I wanted to know if anyone has any place where I can find emergency bars or other forms of food that offer high calories in a single form. I am experimenting with several bars that have 150-300 calories per serving as well as the liferaft bars which have 3600 for a vaccuum pack. I have used MRE's in the past, but they are expensive (I am running low on the ones I was issued)and they take up a lot of room. Thanks.

Hi CBTENGR

There are mainstay rations available at http://www.survivorind.com/3600.html



or there is Traditional Scottish Shortbread and Highland Oatcakes available at http://www.walkersus.com/products/gift-tins-more/03702



or if you want to bake Dundee Cake yourself you can follow the recipe at http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/blrecipe_dundee.htm



Dundee Cake when stored in a tin will last quite a while (up to 6 months if stored correctly in a cool dark place)

You might try some of these, This is what I use in all of my kits. http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FM+R043_A_name_E_Raspberry+Millennium+Energy+Bar

You could make your own. Here is the recipe for Hudson Bay Bread, a tasty snack, and my waistline thinks that it has plenty of everthing, 400 calories per serving. After whipping them up you just vacuum seal them...

Hudson Bay Bread
Recipe Ingredients
• 1 Cup butter, softened
• 1 Cup of sugar
• 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup (or a little more)
• 3 Tablespoons of honey (or a little more)
• 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
• 9 1/2 Cups finely ground rolled oats (I can only get 6-7 cups in, it gets too hard to mix)
• 1/2 Cup sliced almonds (I never use ‘em)
Serves: 6
This was a European staple before workers of the Hudson Bay Company packed it along on beaver-trapping excursions into what is now the American West. No light snack, this early energy bar reportedly stoked the metabolic fires of Sir Edmund Hillary as he ascended Everest.
At Home: Cream together the butter, sugar, syrup, honey, and vanilla. Grind the oats using a food processor or coffee grinder, then slowly stir in the almonds and oats. Press it all into a 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake at 325:F for 15 to 20 minutes. Don_t overcook; it crumbles. As soon as you remove it from the oven, press the mix firmly with a spatula (VERY important). Cut into squares and let cool in the pan.
Calories: 400 Carbohydrates: 54.36 Cholesterol: 33 Dietary Fiber : 2.8 Fiber: 3.4
Protein: 9.1 Saturated Fat: 8.3 Sodium: 129 Total Fat: 17.4

The Hudson Bay Bread was good and filling when I was in the BWCA last month. You can also add different flavorings to the mix, I've seen recipes with maple syrup, nuts, etc added.

Merda Energy Bar – The next generation of Natural Energy Bar for the Best Shape of your Life.

The Future Fighting Warrior requires increased physical and mental performance during sustained tactical operations. After many years of government research a new form of nutritionally balanced genetically modified maximal energy releasing ingredient has been developed. The new product called Leporine Merda has the ability when mixed amino acids, proteins, isocaloric sucrose and maltodextrines to create an extremely lightweight high calorific energy bar source for the Special Forces Community, gives an increased alertness and mental concentration edge together with hardcore energy releasing low gravity energy bar performance.
Initial ingestion of Leporine Merda also has the additional benefit of jump starting the recovery of the body’s rebuilding process by restoring the muscle glycogen stores by interacting with the amino acid Creatine phosphate giving improved sustained anaerobic performance. By Energizing, Refuelling and Rebuilding in a simple 1,2,3 step process the evolution continues and allows the consumer of Leporine Merda to train like a true champion. By starting the exercise recovery phase before the exercise has begun the athlete can see a continued improvement in physical indurance and stamina over lesser more traditional energy bars.

The Science behind the Merda Energy Bar by the Stercus Tauri Sports Science Foundation.

By minimising Gluscose and Fructose Carbohydrates from the a more traditional energy bar by the inclusion of Leprine Merda together with isocaloric sucrose leads to a more healthy balance by including a natural source of dietary fibre giving a more sustained and controlled release of sports super carb energy.


Image of Raw unprocessed Leporine Merda

Available in Strawberry, Raspberry and Citrus Flavours.

Look like moose droppings...

The Merda Bar also has an extremely long shelf life

Actually, rabbit or hare poop:

Leporine: rabbit or hare
Merda: Feces or poop


Methinks someone is trying to have a little fun.

Pete

Yeah, I am a cliff bar, & Snickers bar fan myself. The Snickers are good for moral. Probably because I love chocolate!
I read somewhere they use them on Mt. Everest.

Many years ago they were referred to as Thermopylae or Marathon Bars, now they are called 'Snickers' At least we still have Curly Wurlies

Has anyone tried a deep fried Snickers bar? Its a local specialty in certain parts of the UK.

Recipe.

