An elementary school throw-back, these customizable snack packs are a great way to enjoy a “gourmet” lunch out on the trail. We’re sharing two favorites: a fancy cheese plate and mini pizzas! Back when we were in school, the days we had one of these customizable snack boxes in our backpack we were so psyched for lunchtime. Now as adults, we wanted to recreate that same enthusiasm for lunch that we felt as kids—but with some more “grown up” flavors. So we decided to make our own gourmet snack boxes.
All you need to build one is a sealable container, some silicone cupcake liners, and a little imagination. You can really create these any way you like, but our favorites growing up were always the cheese and cracker combo and the mini pizzas.
So, let’s get into it and take a stroll down memory lane!
Equipment
Multi-compartment food container: These have become very popular and can be found anywhere they sell kitchenware. You can also purchase them online.
Silicone Cupcake Liners: These are great reusable options to help you divide up your food container and keep each different ingredient separate from one another.
Cooler with Ice Packs: Unlike the store-bought brand name version, these snack boxes won’t be loaded up with preservatives, so you will want to keep them cool. A soft sided mini cooler with a few ice packs should do the trick.
Tips for Making These Snack Boxes
- Refrigerate all the ingredients BEFORE putting them in the cooler to help them stay cool for longer.
- When selecting ingredients, go for a diversity of flavor, texture, and nutrition.
- Always pack along a few napkins in case things get a little messy out there.
Snack Pack #1: Turkey & Ham, Cheese, Crackers
Below is a list of the ingredients we used to make our cheese plate snack pack, however, you should feel free to add or subtract anything you like!
ingredients
- Fancy crackers
- Nice cheese
- Smoked turkey
- Ham
- Assorted nuts
- Dried apricots
- Green grapes
- To Drink: Sparkling bubbly water
- For Dessert: Chocolate covered pretzels
Snack Pack #2: Pizza
The mini pizza pack was always a favorite back in school. We’ve been able to really take it to the next level by using naan rounds, which provide the perfect taste and texture for making a pizza.
ingredients
- Naan rounds (we used caramelized onion—you can also use thin sandwich rounds)
- Tomato sauce
- Shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
- Spicy pepperoni/salami
- To Drink: Italian orange-flavored sparkling water
- For Dessert: Chocolate cookies
FRESH OFF THE GRID
Eddie Bauer Field Experts
Michael van Vliet and Megan McDuffie are the husband-wife team behind the camp cooking blog Fresh Off The Grid (@freshoffthegrid). They launched their website to share their recipes, skill guides, and other outdoor resources.
