Frequent hikers and backpackers know how to cook dehydrated meals, but they can get boring pretty quickly. These 5 delicious treats can launch your backcountry cooking game into the next dimension.

Cheese

Surprisingly, cheese doesn’t always have to stay at home when you hit the trail. It lasts up to 5 days in your pack in moderate climates. The harder the cheese, the longer it keeps, and the less oily it gets. While a block of cheese will do the trick, some grocery stores carry individually wrapped bite size pieces. Wax-wrapped soft cheeses such as gouda can stay bacteria free for long periods of time. High fat foods like cheese give you an energy-dense pick-me-up that keeps you going on long days when the nearest juicy cheeseburger sizzles miles away.

Avocado

Another delicious and high fat food for lasting energy–a perfectly ripe avocado. Added to your mac and cheese and the end of a 20-mile day, it can brighten your spirits and recharge your batteries. Just remember that by Leave No Trace standards, you still will want to pack out the heavy pit.

Peppers

Green peppers, yellow peppers, jalapeño peppers, any peppers! A fresh pepper won’t bruise or puncture easily in your pack and can last for days. One feels rebellious when adding a crunchy green pepper to your pepperoni and peanut butter tortilla.

Hot Sauce

Mmmmm, hot sauce. The perfect addition to spice up any gourmet backcountry creation. Pick up some individual packets at your local fast food joint, or fill a small reusable bottle to the brim with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Tuna Mac and Cheese will take on new meaning.

Eggs

Sound like a recipe for disaster? Not necessarily. Eggs can go quite a while without seeing a refrigerator, but don’t take my word for it. Boil them for a quick and easy snack, but leave the shells on until chow time for maximum preservation. Cut an egg crate in half to protect your precious nourishment and enjoy.

There you have it

Five delicious foods you can bring on the trail that will turn you from professional water boiler to gourmet chef.

Once you start thinking outside the box, you can create amazing meals that guarantee an entirely new hiking experience.

Good luck fending off your hungry hiker buddies.