Thursday, January 12, 2012

Update on Second Philmont Trip..... SCD Style

Jacob, Leo and Evan at the top of  Tooth of Time Mountain
Ok it has been a little while (ok a long while) since I mentioned that Jacob was going on a second trip to Philmont Scout Ranch carrying 2 weeks worth of dehydrated SCD goodies in a backpack.  I can imagine that some of you might be wondering how things went.  Sorry it has taken me so long to answer that question.  The delay has alot to do with writer's block, beginning school and an incident that I will write more about later.  Ha hows that for a hook!!

Any way, once again the trip went off perfectly.  I am so excited.   You know you do something once and you think that well maybe that was a fluke and if I did it again it wouldn't work as well.  Well, it is now confirmed with a second very successful trip. The only problem was that I sent too much food this time!  ;D  Not too bad of a problem to have.

This is a picture of all his food the night we packed it.  As you can see it is quite an undertaking to get it all cooked, dehydrated, vacuum sealed, and seperated out.  Oh but it is so worth it to see your child, who has had to deal with all the disappointments of this disease, get to live something he has dreamed about and thought he had lost.  A little disclaimer about the picture.  You will see Cliff Twist boxes in there and they are not considered legal.  They were in our shopping bag and so they accidentally made it into the picture but do not include them in your menu planning.



Ok so the entre' meals were as follows:

Lasagna
Red Beans and Cauliflour rice
Taco Soup from I Want To Thrive Magazine
Cannelloni
Beef Stew
Chilli

Baked items included

Blueberry Cake
Cinnamon Danish
Golden Marsh from Grainfree Gourmet
Lemon Cake
Garlic Roll
Onion Roll
Crackers

Granola or nuts

Salty Granola
Coconutty Granola
Fruit and Nut Granola
Candied Pecans from Eating SCD

Snacks

Beef Jerky from Eating SCD
SCD legal Pickles
Peanut butter and honey rolls

Legal Store Bought snacks and food items

Honeyville Canned 100% Organic Chicken*
Starkist Tuna only in water**
Legal Lara Bars
Legal Stretch Island Fruit Leather
Fruit Crisps
Legal rasins
Honey Straws

And of course the Electrolyte Tablets made by my compounding Pharmacist.

Yes, this looks like a lot of food.  And it is alot to eat but really it isn't that much to prepare.  Would you believe that I only had to prepare one batch of each thing.  It's true.  That makes it seem so much more do able.


Jacob and Evan at the Top of Mount Baldy
I must remind you all though.  As you can tell the food you bring and need in order to have enough energy to make it through the entire hike are very advanced foods.  You need to make sure you are completely healed and symptom free for a while before trying this kind of trip.  You or your child will be eating quite a lot of nuts or nut products.  So make sure that the gut is healed enough to take it.  If you get into trouble and get sick on the hike they can get you off and send you home.  But our goal is to make the entire trip with out having problems and making it home fine.  So make sure you are ready, physically, to handle it.  Jacob was well a year before we tackeled this trip and he was normally consuming a high amount of nut products.  So I knew he could do it.  So that is just my warning to you because I care about you.  Don't take the trip lightly.  It can be done but you need to make sure you are ready.  Just like the physical training you must do to make sure you are strong enough to handle the hike make sure you are healthy enough to handle it. Also it is not a time to try something you're not completely certain of.  Only get Tuna or chicken that are legal.  Read the lables.  I have had to drive 2 hours to get Tuna that was legal because I couldn't find it at home.  Also, you need to make sure your camper won't take chances.  He can not have the nuts or snacks from someone else's bag.  He must know how important it is to stay 100% while out there.  If he is not committed to that you should think about waiting until he is sure he can make that commitment and understands the seriousness of the matter.  This scout ranch is very primitive and they do have a doctor if something goes wrong.  For something this serious your child would have to be sent home.

At another time, I will discuss, the breakfast you eat the first morning of the hike and meals on the way to and from the scout ranch.

Sorry to get so heavy but I am just as worried about your guy as I am mine and I know how important it is.  We were blessed in having my Husband able to be with him on both hikes; so I was not quite as crazy as I could have been.  Still crazy but not AS crazy.

I am just so grateful to the Lord for the concept of dehydrating foods. It took alot of blood, sweat and tears to develop and we were amazed at the results.  It was an answer to a desperate prayer.  And how wonderful to be able to share that answer with all of you.  Happy Hiking!!

