food

I don’t follow a Paleo diet, but if it tastes as good as these meals I might. Paleo Meals to Go sent us 3 of their gluten free, grain free, milk free, soy free, nut free, shelf stable, and protein-rich freeze dried meals to test out and they were all fantastic. They are seriously the best freeze dried meals that I’ve tried – and it takes a lot to knock the Pad Thai off its throne.

We’ll look at each meal in a moment, but first I’d like to talk about what we liked so much about them.

Clean Tasting. Most freeze dried meals get goopy and give you a heavy feeling after eating them. It may be because they’re grain free, but the Paleo Meals to Go that we tried tasted fresh, flavourful and yet didn’t give us that heavy in your stomach “I need a nap” feeling.

Lots of meat. These meals had 32 to 42 grams of protein in them. The Beef meals had chunks, literally chunks of beef. There was no ground beef or chicken in these meals. They were loaded with tasty, glorious, and copious amounts of protein. When you’re putting in the miles, protein is important for muscle regeneration. These meals will bring out the cave man in you.

Fresh Ingredients. Bright green and orange vegetables await you. seriously, look at the photos. They use coconut sugar and sea salt to sweeten and flavour the meals too, which taste delicious.

Now, on to the meals. First off, we loved each of them and would take them on any trip in the future. Two of our kids avoid gluten, so these would be ideal for them too. Check out the video of the trip we taste tested them on to see our reactions.

Bedrock Beef Chili

Mrs. Adventure loved this one. Lots of big chunks of beef, fresh tasting. This mild chili had a perfectly balanced flavour and wasn’t overpowered by tomato. The Sweet potatoes were a delicious addition. Beef is the first ingredient! 5/5

Ingredients: Beef (Beef, Salt), Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Tomato Powder, Seasoning Blend (Chili Powder [Chilies, Salt, Spices], Spices, Granulated Garlic), Carrots, Coconut Sugar, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper, Tomatoes, Sea Salt.

Caldera Chicken Curry

I’m not a huge chicken fan, but this one was surprisingly my favourite. The Coconut sugar and Pineapple were what did it for me. Pineapple slays me and that, with the curry spices were absolutely fantastic. Chicken is the first ingredient! 5/5

Ingredients: Chicken, Pineapple, Spinach, Coconut Sugar, Red Bell Pepper, Seasoning (Garam Masala, Spices, Curry Powder), Onions, Celery, Sea Salt.

Mountain Beef Stew

We ate this for breakfast, overlooking the mountains… and fought over the last spoonfuls. This good ol’ fashioned stew hits the spot. This may have been Mrs. Adventure’s favourite. The mushrooms were big, juicy and fresh. The celery was plentiful and green. Beef is the first ingredient! 5/5

Ingredients: Cooked Beef (beef, salt), carrots, onions, mushrooms, celery, spices (spices, granulated garlic), sea salt.

Conclusion

You don’t have to be a Paleo adventurer to enjoy these meals. Even if you’re not you need to check these meals out. The fresh ingredients, delicious recipes and abundance of protein will leave you full, energised and ready for adventure. Check out Paleo Meals to Go and tell us which meal looks most appetising to you.

Full disclosure:

Paleo Meals to Go supplied us with these meals free of charge for review. All opinions are our own and reflect what we would tell family and friends.

Is there anything better than chocolate when on an outdoor adventure?… besides bacon I mean. Well we had the chance to try so samples of some of the best chocolate I’ve tasted in a long time. Delicious dark chocolate with just the right amount of salt that comes in a variety of flavours. We are hooked on the quality and flavour: not too sweet, not too salty, just delicious.

We were sent the Trail Series of bars – carefully tailored for the outdoor adventurer.

What is Salazon?

Salazon is organic, fair trade dark chocolate sourced out of the Dominican Republic that has been salted with solar-evaporated sea salt.

What is the Trail Series?

The Trail Series is 3 different 2.75 ounce salted dark chocolate bars. Each supports one of three different scenic trails in the USA: The Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. They do so by donating 2% of their gross sales to the different trail associations.

We received two of each:

• 57% Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Caramel – Certified Organic and made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa beans
• 57% Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Coffee – Certified Organic and made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa beans
• 72% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Almond – made with Certified Organic chocolate and Fair Trade Certified cocoa beans

Salazon has partnered with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for its Caramel bar, the Pacific Crest Trail Association for its Coffee bar, and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition for its Almond bar. The packaging for each bar depicts actual scenery captured on the trails.

The bars themselves are pretty awesome to stare at too. They cry world explorer with their eclectic map.

Testing / Testers

The bars were shared between our explorers (junior and adult). We tried to be fair to them and to you by trying them at home, before the trip as well as on the trail.

What did we think?

Fantastic! These were all incredibly delicious!

The Salted Caramel had just the right level of Caramel. There are nice sized pockets of soft caramel that weren’t too sweet or overpowering. They complimented the dark chocolate very well, without making it taste artificial.

The Salted Coffee was the same. There was an excellent balance of flavours here.

The Salted Almond bar is a much higher cocoa content (72% instead of the 57% of the other two bars) and it was a good choice. It’s more savoury than the other two. The almond pieces, like the caramel are distributed well and add a refreshing crunch to the bar.

Due to the higher cocoa content, we didn’t have problems with melting. Well, there was one exception to that. One of the bars was carried against someone’s back in their backpack. The result was a bit deformed, but it in no-way took away from the deliciousness of the bar.

Conclusion

You won’t go wrong with these delicious salted dark chocolate bars. They are delicious and refreshing as a trail snack, or even as a late night snack at home when the kids have gone to bed. On top of being delicious, organic and fair trade (as well as being part of the Rainforest Alliance), 2 percent of the gross sales of these bars is donated to the support of  the Triple Crown of American Scenic Trails. You’re enjoying fantastic quality chocolate and you’re helping to keep these amazing trails open and enjoyable for future generations.

At $4 MSRP (Less if you buy more), these bars are more expensive than energy bars, but a fair price for the high quality chocolate that you’re purchasing.

I strongly recommend keeping your eye out for these bars and definitely recommend you give them a try!