Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta

This was a very satisfying meal, full of flavor and energy.

More food from a recent trip. Long trip, lots of meals, takes a while to get through them all, ha ha. This one was very successful.

Nutrition/Energy/Satiety:

This is a solid meal. 920 calories in the full package—great for those big-miles days.  Sodium is pretty moderate at just 900mg/39%rda in the whole package.  The cheese sauce does mean quite a lot of fat (82%rda), and it has more protein than carbs (43g vs 42g respectively), but this makes for a relatively balanced energy source and ensures a pleasantly filling meal. No gut bomb, and no crashing. It's probably too much for a mid-day meal, but it is great at the end of a long day.

Preparation & Taste:

Followed the directions on the package: 2/3 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. I added an extra stir halfway through, because I somehow always miss a clump of sauce powder. 2/3 of a cup doesn't sound like anywhere near enough, but it was in fact plenty. 10 minutes was a little short of the mark—some of the pasta was more than a little al dente. But all of the chicken chunks were fully rehydrated.  The sauce was a little thin maybe, but it tasted fantastic—perhaps not exactly a true restaurant pesto experience, but not far off.

Experience & Recommendation:

This was a delicious meal. Wholly satisfying and definitely worth an ongoing spot on the rotation. The minor issue of rehydration timing should be easily addressed with just a little more experimentation, and is hardly a deal-breaker even if it proves consistent. The package is perhaps a little bulky for a backpacker—that's the cost of cooking with ziti pasta - but I still think given the nutrition profile and the flavor that it is worth it.