* Don't be decieved about the Valley Fresh Canned chicken.  The 100% Natural has starch added in to it.  It says in water on the can but it has additives.  So be very careful read and reread the label before you purchase.
**Make sure to read all labels really well before purchasing your tuna.  You can find tuna in water only don't settle for anything else!!

24 comments:

  1. Oh wow - that's great that he got to do that!! You did a wonderful job with the food! I can't wait until Ben can do something like that. He's ready commitment-to-the-diet-ready but not physically ready. That's a great point to make!

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  2. Hey I am so excited for Ben that he is going to have this opportunity! It was a dream come true for all my guys. Can you believe they are thinking about going again!! Yes, physical training is very important also. This trip they climbed 3 Mountains. And they cover alot of ground. So they usually start running the bleechers at a local high school to prepare. They work up to carrying a 50lb back pack on their back because that is what they will carry there. So once they have been training awhile I am more comfortable because I see what he can handle before they even leave. I want to cover some of the details of the trip that will also effect you once you are there. Like the breakfast the morning before they get on the trail and how to get this together in time but not to early without losing your mind! I am actually thinking about making a booklet because it is too hard to get all the details in to a small post. But don't worry we will have all this well covered before you get there. He is going to have a wonderful time. Thanks for your encouragement. Keep me posted on your progress.

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  3. you are invited to follow my blog

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    1. Thanks for the invite Steve! I will look forward to seeing your blog. Thanks for stopping by!! Melanie

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  4. Hi Melanie,
    I'm and avid SCD backpacker. I'm always looking for new foods to take with me. I wonder, how did you preserve the Cannelloni? Seems like that would be a delicious meal out there. I'm sure everyone else would be jealous if I brought that out mid trip :)
    Thank you,
    ~Lindsay

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  5. Hey Lindsey
    The Cannelloni was one of the recipes that amazed me. I just couldn't believe that you could dehydrate it and it would come back and be tasty. But it really works well. It is important to have some meat in the cannelloni. On this last trip I made it with just cheese and I thought it would never dry. So I recommend adding meat with the cheese stuffing. Then cut it up well before drying. I prepare it just like I am about to serve it wtih sauce & cheese topping. Then cut it up and put it in the dehydrator on the meat setting for about 3 hours. Make sure to check it often also blotting off any oil. When it sems pretty dry on the top flip it over being careful to wipe all oil from the freezer paper. And dry 30 min to an hour longer. Check it often as it may take longer or not as long to dry. It should be something like a potato chip when done. Make sure to let it cool completely before sealing in your bag. Let me know what you think. Yes Jacob is usually the envy of the whole group who are eating freeze dried meals. Let me know how it does!! Happy Camping!!!

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  6. Hi Melanie,

    I just wanted to let you know that I've put a link to your blog in the Inbox: Travel section of NoMoreCrohns.com. I hope it brings lots of people your way! I know they'll get many good ideas and some realistic encouragement from your blog!

    I hope you're all well and planning an interesting summer.

    Take care...
    Robin

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  7. Hey Robin!!
    Oh thank you for linking this article. I do appreciate it. Jacob is feeling much better and we are looking forward to a wonderful summer. It will be his last as a high school student!!! Can you believe he will be graduating next year!! Hope you have a wonderful summer as well!! Great to hear from you Melanie

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  8. This is so wonderful. Thank you. My son is leaving for Philmont in 6 weeks. We have been on the GAPS diet since Jan first. I have been planning and stressing and now I know it is possible.
    Thank you so much.
    Lynn in S. E. MA

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  9. Hey Lyn!! OH Im so glad your son will have the Philmont experience. It is so doable on this diet too. Have you spoken to anyone about delievering his meals to him on the trail. We box his meals in 3 boxes and then have them put along with the other meals that the ranch provides and they make sure to get them to him. Let me know if you have more spacific questions about Philmont. I will be happy to answer them for you. Please let me know how it goes!! Melanie

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  10. Hey Lyn When your son first gets to Philmont who ever is in charge of his troop or if his dad is going, that person needs to meet with the person in charge of the cafeteria. Tell them he is on a special diet and then tell them what he needs that night for dinner and then the next morning for breakfast. They will prepare him something he can eat. Make sure he doesn't drink any of the juice it is not legal. He will have to drink water. Make sure to contact me with any questions about the trip you have. I will be happy to help you any way I can !! Melanie

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  11. Hi Melanie,
    Thanks again! This time for your camping/backpacking recipes. I made banana bread larabars, chili, coconut granola (not your recipe, but very good). I made my own concoction of dehydrated ground turkey with poultry seasoning, dehydrated peas and carrots, and dehydrated pureed cauliflower. I plan to mix that together and with the cauliflower acting as a thickener. I'll have to try to remember to let you know how it comes out. We'll be heading to South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan pretty soon. I couldn't have done this without your information!

