Whew! Got through the whole thread (slow day at work).

Here are my tips:

Invest in a food dehydrator. You can get one for about $60 on amazon. These are awesome. You can do anything from make your own jerky to dehydrate soup to make instant soup. Its easy to just dehydrate leftovers and save it for your next tour, be it touring or backpacking. The food becomes much lighter and smaller. Use it as your only source of food or as a supplement to get you between towns when you run out. Also you can skip the mess: just put the boiling water in freezer bags and eat it with a long handled spoon

If you don't already, try packing your tent and sleeping bag in your panniers. If you find you don't have room for food you get along the way or you need extra water or whatever, just bungie the tent and or sleeping bag on the rack and you have more room!

Also, and I'm surprised this isn't on here already, but keep your panniers organized and pack them the same way every time. This will save you valuable time and frustration. I know I hate digging for stuff