Camping food ideas!

kryder92
kryder92 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I love camping, and camping food! I need some ideas for dinners,breakfast,lunch, and snacks for when I go. I'm going for 3 days and I really don't want to blow my diet by eating chips, smores, hamburgers and hotdogs all weekend. any ideas? maybe some things i can even make before hand and freeze? it's got to be simple!
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Replies

  • dollhousedolly
    dollhousedolly Posts: 73 Member
    Green peppers, onions and grape tomatoes on skewers taste great when cooked over a camp fire.
  • UrnAsh
    UrnAsh Posts: 207 Member
    Fruit salad, veggies and ranch, grilled chicken. For breakfast have cereal and milk.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    What's wrong with hamburgers...get some lean burger and have a burger...there's nothing wrong with a burger (not a hot dog fan though). Grill some chicken and/or fish...a nice lean steak like filet or top sirloin. Serve with whatever veg and some potatoes or other starch. Fresh fruit for snacks. Eggs and such for breakfast...eggs are, ounce for ounce, one of the most nutrient dense whole foods on the planet. Stop identifying foods as inherently good or bad and go enjoy yourself camping.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    Planning Your Trip

    Your selection of foods may depend on your mode of transportation and your source of water and heat. If you're traveling by car or RV to your camping site, you can bring a cooler to store eggs, nonfat milk and yogurt, and perishable fruits and vegetables. Consider the supply of fresh water and the cooking facilities you'll have available when planning the meals you'll prepare on your trip. If you're backpacking, you may be carrying most of your supplies. The weight of your food can make a difference in how far you hike and how much energy you have at the end of the day.






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    Portable Meals and Snacks

    Trail mix, bottled water and dehydrated or freeze-dried foods weigh less than canned products. You can control the fat content in your trail mix by preparing your own blend at home using pretzels or whole-grain cereal, dried raisins, dried cranberries and almonds. Mozzarella cheese sticks and peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches give you quick energy and protein. Dried soup or pasta mixes that can be reconstituted with fresh water provide portable, lightweight sources of nutrition. Some sporting-goods stores sell low-fat, freeze-dried meals that weigh little and slide easily into a backpack. One serving of a commercial brand of freeze-dried spaghetti with meat sauce has 270 calories, 7 g of fat, 39 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of protein.

    Energy Sources

    If you spend your day hiking, backpacking or mountain biking, you'll need complex carbohydrates to fuel your activities. Low-fat sources of complex carbohydrates include whole-wheat or buckwheat flour, whole-grain bagels, oatmeal, reduced-fat granola and trail mix, canned beans, apples and bananas, carrots and cauliflower, dried fruit and nuts. Nuts and natural, nonhydrogenated peanut or almond butter also provide protein and plant-based fat. When you're making pancakes, omelets or other outdoor meals that call for eggs, remove one yolk to reduce fat and cholesterol.

    Low-fat Protein

    Eggs, nonfat milk or yogurt, mozzarella cheese, chicken, fresh or canned fish, lean hamburger or canned beans offer protein for your outdoor meals. With 239 calories, 12 g of protein, 54 g of complex carbohydrates and only 1 g of fat, one cup of plain or vegetarian baked beans meets your requirements for both protein and carbohydrates in a single serving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA.

    Catch of the Day

    If fishing is on the agenda for your camping trip, you may be able to catch your source of protein for dinner. Bread fresh fish fillets in flour or cornmeal, then fry in a skillet coated with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. One cooked rainbow trout fillet has 214 calories, 33 g of protein and 8 g of total fat, according to the USDA. The omega-3 fatty acids in trout and other fish protect the health of your heart by lowering your triglycerides and preventing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, according to the AHA
  • somanyrhoades
    somanyrhoades Posts: 107 Member
    Fruits and veggies are absolutely delicious on the grill! not sure how rustic your camping trip is going to be, but if you don't have a fire grate you should get one especially if you aren't goint to have access to a grill, then you can just do everything right over the fire. you can cook most things you cook at home over a fire... chicken, beef, pork... amy kind of meat. I love pork with plums and apples grilled on it. also, this is a must... bring corn on the cob, unshucked, soak in water for 30 minutes while still in husk and cook on grill or over fire, takes about 15 minutes till the kernels get tender. just peel back the husk when ready to eat, but don't tear it off, it makes a great handle. This is the only way (and in my opinion, best wayI will eat corn! Also they have sandwhich irons where you put the bread and sandwich toppings in and stick it in the fire... works like a pan. i've made some delicious edibles using those (PB and apple sandwiches, strawberries and cream cheese, plus regular sandwich things). We have also made Quesadillas (beans, rice, veggies), gourmet grilled cheese (yes, we brought artichokes and chevre among other things), we make soups, stews, everything. If you have a grate to throw over the fire nothing is impossible! And as far as snacks go, I always bring fruit, raw cut up veggies, and nuts. Enjoy!
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Make up a big veggie fritatta that makes an easy breakfast or lunch. Pre-make a roasted veggie salad with cous cous which will be super filling and healthy. Bring along lean burgers and veggies skewers to throw on the grill . Lots of fruit, veggies nuts and dips for snacks
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Breakfast:
    It can be cold in the morning when camping, so oatmeal really hits the spot! Whole wheat pancakes or french toast with berries and lite whipped cream instead of syrup is delicious too. Warm homemade apple sauce is also delicious in the morning!