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  12. Hey there! I am so excited to hear our information has encouraged your to make new recipes and use them to dehydrate for travel. I would love to hear how everything worked out on your trip. Espically the cauliflour as a thickener. Hope you have a very blessed trip! Melanie

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  13. Can you share the ingredients of your electrolyte tablets? I've relied on Nuun in the past and because I have a permanent ileostomy I can get dehydrated quickly. But Nuun has illegal ingredients. Thanks!

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  14. Hey there! I worked with my Compounding Pharmacist to make the tablets. They were just the electorlytes in a wax tab. We went over what would be legal and he said it would be easy to do. They were these little wax tablets thet melt in your mouth. They are very salty but i suppose you could dissolve them in water. i wll try to find out what the term is for the tablet and let you know. Your compounding pharmacist will know what it is . Also there is a recipe for an electrolyte drink on
    SCDRecipe.com. We also bought a bottle of electrylye drink on line that is concentrated and you add to water but jacob couldn't tolerate the taste. it tasted like fish water to me ;D it is called E-Lyte. Hope this helps.

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  15. How can I learn more about how much boiling water is necessary to reconstitute each food? Also, I am struggling to find recipes for many of the foods/entrees you listed. Please help!!! I am so grateful to hear that it's possible to dehydrate SCD meals, but need much more information than I'm currently finding!

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    1. Hello There!! I am so sorry that it has been hard to find my information on dehydrating foods and recipes. If you go to the SCDiet.net site and scroll down to the Spacific Carbohydrate Diet and Suppliments section and then scroll to the bottom you will find Melanies Menus for Jacobs Hikes. There you will find instructions, meal plans and menus for dehydrating meals. I have many new ideas that I have yet to post. However, if you are planning a dehydrating project let me know how I can help you. I had great fun and stretched my dehydrating creativity as I worked with Andrea to prepare for her trip. When and where are you planning to take your dehydrated meals?

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    2. Oh sorry also Jacob would usually boil a cup of water to reconstitute his meals. However he would only add a half cup of the water first. Then he would watch to see if it needed more water. Remember it is important to get the Seal A Meal Bags that are for boiling and that have pleats. After pouring the water fold down the top and clip and let sit for 15 min.

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  16. Hey there! Great blog. I too have UC and am very intrigued about your meals and how you package them. Are all meals/recipes straight from Elaine Gottschall's Breaking the Vicious Cycle (SCD) book?

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    1. Hey thank you for your kind words!! I created most of the recipes a few are from ideas from other recipes but all are completely SCD Compliant. You can google Scd Menu for Jacobs hike and the instructions, menu plan and recipes will come up . Please Let me know if you have any questions .

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  17. Congrats! Can you please tell me what brand/model you recommend for the food dehydrator? Thank you so much!,

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  18. Hey Ron ! Thank you!! I use a Nesco dehydrator. The main thing I look for in a dehydrator are temperature settings. Depending on what you are dehydrating different settings will effect the food differently. For instance blueberries need a lower setting than meat. Please let me know if you have other questions 😊 thank you Melanie

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  19. Melanie, is your blog still active? My husband and two sons are going to Philmont next summer, and Jeff (husband) has Crohn's and we follow SCD strictly. He is determined to make this trip work with SCD compliant food and we are ready to try all your recipes! One thing he is concerned about is slowing everyone down if his food has to be cooked and everyone else is eating dry that meal ... did Jacob find this to be a problem? Thank you so much for sharing your ideas ... it's such a blessing to know others have travelled this road! Molly

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  20. Hey Molly !! So sorry I didn't see this sooner. Are yall still planning that trip to Philmont? Jacobs meals were dehydrated and so all he needed was boiling water to reconsitute his meals. I didn't hear anhy complaints about it slowing them down. But I will check with Him. I know for some of the hikes he would just do the legal tuna or chicken and save the heated meals for dinner. Also we did a muffin with fruit leather or something like that for breakfast . I would be happy to speak with yall about how to prepare if you like. Contact me at my.honeypie66@gmail.com and we can connect.

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