I am not an ultralight backpacker, but probably "light," (meaning 30 lbs for a 6-7 day trip) and strategizing about eating well is, for me, an enjoyable part of the challenge. I use a snowpeak stove to boil water for food and drinks, but not otherwise for cooking (at least on longer trips).
Eating tasty, satisfying, nutritious food during a trip is important to me, but probably just as important is having hot drinks at breakfast and dinner. I am not a coffee drinker. For me, hot drinks include tea, bouillon, instant miso soup, hot chocolate, and my newest and greatest find,
Alpine Spiced Hot Cider , which I found at a Dollar Store.
I haven't had problems with String Cheese or Salami for 7 days at a time, but your experience may differ.... I've also brought the mini Babybells which, like string cheese, are supposed to be refrigerated, but haven't had problems (yet). Laughing Cow makes a truly shelf-stable cheese product that is available at Trader Joes and other places...personally, I wouldn't call it cheese exactly, but it can spice up a tortilla.
I do buy some Backpackers Pantry offerings, but my favorite freeze-dried foods are MaryJaneFarms and Packit Gourmet. I supplement with shelf-stable products found in dollar stores, K-Mart, Target, and the like, including mashed potatoes, instant bean soups, foil-wrapped tuna, salmon, and chicken. Basically, these stores sell food that never goes bad, which is a little scary to me, but it offers a potential treasure trove for backpacking.
