I’ve had a lot of questions over the years about what we eat when we are mountain hunting. When it comes to mountain hunting, I have one priority: coming out of the hills with the best ram or billy I can. All my decisions are made with that goal in mind. I am not out there to relax or have Smores over the campfire. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Smore and a little Forty Creek around a campfire now and again as much as the next guy, but these are bonuses and saved for after a successful hunt (the Forty Creek) or with the family (the smores). Much of what to eat on a hunt depends on personal preference, but for our team, eating is all about keeping the machine fueled to be ready for whatever is coming at us next and keeping the packs as light as possible. We rarely stop for food breaks specifically but rather fuel on the go. Typically, we refuel and hydrate while glassing, as refuelling then won’t take away from the hunt. We are not out for a picnic when we are hunting but rather work under a well-thought-out plan that usually doesn’t include the pleasantries of other hunting styles.

Breakfast and dinners are usually the same – oatmeal/granola/coffee to start the day and some high-calorie freeze-dried meal to get some of the calories we’ve burned replenished after a long day. During the day, it is an ongoing feast of lightweight, portable snacks, electrolyte replacement and occasionally a protein powder or meal replacement powder. I aim for about 1500 cal of snacks per day. We usually pack some sandwiches for the first day or two, followed by a buffet of your typical trail mix, jerky, and bars. In all honesty, our team has consumed a lot of Snickers bars and Cheetos over the years, but we’ve replaced much of that with some healthier pre-packaged bar options (Pro-bar, Picky bars are favourites) and snacks we make at home that fuel us much better. I have noticed that the more processed junk I eat while hunting, the harder it is to get off the sugar when the season is over! The more sugar we eat – the more sugar we crave.

When picking snack foods, there are a few critical criteria:

• the items must travel well and not fall apart in your pack.
• they should be edible at the temperatures you will be hunting at
• they should provide a variety of flavours
• give you the energy you need to keep going.

I’ve included three of our team’s favourite snack recipes. These are high carb, high fat snack bombs that will get you up that next mountain – because you never know whether that book ram is waiting for you on the other side!

No-Bake, Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

*Makes 8 bars

Ingredients:

• ½ cup peanut butter  
• 1 ½   tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅓ cup flaxseed 
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• ½ cup Stoked Oats, Run of the Mill 
• Quick Oats or regular rolled oats
• ⅓ cup chopped nuts of choice
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Optional toppings;

• 2–3 tbsp of chopped nuts of choice, chocolate chips, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

1. Add peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon into a medium saucepan and place over low heat. Stir frequently until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 
2. Remove from heat and immediately stir in flaxseed, chia and oats.  Fold in chopped nuts and shredded coconut and stir until combined.
3. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and pour granola bar mixture in. Spread mixture out evenly and press down in the pan very firmly. Press remaining toppings on top.
4. Place bars in the freezer for 15 minutes or until the mixture has hardened. Remove bars from pan and cut into 8 bars. Bars will last up to 1 week in the fridge.

Monster Energy Balls

Ingredients:

• ½ cup nut butter of choice
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ cup Stoked Oats, Run of the Mill Quick Oats or regular rolled oats
• ¼ cup flaxseed meal
• ¼ cup finely shredded coconut
• Splash vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup M&Ms or Smarties

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and stir well.
• Roll into balls – you may need to dampen your hands, as these can be sticky!  Store in an airtight container for several days, or freeze for up to one month.  

Power Hunter Muffins

*Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1.5 cups Stoked Oats, Run of the Mill Quick Oats or regular rolled oats
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch sea salt
• ½ cup dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds of choice
• 3 eggs or 3 flax eggs
• 2 cups grated apple, carrots, zucchini, beets (your combo choice)
• ⅓ cup melted butter or coconut oil
• ½ cup maple syrup

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups
• In a large bowl combine almond flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, dried fruit etc of choice
• In another bowl whisk together the eggs (or flax eggs), melted butter/coconut oil, maple syrup, grated apple/carrot/zucchini/beet mixture
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined
• Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 25–30 minutes

NOTES:

• *1 flax eggs = 1 TBSP ground flax + 3 TBSP warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.
• *Regular whole wheat flour or spelt flour can be used but requires a little more butter or coconut oil and reduce the oats slightly. Highly recommend trying the almond flour though – super moist and flavourful! 
• *Adapted from Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow

A good opportunity to snack.

