Last summer, I did some experimenting with adding more supplemental nutrition to my backpacking diet. The year before I added an electrolyte replenisher. This year, I tried for a smoothie.
At home, for many, smoothies are great way to include a lot of nutrition in one “meal” that can include protein powders, electrolytes and other micronutrients to fuel and replenish what your body needs after putting all those miles in on the trail.
I must admit, I am not normally a smoothie person. Unless you count when I am making something up in an attempt to get my teenage son to consume something even remotely healthy. I usually do a pretty good job of eating the ingredients separately. But on the trail is a little harder.
#coconutcream #bananas #cacoa #hemppowder #kale #collagen #vanilla
This is a pretty simple recipe, as most smoothie recipes are.
I have been trying out different protein powders and hemp has been what I have been using lately. I have been using one from Bob’s Red Mill. It has 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential ones your body can’t produce on it’s own. It is in a grey area as far as paleo is concerned, but I really only use it for the trail as a protein alternative.
I like it because it is sold straight up, a lot of the other ones out there have too many ingredients on the label or are too highly processed for me. Feel free to use whichever one is your favorite.
Adding gelatin to Banana Fudge Smoothie Leather is for the same reason I make homemade bone broth: my little old joints. It’s also a great source of amino acids and aids in digestion. Use the green can because it’s soluble.
I blended it up just like a regular smoothie and put it on jelly roll trays in the dehydrator. This takes a LONG time to become completely dry. You can flip it and break it up as it dries, mine took more than a full day.
I originally thought I would try grinding it up into a powder and drinking it on the trail but it turned out to be more convenient to just eat it like a leather. The high fat content makes this a yummy, chewy treat. If you would like a powder smoothie for the trail, try my Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Smoothie Fat Bomb.
Perfect for the Oregon section of the PCT where water is A LOT more scarce than it is here. Not that I didn’t drink water when I would eat it but it meant I didn’t have to wash out a cup afterwards. Who wants to clean out a Blender Bottle on the trail, anyway?
I also like to pack things like sea vegetables to round out my nutrition, like in my recipe for Twice Baked Nori.
If you are new to dehydrating or want more information, especially if you need your meals to last more than a month without refrigeration, please visit my Dehydrating 101 page to find out how to do it safely. And if you enjoyed this recipe, head over to my Hiking and Backpacking Paleo Index for over 75 tasty treats to take on your next outdoor adventure!
I hope you enjoy this Banana Fudge Smoothie Leather while out on the trail. What are some other ways you pack in some supplemental nutrition for your days on the trail?
Banana Fudge Smoothie Leather
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
24 minutes
Total Time
34 minutes
Course: Beverage, Snack
Cuisine: Dairy Free, Nut free, Paleo, Primal, Soy free, Whole Food
Servings: 5 1/3 cup servings
Ingredients
- 14 ounces can full fat coconut cream
- 4 bananas cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup cacoa
- 1/4 cup hemp protein powder
- 1 1/2 cup kale torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup collagen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Depending on your blender, you may still have small pieces of kale. This is not a big deal.
- Spread as thin as you can on jelly roll trays in your dehydrator and let dry 24-30 hours until it makes a dry but chewy leather.
- Break up into bite size pieces and store in a ziplock or other air tight container.
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