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#214912 - 01/14/11 12:03 AM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: salesguy]
Byrd_Huntr Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 01/28/10
Posts: 1174
Loc: MN, Land O' Lakes & Rivers ...
Originally Posted By: salesguy
Having changed jobs a few years ago my sales traveling patterns have changed and I am now generally at a place for a few days and nights and it is no fun to eat without friends and family so i have started to eat more heat and serve meals while I read or work. For breakfest I moved from instant oatmeal to regular oatmeal but i only cook (heat)till tender vs. a wet ball of goo. I add my own banana's, peanut butter/natural, and/or raisins,, etc. So yes this is not an "official" MRE it is to me.


I travel for a living too, and you sound exactly like the guy I ran into in the exercise room at the hotel a week or two ago with a secret oatmeal recipe.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but what you say is right. When you travel it's no fun to eat alone, and you get real sick of restaurants and the pounds they pack on.

I compensate by buying all my food fresh each day on my way to the motel, and I carry a dinner kit that I put together from thrift store stuff. I set out a tablecloth, and cloth napkins, and put out the real ceramic dinnerware, and metal utensils. I fire up my electric hotpot with light soup or whatever, roll up 2 or 3 ounces of meat, cheese, or fish in a low carb wrap, and slice up fresh green peppers to dip in salsa. I finish off with an apple and green tea (lately with pomegranate). Then I make my breakfast and lunch for the next day, pop it in the mini fridge or cooler, and wash the dishes.

This not only insures that I eat healthy food, it keeps me busy by stretching out the meal process, and that keeps me from getting bored and pigging out at a restaurant. The company doesn't object to paying grocery store receipts instead of restaurant tabs because I save 1/3 to 1/2 of my meal allowance each day, and there's no tips to pay.
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The man got the powr but the byrd got the wyng

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#214922 - 01/14/11 07:36 AM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: Byrd_Huntr]
MostlyHarmless Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/03/09
Posts: 982
Loc: Norway
Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr

I compensate by buying all my food fresh each day on my way to the motel, and I carry a dinner kit that I put together from thrift store stuff. I set out a tablecloth, and cloth napkins, and put out the real ceramic dinnerware, and metal utensils. I fire up my electric hotpot with light soup or whatever, roll up 2 or 3 ounces of meat, cheese, or fish in a low carb wrap, and slice up fresh green peppers to dip in salsa. I finish off with an apple and green tea (lately with pomegranate). Then I make my breakfast and lunch for the next day, pop it in the mini fridge or cooler, and wash the dishes.


This strikes a very profound chord in me: Let the important things (like food) take the proper attention they need to get done properly.

This is actually a new realization for me, although the concepts of "slow food" and "slow time" (google those terms) always have appealed to me - but those concepts did not in any way impact my life. Some recent mental processes kicked by rather randomly stumbling across some books changed that. "Slow food" doesn't mean you should spend 5 hours cooking - it means whatever your menu is, do it properly and don't cheat. Creating "slow food" in 15 minutes with minimal utensils isn't a problem at all if you plan accordingly.



Edited by MostlyHarmless (01/14/11 07:41 AM)

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#214987 - 01/15/11 06:52 PM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: salesguy]
CANOEDOGS Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 1853
Loc: MINNESOTA
my take on "home made" is that you know what you are getting.
when i buy MRE's for my canoe trips i stick to the meat paddies like the chicken,pork riblet or meat loaf.to one of those i add a Mac and Cheese or one of the many side dish packs that we have for dinner when we want something fast.i know what a Spanish Rice or Noddles and Cheese is like so there are no surprises with odd after tastes or spices.

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#216770 - 02/09/11 07:41 PM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: salesguy]
Mike_H Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/04/07
Posts: 612
Loc: SE PA
I've eaten a lot of MREs in my day. No, I'm not military, I just like them. I'm also a member of the MREInfo forum. Lots of great info there.

Every year, the menus become more interesting and more diverse. There are 24 total menus per year. I've eaten MREs over 10 years old without any ill effects.

Anyway, you don't want to be continually eating MREs for a length of time. Offhand, I don't remember what that time period is. They are also designed for someone actually being active outdoors. 3 MREs = 1 day of food. I certainly could get by with 2 MREs with my outdoor activities.

The nice thing about them is that the food is already prepared. Just warm them if you'd like. BTW, you can buy the FRHs(Flameless Ration Heater) seperately from several web sites. A little water is needed to activate the heater plus whatever water you want to drink (make coffee / beverage with).