    Lunch:
    We always just pack sandwich stuff. You can go for lean meats, like turkey, and stuff those sandwiches with lots of veggies. String cheese is great too, or yogurt if you're at the camp site.

    Dinner:
    Sorry, but nothing beats a fire roasted hot dog! Eat it without the bun for less calories. You could also do kabobs with chicken cubes, peppers, onions, and pineapple on the grill.

    Dessert:
    Marshmallows don't have that many calories on their own. Also, you can wrap up an apple in tin foil and toss it in the fire for a while. It will get gooey and warm-delicious!
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Let me start off by saying that I eat what I like when camping. I am incredibly active, from setting up camp to hiking miles a day with a 30 pound toddler strapped to my back, and I'm not going to spend these fun weekends outside counting calories. I drink beer, I eat chips, and I enjoy myself. I am not worried about "blowing my diet" because I've never been on a diet. I have stuck with this for almost two years, losing 130+ pounds, maintaining for 9 months by living my life in a way that is sustainable and happy, and that doesn't mean bringing tuna and rice cakes on a camping trip for me.

    That said, it's definitely possible to add healthier foods.

    Hamburgers are fine. Eat them.

    Chips are fine. Weight out portions into individual bags before you go if self-control is a problem.

    Prepare vegetables for kebabs on the fire, and fresh veggies for dipping into hummus when you're hungry.

    One of our camping dinners usually is quinoa cooked in broth with carrots and broccolini. Then we grill up some chicken sausages to go with it. Tacos are another option. Prepare the meat, beans, and veggies before you go in individual ziplocs, heat them up, assemble into a tortilla, and enjoy. With beer.

    We also usually pack our lunches to eat on the trail. Often it's pita filled with hummus, lettuce, cucumbers, and feta with an orange or banana and chips or pretzels. Peanut butter sandwiches are common too.

    If you see the "brownie in an orange" idea, run far away. I've never failed to finish a brownie before. Ugh, absolutely vile.
  • wlaura88
    wlaura88 Posts: 69 Member
    You could try to bring some salmon or black bean burgers to replace the regular burgers. They are healthier and less calories. There are also veggie hot dogs. As others have said, kabobs are always great.
  • wlaura88
    wlaura88 Posts: 69 Member
    Breakfast:
    It can be cold in the morning when camping, so oatmeal really hits the spot! Whole wheat pancakes or french toast with berries and lite whipped cream instead of syrup is delicious too. Warm homemade apple sauce is also delicious in the morning!

    Lunch:
    We always just pack sandwich stuff. You can go for lean meats, like turkey, and stuff those sandwiches with lots of veggies. String cheese is great too, or yogurt if you're at the camp site.

    Dinner:
    Sorry, but nothing beats a fire roasted hot dog! Eat it without the bun for less calories. You could also do kabobs with chicken cubes, peppers, onions, and pineapple on the grill.

    Dessert:
    Marshmallows don't have that many calories on their own. Also, you can wrap up an apple in tin foil and toss it in the fire for a while. It will get gooey and warm-delicious!

    Oooh! I love the apple in the fire idea!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    We don't have a stove on our boat, so when we spend the weekend, it is primitive camping.

    Breakfast options:
    Hard boiled eggs - sometimes with precooked bacon
    cereal with dried milk
    nutrigrain bars

    Meal options:
    hummus and veggies (or chips)
    sandwiches
    three bean salad

    Munchies:
    veggies chips (freeze dried veggies) and fruit at will
    premeasured servings of nuts
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I love camping, and camping food! I need some ideas for dinners,breakfast,lunch, and snacks for when I go. I'm going for 3 days and I really don't want to blow my diet by eating chips, smores, hamburgers and hotdogs all weekend. any ideas? maybe some things i can even make before hand and freeze? it's got to be simple!

