I got a cheapo dehydrator ($40) and simply dehydrate leftovers from our normal dinners. After dehydration, I seal them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. In this state, they will last many years, and when taken out of the freezer, will be good up to a year. So I've got easy to prepare meals for emergencies, and if I go backpacking, I just take what I need out of the freezer and into the food bag. Cheap, light, nutritious, and no problems with storage. The complete meals even cook up in the freezer bag by adding the boiling water and letting it sit for about 10 minutes. You get the portion size you need with no waste, and if you eat right out of the bag, no pots to clean up. You can even toss the bags in the dishwasher when you get home and use them again. (Ziplock brand freezer bags have no BPA in them, so they are preferred for cooking. Cheaper bags may leach BPA into the food)
The only things I've tried that don't dehydrate well is fish and chicken. But you can always use those foil pouches of tuna or chicken meat and add to your freezer bag meal. Ground beef does reasonably well, get it as lean as you can and drain all the fat that you can. Larger chunks of beef don't work as well, use jerky instead. Instant or quick rice cooks very similarly to dehydrated food, just add boiling water to the bag and give it 10-15 minutes. For dishes with rice, I like to keep the rice in a seperate bag and give it a couple extra minutes to cook. Then add it to the main dish when both are done. Pasta is very similar to rice. No need to boil for 10 minutes and waste fuel, just let it sit in boiling water for about the same amount of time, or maybe a couple extra minutes. Works great.
Az