Review - Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles

My son and I tested this meal at home during an equipment check in preparation for us starting to backpack. He is a pretty picky eater, and, while I know that hunger conquers all, I wanted to make sure that we have some options that he will enjoy. I also wanted to make sure there were no gastrointestinal reactions.

From the package:

Serving size: 1 cup (57 g)

Servings per container: ~2.5

Amounts per serving:

Calories: 260 (from fat: 100)

Total Fat: 11 g

Cholesterol: 45 mg

Sodium: 790 mg

Carbohydrate: 29 g

Protein: 11 g

Calculated for my benefit:

Fuel Load: 129 cal/oz (4.56 cal/g)

Preparation: Open pack and remove oxygen absorber. Boil 2 cups water. Pour boiling water into pouch, stir thoroughly, seal, and let sit 8-9 minutes. Eat from pouch.

This was our first backpacking meal. Any hiking we've done in the past hasn't necessitated more than a light meal. I was also a little hesitant to have him try it without being starving. That being said, even he thought this meal was quite tasty. He said it reminded him of Hamburger Helper, but better. He thought that the meat to noodle ratio was spot on (he is of the opinion that there's too much meat in Hamburger Helper). His one complaint was about the mushrooms (gaaah! Are these mushrooms, Dad?!) But they weren't so bad that he wouldn't eat the meal. They were pretty chewy, though.

Pros:

• Easy to cook
• Good flavor
• Good large ingredient ratios (meat/noodle/mushroom)

Cons:

• Lots of sodium (might not be so bad after a day's hike)
• Sauce texture was a little pasty (good flavor, though)
• Depth of bag makes a small spoon impractical

Overall, I was quite surprised with how good this meal was. At the end of a day of hiking, I think it would be quite pleasant. As I mentioned in my Cons list, it was a challenge getting the meal mixed well due to the short spoons we currently have (new gear!). I had to take over mixing duties since my son's fingers were a little too short to get a good grip on his spoon while keeping his hand out of the bag to prevent steam burns. We poured the contents into bowls since we were in the backyard with the kitchen close at hand. Eating from the bag would have also posed a problem with our current spoon setup.

*Disclosure: The author purchased this meal himself and received no compensation for this review.