Wild Zora Paleo Meals To Go - Mountain Beef Stew - 100% Grass Fed Beef - Freeze Dried Meal for Backpacking and Camping - AIP Friendly, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, High Protein Meal - (Single Serving)

Healthy, Paleo, light, great for backpacking. It covers everything it is meant to cover, but unfortunately it is very bland. Bring some pepper, salt, or red pepper flakes because it's going to need it.

I will start by saying I'm not on a strict paleo diet, but the foods I try to eat and/or avoid align closely with Paleo. I don't tolerate dairy, prefer gluten free, avoid sweets and processed foods, etc. I will be hiking the John Muir Trail this August, and am starting to list my preferred backpacking meals to keep me fueled and healthy on the trip. I ordered a couple of options from Paleo Meals To Go to try out, and so far I haven't been disappointed!I'll start by saying, if you are expecting beef stew a la your standard canned soup (like Progresso or Campbell's or Dinty Moore), this is not that. This meal is llacking in that sort of gravy/stock base. This wasn't disappointing, although I admit it was sort of expecting the hearty rich-ness that the word "stew" suggests. This is more of a light stew, or perhaps more a soup. I was cooking mine in the field and just guessed as too the amount of water to boil, but fully hydrated mine was the perfect balance of juicy chunks of beef, diced mushrooms, carrots, celery, with just a little bit of broth left over.I would say that this meal is very mildly seasoned (think herbs rather than spices), which makes its flavor subtle. Whichever herbs and spices PMTG uses, they are just enough to bring out the inherent flavors of the ingredients. I could clearly taste and appreciate the flavor of beef, celery, carrot, etc, and those flavors were absolutely delicious! Again, this delicacy doesn't exactly say "stew" to me, but I am from Southwest Louisiana, land of gumbo, crawfish boils, and Cajun spices. That said, when it comes to a backpacking meal I would much rather err on the side of bland than be stuck with some off-tasting flavor. I've had miserable nights where the meal I packed had an overwhelming flavor that completely missed the mark, so I really appreciate Paleo Meals To Go allowing on their fresh, quality ingredients to shine.I will say that I feel the meals are a little on the pricey side, particularly for the serving size (I easily at the whole pouch for lunch and could have probably finished another half had it been dinner time), however I understand that they are a cottage industry using high quality ingredients, so they have more overhead than the big name brands. Because of this, I hope to order one or two of each variety of their meals and treat them more as "ingredients" rather than standalones. I plan to repackage all of my food anyway, so when I do I will mix, say, half a pouch of this Beef Stew with two servings of quinoa, to make a more filling/less expensive meal. And because the flavor is so light, I can change up the spices to add variety to my trail dining experience.Bottom line, I really enjoyed this meal, and I appreciate the company for providing healthy, ingredient-conscious, high quality meals for hikers like myself.

I was very excited to get a bit healthier on trail over my go to Mountain House meals, so I quickly chose this one for my recent overnight.First impression was how difficult it was to open. The material is plastic-like over a foil. When I tore at the edges, it came off in a clean swipe, but I was surprised and annoyed to find it didn't tear low enough. It was dark and I was exhausted, so the last thing I wanted to do was go back to the tent and get my knife that I dont normally need. I picked away at the plastic to reveal bare foil and was able to tear that with fingers alone luckily, but far from graceful.Preparation was easy, easier than most since it doesn't require multiple stirs, this was really nice and I wish more were shake, pour instead.Now on to the actual meal. This is not a stew as I know it, not even close. This is a grain dish with some bits of stew ingredients. As long as you know that, it'll be fine, but I was disappointed, I wanted a stew. Flavor was there, it is naturally seasoned seemingly with herbs as other reviews say. The packet mentions adding salt, pepper, and ghee to taste and I'm sure that would've helped, but wow with that much grain, the flavor is just THIN. When I think of stew, I think rich broth with fats and oils and this just wasn't even close. It wasn't for me, I dont have a paleo diet, I just wanted some stew, so if this is your diet you may have a wildly different perception.A final note is to prepare for a long time for this to cool, the grains appear to have held the heat inside longer than most meals and I burned the rough of my mouth. That is absolutely user error, just a note.

Flavor isn't bad as others say. It does smell like a fresh package of instant noodles.Was not expecting it to be diced up so small.I added a touch of my favorite hot sauce, and chowed down...For a survival situation it's a great meal.If your a fancy backpacker or just have a stuck up pallet.. this is not for you.But think about it, out in the middle of the wilderness, nothing to eat and you got this in your pack.. at least you'll done well before the lions tigers and bears eat you.

Husband is doing the T.A.T. & we want to make sure he's got a couple of meals - just in case.Added 1/2 cups of very hot water & waited 15 minutes....Not a stew at all - added 1/4 cup more water. Smells fantastic but after about 30 minutes spouse & I have upset stomachs and indigestion. Tried this & the Chili. We split it & didn't even eat 1/2 of either meal.Disappointed

Lightweight for backpacking and very tasty

I love these great paleo options for backpacking. The food tastes real, and there is plenty of it!The mountain beef stew was good, though just a touch bland. It definitely needed the included salt packet, and I appreciated that it wasn't over-seasoned.It takes just a few minutes for the food to rehydrate, and for some of the vegetables, the texture is a little of because of they dehydrating process. But the meat tastes like meat, and it an enjoyable texture. You definitely aren't eating mush!While this product seems to be the *only* paleo backpacking meals out there, you won't feel like you don't have options. These meals are obviously real food. They aren't full of fillers, empty calories or junk.I will definitely take these backpacking with me again.

This seemed like a great product. I'd have to say I was a little disappointed when it came time to eat it though. There was really just no flavor. A little bit of salt might have helped but that's not something I had on me in the middle of the woods.