ProView – Good To-Go Meals Review

We had two Outdoor Prolink Pros test four different Good To-Go meals, and each flavor got its own review. See below for the review of Pad Thai and the three other flavors below!

• Carrot Ginger Power Bowl
• Cucumber Chaat Salad
• Peanut Chicken Salad
• White Bean Chicken Chili

Carrot Ginger Power Bowl

Alison White

Flavor

I found this to be refreshing and light. It was sweet without being overpowering. It’s colorful and has a pleasant crunch, like eating a salad. My friend appreciated the ginger flavor as well as the seaweed and cabbage elements.

Rehydration

This meal rehydrated well even at 11,000 ft. in elevation. I just used water from my water bladder and it took pretty close to the exact time listed on the packaging. Many cold soak meals are designed to soak for several hours while you hike, this one was ready to go in about 10 minutes. 

Ease of Use

The cold soak option was so nice for a lunch break on the trail. The package (and a long-handled spork!) fit easily into the brain of my pack. 

Nutritional Value

The carrot ginger power bowl is vegan and derives most of its protein from hemp hearts. It has 440 calories and 15g protein per single-serving pouch. It was filling without being “too much.” It’s so nice to have veggies in the backcountry!

Quality

Stove-free meals are an awesome option for backpacking trips where you are trying to ditch the weight of a stove. I am also looking forward to these as an option for long days outside climbing or paddling as a gourmet change of pace from PB&J. 

Joshua Bachicha

Flavor

The Carrot Ginger Power Bowl was a flavor that I didn’t expect to like, but was actually very enjoyable. They did a great job of pairing the sweet and savory flavors in this meal.

Rehydration

This meal rehydrated the best and fastest out of the meals that I tried. I even accidentally put a bit too much water in and it soaked all of it up in less time than recommended.

Ease of Use

All of the no-stove meals were extremely easy to use and make for a very quick meal when needed. With a good backcountry stove boiling water doesn’t take long, but the time and hassle saved with just the pouring of cold water into the bag was great.

Nutritional Value

This meal was very well-rounded and you could really tell. I was full and satisfied after eating it even with a relatively low calorie count for me of 440 calories in the meal. The only complaint I have is there was probably a bit more sodium than I would typically like in one meal.

Quality

Overall great quality and a good tasting meal. I really enjoyed the mix of different flavors in this meal and it rehydrated the best and easiest out of all the meals I tried.

Cucumber Chaat Salad

Alison White

Flavor

This meal had a unique flavor profile, not just super salty or super sweet like a lot of dehydrated meals. It was just a little bit spicy, in a good way, with a nice texture.

Rehydration

Needed just a smidge more time to rehydrate during my test at 11,500’ elevation, but after a couple extra minutes, it was perfect.

Ease of Use

The instructions say to lay flat on its side to rehydrate and then flip halfway through the rehydration time, this makes the ingredients rehydrate more evenly. You can’t beat the convenience of no stove meals.

Nutritional Value

Offers an impressive amount of protein (21 g) for a vegan meal. It had a good balance of protein, carbs, salt, and other nutrients to refuel. This had the right amount of calories for me (410 calories) for a day hiking lunch. 36% of your daily value of fiber is a little much in one serving for a high-activity day.

Quality

The cold soak is convenient and easy to do. I was worried that this meal would feel too light to be satisfying on a hard hike, but I found it filling and substantial. The ingredients are high quality.

Joshua Bachicha

Flavor

The Cucumber Chaat Salad was a great tasting meal. I loved the tomatoes and the cilantro and really enjoyed the spice, even though I typically am not a fan of spicy foods. It wasn’t too much to handle at all and tasted delicious.

Rehydration

This meal took a bit longer to rehydrate for me than the others, but still went really well. It didn’t take much longer than directed and there was no extra water leftover that didn’t get absorbed by the food.

Ease of Use

Same as the others, this was extremely easy to use and makes for a great fast meal in the backcountry.

Nutritional Value

This was also a really well-rounded meal that filled me up on minimal calories. There are still a few ingredients that I try to minimize a bit more typically, but in the backcountry they are just fine. This one also lists a lot of vitamins and minerals added which is a big plus.

Quality

Another great tasting meal that rehydrated surprisingly well and is extremely easy to make quickly when I’m out on the mountain.

