I eat about anything in the woods as it all tastes better outside! Unless you are a real gourmand, I'd keep it simple on the first trip. Later, you can do lots to improve your dining experience.
Here are some tips:
• Never believe the serving size unless you eat like a bird after strenuous exercise. If it says it feeds 2, plan on it feeding 1.
• I stretch the budget by looking for meals that have ingredients that I can supplement. For instance get 'Turkey and Mashed Potatoes' and bring extra dehydrated potatoes and dried peas or corn to make the 2 servings actually feed 2. Do the same with any dish that includes or could be put over rice or pasta.
• Bring small amounts of herbs, spices and condiments to jazz up the food. The tiny bottles of Tobasco are great for this.
• You can often find dehydrated fruits and veggies at normal stores. Buy them to dress up oatmeal, pancakes or main dishes. Get some nuts too as they are great add-ins.
• if your first day or two isn't a killer and you aren't going ultralight, consider bringing some 'real' food. Freeze a steak, a big bag of stew, some marinated chicken, etc. and double bag it. Then wrap the frozen item in your sleeping pad and/bag along with some fresh veggies and salad. Prepare, chop, marinate, etc. everything at home to keep it simple in camp.
• Speaking of fresh food, buy some Freezer Bags or Boil In Bags; they really simplify camp cooking and clean-up and allow you to make your own camp food. For instance : mix up all the ingredients for an omelette in a freezer bag and freeze. At camp, drop the whole bag into boiling water. When done, eat out of the bag. Or instead of instant oatmeal, make your own by using Quick 1 min oats in a bag along with your choice of fruit, nuts, spices and sweetener. Pour in boiling water, wrap the bag in a cozy or jacket to keep warm. It should be ready to eat in 10 mins. Hint, a cheap insulated soft lunch cooler or sack works great as a cozy and to pack in frozen steaks, omeletes, etc. cut off any and all extraneous weight like straps and handles.
• Pre-package lunch and snacks for each day into a Baggie. Pack more than you think you'll eat each day. In the morning, pull out the day's lunch bag and put it somewhere handy so it is easy to grab snacks on the go and lunch when you need a break.
• Get familiar with your stove at home. Practice lighting it. Heat some water or cook a few meals on it in the backyard or a local park. Try it in the wind. Practice refueling it or attaching/detaching canisters. Read the instructions, esp. troubleshooting tips. Pack those with you or take a pic of them with your phone/camera. Bring back-up matches/lighter even if it has a piezo.
• Do the same with your water treatment method. If you have a pump or Steripen, or drip filter, just like your stove, try them at home. Read all the instructions and tips. If you'll use a chemical treatment, be sure you understand the instructions, esp. wait times. If the water will have a chemical taste afterwards, make up a day's worth at home and see if you can/will drink it all day. If you find yourself having to force yourself to drink enough, consider adding flavoring to mask the taste: powdered drink mix, drops of orange or mint extract, drop in an Altoid or sugar cube , etc. Also, especially since it's a dry year, be sure your water containers will have enough volume to get you from one water source to the next. If in doubt, I carry more than I think I need, factoring in the terrain, elevation gain, sun exposure and weather.
Anyway, have a blast and be sure to report back!