*Serves 8–10

This salad keeps well and is great for leftovers the next day! Add some greens to your Christmas dinner, or bring something healthy to the office potluck. With the applesauce and maple syrup in the dressing, plus the dried cranberries, there is a sweetness to this salad that even our kids will eat this salad.

Ingredients

Pecan Parmesan

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1.5 tsp nutritional yeast
• 3 tsp olive oil
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions

In a food processor mix all ingredients together and process until crumble and combined.

Salad Dressing

• 1/3 cup Apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• Pinch sea salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 1–2 tsp minced ginger

Mix all ingredients together in a mason jar and shake well.

Salad

• 2–3 large bunches of kale destemmed and torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large apple cored and finely chopped
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¾ cup pomegranate arils (fresh or frozen)

To assemble the salad

Place the kale in a large bowl and pour on half of the dressing. 

Using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale leaves until fully coated to allow the kale to soften. If requires more dressing add more and continue to massage.

Add the pomegranate seeds, chopped apple and dried cranberries.

Sprinkle the pecan parmesan over the salad when ready to serve.  

(Original recipe from Angela Liddon has been modified)

These oatmeal breakfast bars are great for breakfast, as a snack for kids’ lunches (if you opt for the nut-free version), or fuel for a long hike or training session. *Makes 8-10 bars

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Stoked Oats, Run of the Mill Quick Oats or regular rolled oats
• 1 ¼ cups oat flour (you can make your own by blending rolled oats until flour like consistency in high powered blender)
• ¼ cup seeds or chopped nuts of choice (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, slivered almonds, chopped cashews etc)
• ¼ cup of chocolate chips, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dried apricots etc
• 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch sea salt
• ⅓ cup milk of choice
• ⅓ cup brown rice syrup
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat flour, seeds or nuts, chocolate chips or dried fruit of choice, cinnamon, sea salt, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, brown rice syrup, maple syrup and vanilla.
4. Add the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until well combined.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press it down until evenly distributed.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut to mark out the bars in either 8–10 bars (depending on the size of bars you would like), before you bake them to make it easier to cut and remove the bars once baked.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and let bars cool in pan. Once cool, use a sharp knife to fully cut the bars and remove from the pan.
8. Store in an airtight container for several days, or wrap individually and freeze to pull out for your next adventure.

Stoked Oats Discount Code

Use the code WILDYUKON10 or follow this link to get a discount on your next purchase with Stoked Oats!

Ingredients

• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 4–5 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin 
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp cacao powder
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 lb cooked ground bison or other wild game ground meat
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

In a frying pan warm the oil and cook the onion, garlic and ground meat. 

Once the meat is cooked, add the bell pepper, chilli powder, cumin, cinnamon, and cocoa powder and cook for another couple of minutes until the peppers are soft and the spices are blended. 

In a soup pot empty the canned tomatoes, beans, maple syrup and stir.

Add the meat mixture, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add water while cooking if the mixture needs a little thinning.

*Optional; Top with sriracha sauce, cilantro, chopped avocado, green onions, shredded cheese. 

This recipe is from this excellent book.

From a satisfying breakfast to an afternoon pick-me-up, or even a dessert, this versatile chia seed pudding will make its way into your nutrition repertoire in no time.

• Calories: 142
• Total fat: 7 g
• Saturated fat: o g
• Total carbohydrate: 11 g
• Dietary fiber: 3 g
• Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 4 g

Yield: 1 cup (250 g) Serving size: 1/2 cup (125 g)

1. Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until well combined. Allow the chia seeds to settle for 20 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Place in the refrigerator and store for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Check for the desired thickness and flavour, adjusting if necessary. When ready to serve, spoon into bowls and top with fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened
• plant-based milk
• ¼ cup ( 40 g) chia seeds
• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 1–2 teaspoons grated lemon zest