Backcountry meals. Either you love them or hate them. I have tried a few different ones in my day with mixed reviews. But these days, I find it difficult to get meals that meet my dietary needs since I have a dairy intolerance, and most dehydrated meals have some form of dairy. There are a few that don’t, but I have not enjoyed them very much. I mean, I’ll eat them if needed, but I am always on the search for something new.
About the company: OTG Meals (On The Go Meals)
In the spring I came across an awesome opportunity to test out some meals from a new company offering dehydrated meals. They are non GMO-small batch meals, and the best part was that I could ask for special meals to meet my non-dairy options! I also have two picky eaters, so they exceeded my expectations by also giving me the option to request meals that they would also eat.
OTG Meals (On The Go Meals – bookmark this page as you will want to keep checking in as their progress to production happens) is a new and upcoming company that is providing campers with a whole new way of eating in the back country. When chatting with the owner/cook/brains behind the company, Randy, I was quick to realized that this was an idea that could really work for my family.
So, we discussed the meal options, which ones could be done without dairy, as well as simple meal options for my boys. Shortly after I received a box with a huge sampling of meals. I was so surprised and happy at the same time.
Box of goodies 
So many options!
Testing Phase Part 1
We didn’t have many back country trips planned this year, as we have an epic trip to Alberta and BC coming up, so we tested these meals where we could. Our first test meal was during our Killarney trip (stay tuned for details!)
For lunch we decided to fire up our good ol’ Coleman stove and picked out our meals of choice. My boys decided to share the Mac and Cheese while I tried the Thai Coconut Chicken with Jasmine Rice. The next day I decided to have another meal and tried the Beef Stroganoff with mushrooms, peas and shell pasta.
We opted to eat these in our bowls 
Before (Beef Stroganoff) 
After (Beef stroganoff)
Verdict: Part 1
Mac and Cheese: Since I couldn’t eat this the reviews come from my boys. They both enjoyed the mac and cheese and said it tasted really good. The noodles did need a few extra minutes to soften (see below for more info), and I would highly recommend stirring at least once during the wait to make sure the cheese sauce is all broken down. I may have also added a little too much water!
Thai Coconut Chicken with Jasmine Rice: After the first few mouthfuls I just said OH.EM.GEE O.T.G! It was so yummy. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the chicken as I have tried to dehydrate some myself and it didn’t go well, but this chicken was shredded making it easier to re-hydrate. I found I had to tell myself to slow down and enjoy as I ate it up really fast.
Beef Stroganoff meal: This meal was yummy as well. There were large, and I mean large pieces of beef, lots of mushrooms and peas. I would also let this one sit a few more minutes to give the pasta time to fully re-hydrate.
Testing: Part 2
Fast forward a week and we found ourselves in Alberta. This next testing phase occurred while we were hiking in Canmore, AB. Once again we needed to eat lunch somewhere, so we stopped at a local provincial park picnic area to prepare our meals. The choices were Mini Cheese Ravioli in Tomato Sauce, Chicken and Dumplings, and once again Mac and Cheese.
This time we had our MSR Whisperlite to boil the water for our meals. We also let them sit a few minutes longer than suggested as per our experience with the first round of testing.
He loves being a goof 
Check out the background views! 
Before: Chicken and Dumplings 
Before: Mini Ravioli 
Cookin up a scoff
Verdict: Part 2
Mini Cheese Ravioli and Tomato Sauce: This meal was chosen by Dan, and he was happy that there were no fancy ingredients LOL. He really enjoyed this meal, and I even had a taste of the meat sauce (just didn’t try a ravioli). Another great option!
Mac and Cheese: As mentioned, we let this sit a little longer and the noodles were better the second time. I still didn’t stir the pasta part way, which would be necessary to mix the cheese fully.
Chicken and Dumplings: Well, I wish I had a way to share the taste and smell for this meal. It was like a chicken pot pie/home made chicken dinner all in one. I honestly felt like I was eating a meal prepared from home. With the savoury chicken flavour along with little pieces of dumplings, this one was my top pick out of the three I’ve tried so far. This one better be a staple meal offered because I would have it over and over without complains of eating the same thing for days. I honestly was smiling from ear to ear!!
Testing: Part 3
Yes another test meal. This time I chose to try the Thai Noodle Soup with Mushrooms and Carrots as a breakfast meal. The other option was to have oatmeal, a great choice, but not one that I really wanted that morning.
Waiting for brekkie 
Before: Thai Soup
Verdict: Part 3
Wow! This meal was SPICY! I actually don’t mind the spice and my mouth was saying wow over and over as I enjoyed my soup for breakfast. I had started eating this with a spoon, but soon realized that I needed the help of a fork to get the noodles in my mouth as they kept sliding off the spoon.
After: Thai Soup
Concluding Thoughts
So far we have been very happy and pleased with these meals. I have a few more meals to try and those reviews will be included with future posts. While chatting with Randy about my experience so far with these meals, he did update me on a few items he will be working on for future meals.
The pasta will be different: other testers have also noticed that it was needing more time to fully re-hydrate. The mini ravioli didn’t have this issue, but the bigger pasta items seemed to be affected more.
Portion sizes will be increased a bit: I found that these meals were just about the right size for me. Other meals I have tried list the possibility for it to feed two people. However, in my experience I just cannot seem to finish off a full package, and some of the meal goes to waste. So with the new information of these meals being just a bit bigger, they will be the perfect size for me.
For more information please look up OTG Meals on the following social media sites for updates. You can message Randy through these sites to chat with him personally.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OTGMeals/
Webpage: https://www.otgmeals.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otgmeals519/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MealsOtg
I am super excited to try the remainder of my meals and keep watching for post updates on the remainder meals. We would love to hear from you, please comment below if there are other meals you have found that you enjoy.