Big Score at Wegman's

Food is fuel, and never more so than when I'm hiking up and down mountains for up to 14 hours a day.  The problem is, if the food isn't tasty I don't want to eat it, and it doesn't get turned into fuel.  I end up carrying a pack with uneaten fuel while my tired legs protest because I'm not feeding them.  So variety is key.

If you're shipping mail drops, you have the option of buying in bulk at home, and shipping a different selection of items in each box.  Still, I get tired of most of the items if I have them too often.  Let this be a warning to you if you're considering sending yourself oatmeal for each and every breakfast.  (If you don't have this problem, feel free to buy your food in eight packs and eat the same thing day after day.)

On my way home from the barn yesterday, I stopped in at Wegman's, which is a mid-range grocery.  It aims for Whole Foods but still carries Poptarts.  It has a small gluten free section, but it also labels gluten free items throughout the store.  When you're shopping at home, don't forget the naturally gluten free foods that you can find in the regular aisles.  At my local Giant, the gluten free Corn Chex is in the cereal aisle, not in the gluten free section.  (Also, be aware that regular Corn Chex is NOT gluten free.)

At Wegman's I also shopped in the organic aisles, and in the asian food section.  You can find some great tasting Chinese, Japanese, and Indian foods that you can actually eat.

I'm not quite ready to start packing.  I need to pick up a few more staples such as fruit treats, coffee, prunes and raisins, and almonds.  But the majority of my foods are purchased.  I'm posting photos below to give you an idea of the variety of foods you can find.

Lucy's does fairly tasty cookies in single serving packages

A grand overview of my Wegman's haul

Kale for health.  Two new to me flavors of meat bar, single serving rice noodle soups with great flavors

Schar single serve wafers, Annie Chun's wasabi flavored seaweed

Rice noodles, regular candy

Balance, Kind, and Honey Stinger bars.  Rice based Ramen, a new find for me.  Betty Lou's fruit bars for breakfasts.

Retort packaged spinach / cheese dish for the first night out, cookies, Kind bars

Nut thins, Glutino crackers that are sort of Ritz-like

Hey look, cheese sauce!

And gluten free pasta to put cheese sauce on!  The small sizes cook quickly

What is camping without S'mores?  And what are S'mores without Graham crackers?

Not from today, but varieties of GF jerky I already had.

This picture and below, sadly rotated but GF foods you can get from Packit Gourmet or Backpacker's Pantry

In case you were wondering where I stored all this stuff:  I have a dead chest freezer that I use for storing hiking food.