1 Snickers
Dip into Batter and deep fry in fat (the kind of animal fat McDs abandoned many years ago)

Serve and enjoy (just before the myocardial infarction )

My dog actually tries to scarf down the "Merda energy pellets" and he's usually hyper. Probably good for the "Equipped to Survive" Puppy Dog that's also stupid enough to drink out of the toilet bowl.

Actually, I use Met-Rx bars for my urban survival kits, where I'm likely to find water (or other fluids) to wash them down. Haven't had a problem with them melting, I keep them with a few water bottles in a soft-sided cooler to keep them in the car.

Other suggestions:

• Small bags of nuts (like the kind airlines used to give)
• Power Bars - don't melt as much as candy bars
• Snickers - good taste, some protein, available everywhere, the DW loves them
• My mother-in-laws fruitcake - It's got enough alcohol in it that I could use shavings of it to use as tinder!

Ok, do I really have to mention it yet again.

For the best concentration of nutrients and calories per unit mass or weight, that is shelf stable for months at a time, and probably the most economical product you can come up with, nothing out there beats good old pemmican. We're not talking about that processed beef jerky stuff you buy in little bags at the checkout lines, we're talking about authentic Hudson's bay trappers/mountain man/Lewis & Clark era survival rations. Easy to make, easy to store, highly versatile recipes, and pennies on the pound if you do it right. You will not find another food substance that has a higher concentration of calories per gram, or that can incorporate all sorts of custom nutritional models (to the limits of your imagination), that will hold up well under normal storage. Some of those "rat" bars may last longer on the shelf. But 6 months stock rollover seems prudent anyways. Besides, if you are as judicious about your processing and storage techniques as with those high priced commercial bars, pemmican will last just as long as they would. I can wrap a pemmican ball in aluminum foil and plastic and it will still be pallatable 3 months later.

We've posted recipes here before, and there are plenty of references all over the web, so I won't reproduce that all again here. It is well worth considering.

BTW, some pemmican recipes are also useful for accelerating fires.

You really can mention it again, some will find it useful.

Making one's own pemmican is an option, but there are some of us who have other factors to consider. If there is an emergency, I'd rather have something that I know my wife will like so that she will eat it. Pemmican may be superior in many ways, but the DW will likely throw up when I merely mention the word. Thus, the imperfect, but certain to be used by others, Snickers bars. Besides, if I want to trade some food for another thing, like water, I know the Snickers bars will better serve as currency (BTW - How many Snickers bars for pre-1964 US coins ).

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

With the Snicker group for the most part although in hot weather M&M's w/Peanuts won't melt. In a search of the net for trail mix recipes I found and modified for taste:
1/2 c peanut butter(extra crunchy-more peanuts)
1/2 c honey
Mix together and add
1 c quick cook oats
1 c flaked coconut
(raisins etc optional)

m&m's won't stick, 1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips was used. Shape into balls and let air dry for awhile before storing.

The original recipe added 1 c powdered milk and was rolled in wheat germ if I remember right. Other attempts with recipes from the net didn't work so I jotted this down w/o optimism and forgot to get the cooks name. Coconut has antibacterial qualities and bacteria can't live in honey so maybe they don't spoil so easy and it tastes better than some trail food.
with Thanks and Apologies to the original author should he/she ever read this!

Although pemmican has traditionally been used for a very long time as an expedition ration especially in very cold climates and although it does have a very high energy to weight ratio (mainly because of the high animal fat content) it shouldn't really be relied on completely as it has some disadvantages. The disadvantages are the lack of available carbohydrates within the mixture. The addition of berries such as black currants within the mixture will also help overcome the lack of vitamin C, which is normally lacking within a traditional pemmican mixture. The high levels of animal fat within pemmican makes it difficult for the body to absorb the energy stored with the pemmican itself. Breaking down animal fat into muscle glycogen is a very energy and time consuming process for the body to achieve. Carbohydrates are much more easily consummed by the body as a readily available energy source especially if the body is having a very high energy output requirements such as man hauling, trekking, cycling for example. A more balanced ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and nutrients is required. Rather than having 60-70% fat as in the pemmican, I would reduce this to less than 40% with the same percentage of carbohydrates i.e. a more balanced diet for the wilderness.

Ben Saunders has some interesting observations regarding expedition nutrition.

http://www.bensaunders.com/resources/expedition_nutrition.html

Pemmican is an excellent food resources at supplementing a wilderness diet of hunting and foraging and the craving for sweet sugary/starchy foods is just as powerful as is the hunger for animal fats and protiens.

