Camano Island Bike Camping And Almond Butter Chocolate Chia Protein Pudding

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I was recently reminded about a recipe I had forgotten I had created for an article on the Washington Trails Association website about desserts in the backcountry.  Then a food blogger I follow posted a recipe for an at-home version and I was inspired to make my backpacking version on a recent trip to Camano Island.

 

 

The chia pudding recipe I shared with WTA was for an eggnog chia pudding but it is super easy to swap out flavors so you can be as creative as you want.  You can jump ahead to the recipe or come along as I take my very first bike camping trip!

My goal for the last few years was to try my hand a bike camping.  That is, riding my bike somewhere to go camping.  The summer would get away from me before I had a chance to make it happen, however.  I thought that this summer was going to slip through my fingers again without a chance but I was finally able to get out there.

I had set aside 3-4 days for backpacking but then an unusual atmospheric river was forecasted right in the middle of it so instead I opted for a one night back camping trip to Camano Island State Park.  Don’t ask me why I picked the most hilly possible ride with the addition of backpacking gear but I guess I literally roll like that.

 

 

Because I hadn’t been able to train with the extra weight on the bike, I didn’t want to chance what would be a normally 42 mile trek so I took public transit to Stanwood which made it about 20 miles to the state park.  I have ridden this section before as part of the McClinchy Hill Climb so I was familiar but did alter a bit by following the “bike route” signage on the island.  I am not sure it saved me much elevation gain but it did avoid my least favorite hill.

I took much of my regular backpacking gear but because I wasn’t sure on the tree situation I took both my tent and a hammock.  A heavier sleeping pad, a towel.  I also probably didn’t need to take a liter of water and some of my food was non-ultralight (apple, can of seltzer water, etc.).  This made for a sluggish bike and slow going on those hills!

 

 

But I made it.  There are two hiker/biker campsites at Camano Island State Park but they are nestled close to each other and don’t offer much privacy so I opted for a regular site with a fair amount of woods between me and the surrounding sites (#40).  It also had good trees for hanging the hammock, although I could have done with a little less sap on one of them.

 

 

Guess what gets sap off your hands and arms quite nicely?

 

 

While I stayed at the campground, I hiked the trails in the park, oh the blackberries!  This included a nice stroll down to the beach in the morning.  The clouds had rolled in by this time, making everything calm and drippy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dinner I had simply tossed together some gari (that I talk about here as a grain alternative), dehydrated chicken, dried tomatoes from the garden, some garlic powder and sea salt.  Easy peasy.

 

 

But for breakfast the next morning it was time to savor the chia protein pudding.  Unlike the WTA version, I do not use any sugar making this more like a mousse but if you like things sweet, you could add small amount of powdered sugar.  I use Native Forest Coconut Milk Powder but any powdered milk you prefer will work.

 

 

Because I had my stove, I used hot water but you can easily cold soak this meal.  My testing puts that about an extra hour of time.

 

 

Be creative!  The eggnog version had cinnamon and nutmeg.  You could also add dried fruit, I had packed dried bananas thinking that would be a good combination but had already eaten the pudding before I remembered I had them.  So I just ate them separately.

 

 

I am sharing this as two servings for dessert but will admit I can eat the whole thing myself as a meal!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chia Protein Pudding

A simple and quick recipe that is perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert, you can enjoy this both on the trail or at home.

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook/Soak Time
15 minutes

Total Time
30 minutes

Course: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert

Cuisine: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Paleo, Vegan

Servings:  2

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 4 tablespoons powdered milk of your choice
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 scoop collagen or protein powder (pea protein for vegan)
• 1 tablespoon powdered almond butter

Instructions

• Before leaving home, mix all the ingredients together in a bag.  I use this one.
• At camp, heat 1 cup of water and add it to the chia seed mixture.
• Stir to incorporate well and let rest for 15-20 minutes until the seeds are soft and the mixture has gelled.
• You can also make it with cool water, but it will need a longer resting period of about an hour.  You could also set it up the night before if you want to enjoy it for breakfast!

 

 

 

 

 

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