Peanut Chicken Salad

Alison White

Flavor

This meal had prominent flavors of lime and coconut. The peanuts provided a nice crunch. I thought there was a nice ratio of meat, vegetables, and sauce. 

Rehydration

The rehydration time on the instructions (12 minutes) was accurate for me. 

Ease of Use

You do need a long-handled spork for these. The cold-soak option was a delightful lunch on the trail without having to break out the stove. 

Nutritional Value

This meal packs 420 calories and 29g protein. I love that those details are prominently included on the front of all their packages! This one had a fair amount of sodium, but honestly, I was so grateful for that after a sweaty morning of backpacking uphill in the heat. It felt easy on my gut in the middle of a long hiking day. 

Quality

I keep thinking about this meal in particular; it’s so much more than the sum of its parts. This tastes like it was created by a chef, which is not an experience I’ve had often with other brands of dehydrated meals. I appreciate the clear labeling on the packaging, including allergens, prominent nutrition info, spice level, and easy to follow instructions. 

Joshua Bachicha

Flavor

The Peanut Chicken Salad wasn’t my favorite tasting meal only because I’m not a fan of peanuts in lunches or dinners. However, it still surprised me and I didn’t mind eating this one. It had lots of other great flavors and ingredients and the peanuts didn’t overpower the meal at all.

Rehydration

This meal rehydrated well and easily also. It wasn’t the fastest one but still absorbed all of the water and wasn’t too long of a process at all.

Ease of Use

Just like the others, this one was extremely easy to use and was ready in minutes.

Nutritional Value

Another well-rounded and healthy meal from Good To-Go, just with a few ingredients that I would try to lessen a bit for what I normally eat. There was quite a bit of sodium in this one which I try to keep a bit lower. My only other complaint, just like the others, is that I would prefer to have a bit more calories in a single meal while in the backcountry as I typically burn so many.

Quality

Another great meal and easy to use. Just a few tiny complaints on this one with the added sodium and not my favorite flavor, but great meal and simple to use.

White Bean Chicken Chili

Alison White

Flavor

This meal smelled so good (like smoky poblanos) when I opened it to stir! However, this meal was probably my least favorite of the four I tried. The flavor profile was more one-dimensional, unlike the layered flavors of the other meals. Still tasty, just not as much to write home about as the other meals. That said, I personally love strongly flavored food, if you are looking for something a little more scaled-back, this may be just the ticket.

Rehydration

This was the only boiling-water-required meal of the four I tried. Unfortunately, it also rehydrated rather poorly by comparison. I was at 11,000 ft. elevation and gave it an extra 5 minutes beyond the 12 minutes listed on the package, and even then the beans were still not fully rehydrated.

Ease of Use

There is a line on the back of this package showing “vaguely approximate fill line.” This is a nice add-on to give you a target for water.

Nutritional Value

This meal came in at 390 calories and 33g protein. Like a couple of the other meals, this one had a substantial amount of fiber (12 g). I would have liked to have a higher carbohydrate content to replenish glycogen stores before day 2 of backpacking.

Quality

The zipper on the pouch detached when I first opened the package, which possibly hindered the rehydration. Luckily, this one didn’t need to be laid flat to rehydrate like the no stove meals.

Joshua Bachicha

Flavor

The White Bean Chicken Chili was by far my favorite tasting meal as it is something I would definitely make at home as well. It had great spice and a ton of flavors that mixed great together. Definitely will be having this one again.

Rehydration

The rehydration on this meal wasn’t as good as the others for me. It took quite a bit longer than advertised, although it did say it takes longer at higher elevations, so that might be the only reason. Overall it was still really simple and eventually rehydrated really nicely, just took a while to get there.

Ease of Use

This one was a little bit harder as it uses boiling water. If you have a good backcountry stove, it really isn’t that much longer of a process, but it is more steps and takes up some more room as well. A good system of boiling water makes or breaks this one in my opinion, but with my system, it worked great and I’ll definitely be having it again.

Nutritional Value

Similar thoughts to this one. Still well-rounded and included some great ingredients as well as vitamins and minerals, just would prefer a bit less sodium and a bit more on the overall calories.

Quality

As noted, this is my favorite one by far and although it takes a bit longer due to boiling water, I’m still going to make it again. Only downsides for me are the length it took to rehydrate and the relatively small calorie count.

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