They're served at the Texas State Fair (late-Sept to Mid-Oct in Dallas). It's become kind of a joke with what new products will be battered and deep-fried. It started with the deep-fried twinkie and devolved into deep fried:

• Macaroni and Cheese
• Moon pies (southern fast food)
• Pecan pies
• Ho-Ho's
• (pick your favorite vending machine item...)

So, what kind of batter are they dipped in???

Deep fried Mac and Cheese-sounds disgusting. Is it on a stick or just a greasy lump?

I tried a pemmican bar once.....once.

I had deep fried mac and cheese @ Friday's...it was pretty tasty. The trick is to freeze the mac & chesse before you fry it.

I think somebody's fighting a Deep-Fried-Snickers craving

Here's a recipe on the RecipeZaar website; usually pretty good recipes.

Dan

My dad use to make his own pemmican "cupcakes" when I was young. He added some dried berries to the mix (Chinese I think...) I would take them to school for lunch. One little cupcake shaped pemmican bar would be all a needed for lunch. They were SOOOOO filling and delicious!! As I recall, they were very good for you. A lot of fat ...

However they were VERY expensive (compared to a normal sack lunch) and even more time consuming to make. He spent alot of time perfecting the recipe and getting them to taste right. It only lasted about a year. I would eat those things 24/7 if i could.

Traditional basic pemmican can be a bit rough, and is limited as to nutritional value. My recommendation, as Rusty's dad later found, is to experiment with adulterating the basic recipe with various ingredients. I've gone so far as to incorporate chewable multivitamins that have been powdered into the mix with excellent results (I prefer the cherry flavored ones, but grape and orange flavors work well too). You can also add a little cornmeal, some oats, or even farina or rice flour so long as you don't overdo it. Sugar can also be added, making it more of a dessert taste.

Pemmican doesn't have to be eaten right out of the package,either. I've made up some recipes that, when mixed with hot water, form a hearty soup.

You can add things like nuts, seeds and dried berries, more traditional additions, and pulverized dried meats. In fact, I've added other such ingredients like dehydrated zuchhini and carrots and chives and such and ended up with said soup base.

The point is, pemmican is flexible. In it's most basic form, it is perhaps not as pleasant a dining experience as a good candy bar, but with a little thought and effort, you can turn it into a truly excellent survival food.

Also, from an energy standpoint, carbohydrates convert into glycogen, which if not consumed by the body are then converted into fats which are stored in our fatty tissues. Fats that we consume are broken down into fatty acids, which do not get reconverted back into glycogen, but are consumed by muscle tissue directly. The difference is that fats are consumed by muscles directly during aerobic activity, and require a good supply of oxygen. Glycogen is used by muscle tissue for intense but short durations of maximum exertion, such as sprint running or lifting maximum loads, when the oxygen supply to the muscles is insufficient for aerobic process. For sustained endurance work like hiking or shelter building or just staying warm, aerobic consumption of fatty acids is the dominant metabolic process. When running from a grizzly bear or hauling a body up a cliff, your body will burn carbs until the glycogenic metabolic process in the muscle tissue overloads, and all that's left is the aerobic process, which leaves you sucking wind. Our bodies only retain about a 2 day supply of glycogen, mostly in the liver, at any time; the rest being converted to fats and deposited in the fat cells throughout our body. Let me repeat that carbs are converted to fats in our body when it is working properly and we consume excess carbs, and that is a one way process. Our bodies are only able to absorb a certain amount of fats via digestion, regardless of how much we consume, because the amount of digestive enzymes required to break it down into absorbable fatty acids is limited. In contrast, we can absorb as much carbs, especially the simpler ones like sugar, as we can stand to eat, as the absorption process is not as reliant on enzymatic conversion in the digestive system. A tendancy to overconsume carbs, especially sugar, can lead to diabetes, as insulin production tries to keep up. Thus we see people with blood sugar levels spiking after eating things like cake, a precursor to the onset of diabetes. Dr. Atkins, among others, realized the distinction between these two processes could be used in our favor, thus the relative success of the low carb diet at achieving weight loss while also diminishing appetite.

From a survival perspective, I am more inclined towards a food source that will provide me with a sustained energy level, and not tend to spike my blood sugar too much. Some carbohydrate consumption would be desirable. I would rather the bulk of my consumption be fats and proteins. It seems easier to me to add a cup of oats to my pemmican mix than to wrap my snickers bars with a piece of bacon or two, though sometimes I do get these weird cravings...

