vanslyke wrote:

Packages of sidekicks at the grocery store are $1.50
One of them would fill you up and are great for adding things to.

Those packages are lined - can you add boiling water directly to the pouch?
 

If you want to add a few more calories to the freeze dried meals you can line your plate or bowl with a tortilla.  You can wrap the whole meal if the consistency is suitable for wrapping or eat most of it with your spoon and then wrap up the shrapnel.   Makes cleanup a breeze too. 

I started dehydrating my own meals many years ago after being totally un-impressed with some of the purchased meals that I had taken on one of my first adventures. I cook all of my meals during the winter months (I have more time then, and there is less humidity which helps the process), and then vacuum package and store in my freezer. Packaged this way, food will last for a very long time. I ate a meal that I packaged in 2013 last year that was just fine. A really big advantage is that you can cook in bulk (chili, spaghetti, etc.) and build an inventory for future use. Most meals can be dehydrated once the basics are understood.

Just to add...I did a 15 day trip from Rain Lake to Cedar Lake and back last year, and my food (including packaging, and food bag) weighed in at 25 pounds. I did not go hungry at any time!