>>1639907Boxed or pouched meals like Red Beans N' Rice, Jambalaya, etc are cheap, filling, tasty, and light. However they do require a fairly long cook time, so if using a fuel stove plan appropriately. I tend to only make this when I'm cooking over a campfire or wood stove.
Canned soups or stews are cheap, compact, filling, and require very little cook time (just enough to get it hot). However, they're heavy. An excellent choice for car/canoe/kayak camping though.
Eggs. Dozens of ways to fix it, last long enough un-refrigerated to get through 99% of /out/ings, great source of fat and protein, cheap af. If you bring raw eggs you do need to pack them carefully to prevent breaking, but hard-boiled eggs travel very well.
Instant mashed potatoes, minute rice, baking mixes like bisquick, and cornmeal are extremely lightweight, cheap, and compact. Use them as base ingredients for one-pot meals or make them as standalone dishes. Being able to whip up some halfway decent pancakes using nothing but vegetable oil, a ziploc of bisquick, and a small vial of [flavor extract of your choice, I like maple and almond] in your <1L UL pot can really turn your outlook on a dreary day around.
