Are you the type of person who needs to eat a large breakfast? Are you calorically deficient and need to make up calories somewhere? Tired of boring oatmeal? Do you need some extra fat in your trail life?

If you answered yes to any of those question then you’re in for a treat with this recipe and it doesn’t even require a dehydrator! I could casually build up to the crescendo of calories and macronutrients but I’m just going to lay it all out on the table right here. This meal has 33 grams of fat. Let me repeat, thirty three grams of f-a-t, which is nearly 30% of its weight. And if you really want, you could reduce the amount of oatmeal or substitute it with more shredded coconut, chia seeds, or coconut oil and you’ll be humming along on some high octane grade-A backpacking fuel.

While the calories and taste are great, the most interesting part of this meal for me is the health benefits. There are preliminary studies that suggest coconut oil may have anti-inflammatory effects. This is in addition to the Omega-3 fatty acids found in the chia seeds, which we’ve known for a while has anti-inflammatory effects.

Between the two ingredients, a handful of Ibuprofen, and your trail legs you could easily turn mountains into molehills and still feel spry enough to dance Michael Flatley into tears at the end of a 20 mile day.

Jokes aside, not only is the high fat content a great way to pack in more calories at a lower weight it’s also great to keep you energized for a particularly long or tough morning climb.

On an even more serious note, this meal is probably best suited for cooler temperatures or at the very least not when it’s expected to be very hot. The shredded coconut is incredibly fatty and will start to sweat so try to keep it cool. Also, it’ll be much easier to store the coconut oil in freezer bags when it’s cooler as it’ll be solid. If it’s expected to get warm enough that the oil will liquify you should consider storing it in something like a GoToob or a hard sided container.

If you plan to send this meal to yourself as a resupply where it might have to sit unrefrigerated for a while, then make sure to vacuum pack the shredded coconut by itself and store the coconut oil in an airtight leakproof container.