Outdoor Japan Exit Reader Mode

Power Pancakes from Leftover Trail Mix

Akira Suzuki

Ingredients

Easy-to-eat, high-calorie foods such as caramel, chocolate, dried fruits and mixed nuts are great rations for mountain climbing and trekking, and a great way to fuel up when you are expending a lot of energy. I snack on this stuff out on the trail, but “responsible” people usually try to avoid high-calorie foods in normal life.

The question is, when you’re done hiking and camping, what are you supposed to do with all the snacks left over? You can’t just give half-eaten things to folks you meet on the trail.

(1) Mix egg, powdered milk and water in with the pancake mix.

How about mixing all of that in a pancake and finishing off everything at once? If you’ve got mixed nuts and dried fruit, there’s no need to use any syrup or honey and, even if the pancake turns cold, you can still carry it with you. This will definitely boost your energy for that last spurt when you need it.

(2) Stir in the sliced banana with the crushed nuts. Cook both sides in a fry pan greased with butter or salad oil until ready.

Other than the pancake mix you’ll simply need an egg and some milk; however, since milk doesn’t keep well, it’s better to us non-fat powdered milk or powdered creamer such what you dump in your coffee.

For the gourmets among you, try picking up some powdered milk for babies. The high amount of milk-fat translates to a taste closer to the kitchen than the trail. Hey, it’s got to be good to replace “mother’s milk,” right?

Directions:

(1) Add egg and powdered milk to the pancake mix and stir.
(2) Mix in the sliced banana and crushed nuts.
(3) Cook both sides on a fry pan greased with salad oil or butter.

The secret to cooking a pancake is not getting the pan too hot and waiting until the pancake batter begins to slightly bubble before flipping on low-to-medium heat.