For a few days out and about in the woods, I like them. I also supplement with Mountain House and other other foods.

Another site I've found was freezerbagcooking.com They show how to make your own rehydrateable foods.

I've also eated military rations from other countries (French / British / Norwegian / Canadian)

You can certainly make your own version of MREs using commercial retort packages of tuna / chicken / spam / etc... Probably best to vacuum pack them together. Maybe add an O2 absorber to ensure longer shelf life. One of the guys on the MREInfo forum makes his own version of the FSR (First Strike Ration) using military components, but for a fraction of the cost.
_________________________
"I reject your reality and substitute my own..." - Adam Savage / Mythbusters

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#216784 - 02/09/11 10:59 PM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: Mike_H]
MDinana Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 2208
Loc: Beer&Cheese country
Mike, do you know where he gets the FSR stuff? I like it as a compact "emergency ration" idea in a Go-bag.

As for how long you can eat MRE's... talk to any vet from the Iraq or Afghan invasion. I'm pretty sure we're talking a couple months of solid MRE's.

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#216842 - 02/11/11 02:32 AM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: salesguy]
njs Offline
Newbie

Registered: 10/01/10
Posts: 41
Loc: Colorado
Here is a link to more information on the First Strike Rations:

http://www.mreinfo.com/us/fsr/first-strike-ration.html

First Strike Rations seem to be hard to find, I've seen them on Ebay for about $40.00 with additional shipping costs. Here is a link to a recent auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FIRST-STRIKE-RATION-...88#ht_500wt_975


Just as an exercise I decided to try and make a home made FSR. The idea was to have a meal with a reasonably long shelf life without refrigeration and to keep the cost under $20.00 without using heavily preserved items. With a few changes and substituting cheaper jerky for the Tanka bar the cost could probably be lowered to about $10 - $12. I already had the Bridgeford sandwiches and after a quick trip to a supermarket and a natural food store this is what I came up with.

Item..................................................Calories......Cost ($)
Bridgeford Shelf Stable Sandwich......................................290..........2.00
Starkist Ready Made Tuna Salad Pouch (chunk light)........200..........1.20
Bear Valley Pemmican Fruit ' Nut Bar................................420..........1.35
Tanka Buffalo Cranberry Bar..............................................70............2.35
Justin's Classic Almond Butter Pouch.................................200..........0.87
Justin's Honey Peanut Butter Pouch...................................180..........0.87
GoGo Squeez Applesauce Pouch........................................60............0.77
PowerBar Gel Vanilla ….....................................................110...........0.97
Planters Nutrition South Beach Diet Pouch.......................250..........0.67
BoBo's Oat Bar original.....................................................360..........1.67
Ultima Replenisher 2 pouches............................................20............1.78
Lance Whole Cheddar Cheeses Crackers..........................180...........0.25
Honey Stinger Waffle …....................................................160...........1.39
Panda All Natural Raspberry Licorice Bar.........................100..........0.89
Boomi Bar Almond Protein Plus........................................270...........1.29
Archer Farms Strawberry real Fruit Bar.............................110...........0.50
Gatorade G2 Fruit Punch Powder Pack..............................40.............0.38
Totals................................................................................3020........19.20

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#217058 - 02/14/11 06:21 PM Re: HOMEMADE MRE'S ? BETTER TASTING less cost ? [Re: salesguy]
Mike_H Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/04/07
Posts: 612
Loc: SE PA
@njs - You took an approach much like this guy and I did when prototyping our own homemade FSR. We tried to keep everything "milspec" tho.

The three things he could not duplicate exactly were the ERGO drink (uses Gatorade), the Zapplesauce (user MRE fortified applesauce), and the beef jerkey (uses a commercial beef & cheese kind).

@MDinana - He has access to many military components. The only things I think he actually needs to buy are the Stay Alert gum and the Bridgeford sandwiches.

He keeps the cost/unit to $10 and then shipping charges. Very reasonable.

I have no affiliation except for planting the seeds of an idea in his head to make these. I get no kick-backs for this. I simply want to be able to share this with everyone here as well.

One pack is good for 24hrs. Nice for a BOB or for a day hike. These are certainly not the most nutrionally complete things out there, but good for a short stint.

If anyone wants more detailed info feel free to send me a message.

Here is a link to this:

http://www.mreinfo.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3953&start=60
_________________________
"I reject your reality and substitute my own..." - Adam Savage / Mythbusters

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