If you want to go DIY here are some Pemican Recipes.
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/pemmican.html
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/pemmican.html
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/3067/Pemmican.html
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/notukeu/pemmican_e.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~Dietman2/pemmican.html
http://newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb257.htm
http://www.mountain-breeze.com/kitchen/trail/5.html
http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/teach/lsnplns/jerkylp.htm
http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet/list/pemmican.htm
http://www.physicalmind.com/pemmican.htm
http://www.historytelevision.ca/Quest/features/pemmican/
http://www.angelfire.com/tn2/minsrecipes/AboutHowTo/Pemmican.htm
http://www.think-aboutit.com/native/pemmican.htm
http://www.calverley.ca/Part01-FirstNations/01-047.html
http://www.bright.net/~deforge1/Pemmican.html
http://seakayak.hypermart.net/Kayakdocs2/Pemmican%20more%20recipes.htm
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/rohdenburg81a.html

And some Power Bar Recipes
Power Bars, Granola Bars and Sports Drinks

Well I recommended trying to make your own power bars. So I decided it would only be fair if I went out and found a few. Well maybe I went a tad overboard. But at least everyone should be able to find something to match their taste.

http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/powetrec.html
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/powrec.html
http://wcpo.com/recipes/2003/03/21.html
http://www.blutech.com/laser/bardrink.html
http://www.recipecottage.com/snacks/
http://www.bakery-net.com/rdocs/recipes/powerbar.html
http://www.homeschoolzone.com/cook/powerbars.htm
http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ubbs/archive/SNACKS/Granola_Bars_Power_Bar_Recipes_by_bme.html
http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ubbs/archive/SNACKS/Miscellaneous_Energy_Bars.html
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/feature/famf59picnic/famf59picnic9.html
http://www.swimbikerunstlouis.com/homemade_energy_bars.htm
http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/recipes/browniesbars/energybars.htm
http://gorp.com/gorp/food/expert/exp031401.htm
http://www.cptips.com/hmdesnk.htm#sport
http://www.bicyclesource.com/body/nutrition/energy-bars/printer-bar-list.shtml
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_personal_care_exercise/article/0,1801,HGTV_3145_1383326,00.html
http://tandemstuff.homestead.com/Recipes2.html
http://www.onecook.com/recipe.htm?&recid=82
http://members.tripod.com/bmdistrun/pwrbars.htm
http://www.westcoastfamilies.com/html/02__easy-to-make__delicious_ba.html
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=62493
http://www.trentbaker.com/RECIPES.htm
http://64.246.57.173/t50378.html
http://64.246.57.173/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30233&highlight=protein+bars
http://64.246.57.173/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24753&highlight=protein+bar

Sports Drinks
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/N3411.pdf
http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html
http://www.diet-coaching.com/hmsport.html

Because I also recommended making your own jerky. If anyone would like links to some recipes ask and I'll post them.

Now that's what I'm talking about, baby! What a list.

I also have a great recipe for something called a "BIF" bar, which I think is in the archives here.

Variety, it is the spice of life.

I was a member of a ski club in high school, about the time Power Bars first became all the rage. One thing I learned very quickly on the slopes was that unless you kept them close to your body, Power Bars (Snickers Bars, most energy bars) set up as hard as three day old concrete when they get cold. Eating them requires drooling on them long enough to soften them up. Pop Tarts, on the other hand, have a tendency to crumble into powder when you fall on them, but it is tasty, tasty powder and requires no drool.

I'm sure they're not nutritionally balanced, but they do fall into the "morale booster - tastes great" category, are pretty caloric, and if you eat enough of them, you might be able to make your own survival blanket out of all the little mylar pouches they come packaged in.

LOL… I’d love to see a picture of that… especially if it’s Doug who’s wrapped up in a “space” blanket made out of Pop-Tart wrappers and scotch (or duct) tape.

Katie,

As far as (frozen) snicker bars go, you can always use the Seinfeld method, knife and fork.


Blitz

Thanks, Guys!

Sue

Mainstay or Datrex for long-term storage, powerbars are kept in all my packs and truck because of how easy they are to eat, and they last a long time too.

Snickers, and other candy high in sugar is not a good choice. If you are really hungry and eat one you will feel better for an hour or so and then you will just DROP OFF and have to lay down and rest.

Oh
My
Gods

I'm so glad I own a laser printer

Thanks!

You printed it too?! Now, I don't feel so lonely...

Speaking of which, for those of you who DON'T own a laser printer, GET ONE. They are dirt cheap, and tonerpirates.com has the cure. (Not Affilliated)

When I get hungry I reach for one of these http://mdavis32.qhealthzone.com/products/product.aspx?itemno=104278
Yes I sell them, have been for about 6 months and sales are great! You can order from that web site directly $20.99 plus S/H or I will sell a nine count box at my cost to ETS members (from 1-100 boxes)
E-mail me and mention ETS and the cost will be $18.50 per box plus S/H Total is about $20-23 dollars

Mike

I love snickers bars though. The sugar content and ratio to other carbs isn't significantly different from a powerbar performance bar to convince me of that one.