    Last time we went camping we made a great stew with ground horse.

    Also made frybread and had that with the horse stew.
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
    We have two big ice chests full of our favorite high protein meals, fruits and veggies (to grill) so we never have to go without.
  • dsckrc
    dsckrc Posts: 194 Member
    what a coincidence - i'm planning my menu for our camping trip as we speak. for breakfast, I do white corn tortillas, scrambled egg whites and turkey sausage breakfast burritos with salsa; for lunch, we have turkey sandwiches on 100 calorie English muffins with fat free cheese slices and special K chips or fruit; for dinner, grilled chicken or pork chops with grilled pineapples or small baked potato with low calorie butter spray, fat free cheese and light sour cream. All of these are low-cal choices and soooooo tasty. I do splurge on smores though but I've earned it by eating good throughout the rest of the day. And just think of all the calories you are burning my swimming, hiking, biking and packing and unpacking :wink:

    by the way, turkey hotdogs are very low calorie too!
  • henriettevanittersum
    henriettevanittersum Posts: 179 Member
    Mix into a large patch of double alu foil: instant rice, frozen veggies, some meat or fish, spices and a tiny bit of water. Roll up into ball, throw into fire. Fish it out 15 min. later, supper's ready! Kids love to make one for themselves!
  • LeopardPrintedLove
    LeopardPrintedLove Posts: 34 Member
    You can still have what everyone else has!

    Buy lean turkey/lean beef and wheat buns for your burgers and turkey hot dogs are really good grilled!

    Bring fruit for snacks and baked chips...

    Look @ what everyone else is eating and modify yours for a more healthy version! It's all about moderation and being creative! Bring plenty, I often find that there are many others everywhere I go that wouldn't mind eating a lighter meal, then it makes you seem less high maintenance on your food choices when others are eating the same as you! :)
  • 212ackley
    212ackley Posts: 431 Member
    I love to do a pot of stew or chili ...super easy to throw together if you brown the meat and bag it before the trip! Put a brick or cinder block in the fire and put your pan right on it-cooks it hot in no time. We also will make what my family calls :"campers dinners" .. put potatoes, carrots, and whatever veggies you prefer into a foil pouch with your protein and seasoning of choice and cook over the fire. My favorite is to make meatballs and use lipton beefy onion soup mix as the seasoning...no liquid necessary but I usually add just a dab of butter.....

    for dessert we make banana boats...peel only one side of the banana skin back and cut out a wedge shape (eat the cutout piece :wink: ) put a few chocolate pieces or chips into the wedge and line it with mini marshmallows. Re-cover the banana with the peeled back skin, wrap in foil and cook over fire until chocolate and marshmallows are melted....very rich and delicious!

    I am ready to go camping again! :laugh:
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Look for one pot recipes, that don't take too long.

    I'm sure there's loads out there in the internets.
  • chadraeder3
    chadraeder3 Posts: 279 Member
    For camping I really like to grill things veggies and fruit grilled are great and you can do some chicken in there or even a beef filet which would be low fat. Another idea is foil dinners make you can make anything that steams in foil dinner chicken is great, fish does well too. Or go real old school and kabobs lots of veggies and lean meat on skewers chop them up before you leave and it is quick and easy people can eat what they like and you get lots of veggies, for kabobs if you put all the same item on a skewer cut the same the whole skewer gets done at the same time unlike if you have different items on the same skewer one thing might be char while another is raw. Instead of smores maybe try popcorn over the fire a dutch oven some oil and popcorn. Heat the oil and a couple kernels of popcorn up covered once the kernels pop you have the oil at the temp, take the dutch oven off the fire drop in the popcorn cover and let it work off the fire for a 30 seconds to a minute move it back over some coals and shake until the popcorn slows the popping
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,607 Member
    What's wrong with hamburgers...get some lean burger and have a burger...there's nothing wrong with a burger (not a hot dog fan though). Grill some chicken and/or fish...a nice lean steak like filet or top sirloin. Serve with whatever veg and some potatoes or other starch. Fresh fruit for snacks. Eggs and such for breakfast...eggs are, ounce for ounce, one of the most nutrient dense whole foods on the planet. Stop identifying foods as inherently good or bad and go enjoy yourself camping.
    HEBREW NATIONAL NO OR LO FAT HOT DOGS. 40 CALORIES EACH. CAN'T GO WRONG

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