne, one can VanDeKamps Spanish Rice or one pouch of Uncle Ben's pre-cooked Spanish Rice, (microwaved according to directions, so it won't be chewy) one can corn, ( I like to use Mexi-corn, but it's kind of redundant if you use the pico de gallo salsa) one container Pico De Gallo Salsa. Mix all the ingredients together and top with sour cream and serve with Tortilla chips on the side for a cold summer dip, and hot, over corn chips in the winter for a Super Frito Pie.
Variations: 1.Serve cold with Guacamole.2. Serve hot with Cornbread. 3. Serve hot or cold with peach salsa instead of the Pico De Gallo.
Tuna Salad:
One pouch or can of Albacore, one small can of chopped black olives, one small package of shelled, roasted sunflower seeds, one stalk of chopped celery, one tablespoon of chopped onion. Mayo to taste. Serve on bagels, or stuff a tomato with the salad.
Variation: mix a little jerk sauce with the mayo. You can add pickle relish to the first version, but I don't recommend it if you add the jerk sauce, as it makes the spread a little too saucy. (for my taste, anyway) You can also use chopped cucumber, but again, I don't put it in if I am using jerk sauce.