Good To-Go food

Field-tested: Good To-Go

To our minds, investing in your health long-term through diet on the road is as crucial as  dispensing decent gas in the tank or procuring the best engine oil one can afford. After all, you are what you eat and sometimes, it’s a challenge to achieve that through foreign lands. Particularly when budget-led options tend to be loaded with saturated fat, added sugar and, or salt, preservatives, and let’s face it, an unappealing array of unrecognizable nasties – akin to the components of a chemistry set.

Other times spent in meat-heavy cultures such as the profound one found in Argentina, getting hold of fresh vegetables can be a challenge. Practically every cut of the cow, absolutely, but not too many whole foods to achieve a healthy balance of nutrition. On top, it’s a myth if you think a person can survive on pot noodles and cans of tuna alone for months on end.

With a perpetual need to nourish our health after four years on the road, we noshed our way through the Good To-Go menu to find out whether its culinary offerings really did give us food for thought.

Cereal killer on the loose! Two minutes oat to be enough time…you’re really milking this for all it’s got, aren’t you?

Initial appraisal

Good To-Go meals are calorie-dense, something that’s needed after a long or energy-intensive day on the road, or a big hike to a backcountry campsite. When compared to meals offered by similar companies, Good To-Go ones almost always have a higher calorie count per ounce of food. The portions are also made with REAL food, where each meal is hand-made from scratch in small batches. And they’re prepared by real cooks, not food scientists. The resultant outcome is a dinner that’s more flavourful and better for you, than the traditional “space food in a bag”.

Utilization of Good To-Go

For those who live frugally like us, Good To-Go meals work well when supplemented with a small bag of frozen vegetables and a handful of anything cruciferous (dark green veggies). This means we can sometimes get away with only using one packet, which is cheaper and elongates our provisions before having to resupply. When consumed on their own, lunchtimes on the road have become so civilized with one sachet each–incurring zero dirty dishes, two spoons licked clean and the minimal of waste. Moreover, the packets lend themselves beautifully to the Solo stove system using alcohol or twigs as fuel. Simply boil some water, wait 20-minutes and you’re all set to snaffle! Each bag even comes marked with the water fill line. How thoughtful.

“Here, let me try, there’s a bit of a snack to it. Keep calm and curry on.”

Nutrition value

Having devoured our way through the entire vegan and vegetarian menus, Good To-Go achieves a gold standard in taste and texture, and platinum in the composition and depth of flavour. Surprisingly coupled to all that, the sachets are packed with nutrition on top; dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A and C, and minerals such as calcium and iron. Calorie-dense means that they’re satisfying more than other dehydrated offerings previously sampled, which congealed into something pretty unpalatable by comparison.

Catering to dietary requirements

Incredibly, there are more vegan and vegetarian options than pescatarian ones or otherwise. All are gluten-free, low sodium and what’s more, the dinner options boast a two to four year expiration date. That said, the breakfast choices are still good for a year. Varying international cuisines are in attendance from Mexican, Korean, Thai, Indian and Italian–undeniably, the variety is excellent, no matter what your choice of food label. As low-dairy, largely whole food, plant-based flexitarians, that really is something to shout about from the rooftops.

A no-fry zone, yes, but there isn’t mushroom in here.

When space and weight is at a premium

The Good To-Good dehydrated offerings are as good as any pre-prepared wet food options, if not better than because they’re lighter. While some on the market are filled with recognizable ingredients, they often require two sachets per person–the sauce and a filler such as quick-cook rice, doubling up on the wet weight and increasing the cost. In the event of a slow-speed “offy” when enthusiasm outweighs skill, or any get-off for that matter—trust me when I say that staying light and tight is infinitely better upon picking up a laden bike.

“We’ve all bean there…help me pick up my bike, pretty peas?”

Conclusion

Complete Good To-Go converts, their culinary offerings are just about as honest as pannier food gets. They’re a taste-sensation loaded with nourishment and I wouldn’t be without mine.

Penne for your thoughts? Okay you asked: “Don’t sweat the small stove. Good To-Go is the stove of legends!”

PROS

  • Dehydrated, not freeze-dried. 
  • Gluten-free.
  • Low in sodium.
  • Handmade by cooks in Maine, USA.
  • Vegan options available.
  • Calorie-dense.
  • No preservatives.

CONS

  • Slightly longer cook time vs freeze-dried meals.
  • Shorter shelf-life versus freeze-dried meals.
  • Once you’ve tried Good To-Go, you may find yourself looking for excuses to be Mother Nature’s backyard, just to eat the meals.

Good To-Go | $12.50 per sachet

When all is said and dine…I’ll rule with an iron feast.