Getting ready for summer: camping foods!

pretentiouskate

We, like a lot of people, are planning on getting away for about a week this summer - in our case packing up the Jeep, grabbing some hiking boots and camping supplies, and heading into Acadia National Park to soak up the sunshine and salt water!

I'm already freaking out about what we're going to eat. I haven't camped since I was in grade school. I don't want to live off of lunch meats and dehydrated foods. We can absolutely make a grocery run every day if needed - we're going to be relatively close to a grocery store. I really want to avoid the lets eat a sandwich!\ let's eat takeout! trap, as I don't want to introduce a ton of sodium back into my diet and I sometimes have extremely unpleasant reactions to processed foods.

So, what are we going to eat? I have a dutch oven and plan on getting a fry pan. We're taking a cooler but as we're packing everything into the bed of a Jeep Wrangler, we don't plan on taking a very large one. Food storage is also something to consider, as Acadia is a national park and I'm sure we'll need to keep anything and everything well sealed to prevent wildlife being attracted.

kent4j

I find the hardest part is the mindless snacking. People tend to bring chips,dips,cookies etc. Make sure you have healthy snack options like hummus/veggies, homemade trail mix, fruit, kashi granola bars, yogurt etc. I'll try to come think of some recipes since we have a yurt in Maine and camp all summer. Haven't thought about it much yet.

brenda_71

I was just thinking the same thing the other day! Our family gets together about 2 hours south of here to camp quit often and I lnow I'm not going to be eating the hot dogs and junk food. Feel I have to bring my own food to eat seperate from everyone else. LOL

pretentiouskate

I figure we'll be walking around the park/hiking about four hours a day - if I put that in as hiking with a less than 10lb pack it says I'll burn about 2500 calories. So I'm not too worried about nuts and things - I'm pretty good about knowing when I'm hungry and we'll be moving a lot. The worst part will probably be the drive itself, and I'm figuring that we'll have a couple cheaty meals - a beer and a burger, or some fried fish (fun fact, both of us are born and raised Mainers, I'm allergic to shellfish and he hates it!), onion rings, blue berry pie - again, its vacation and we're planning on being really active, so I'm not too worried about a couple of cheaty meals.

I'm thinking no dairy, as it sometimes triggers my unpleasant issues. We'll probably bring eggs. I might be able to make room for a container of veggies that I've cut up at home to dump into the eggs. Maybe some precooked turkey sausage. Quick oats. Lots of canned beans (we can drive into the camping area) - I always rinse them, so salt isn't as much of an issue.

Dizzyone825

I agree on the mindless snacks.. Avoid then and plan the food you will eat.. bring your cell phone so you can still log or at least write it down.. It seems like a pain but it helps me stay on track It's so easy to put weight on but so hard to get it off.. If I have any chips which is rare I actually follow the serving size..this has actually saved me and yes I log it I would this like kabobs would be low in calorie but I am not sure I know I will be looking into it since we are big grill out people ... This is making me excited for summer !

pretentiouskate

I agree on the mindless snacks.. Avoid then and plan the food you will eat.. bring your cell phone so you can still log or at least write it down.. It seems like a pain but it helps me stay on track

Nah, we'll be fairly off the electrical grid. In a tent. My phone will last maybe a day. For the treats we'll be splitting everything anyway. And walking/hiking 4 - 5 hours a day, I'm not too worried about gaining. More just keeping sodium out, making sure I'm getting good nutrients, and enjoying my time in the woods.

I may use a paper journal to track what I eat, and I'll portion out things like homemade trail mix into 100 or 200 calorie bags before we go. Anything that's non perishable can be divided up and packed into portions at home.

carlybarley22

I love cooking on campfires! You can make grilled veggie kebobs right over the open flames, deliciousss. You can also pack things like turkey kielbasa which is lower in fat and calories than the regular. If you're craving a burger, go for a boca burger. But if you're going to be burning about 2500 calories a day, have a real burger if you want!

NOLAdy

Boiled eggs are a good hiking snack. And, you can just throw the "trash" on the ground.

sweetsarahj

My favorite camp meal is Pad Thai. I bring pre-julienned carrots, celery and onion, pre-cooked sliced chicken breast, a package of dry glass noodles and a packet of pre-made pad thai sauce. If you absolutely can't have a premade sauce, you can make your own ahead of time and bring it in a little jar (I use my niece's old baby food jars for a million things!).

The reason I like this is that it is a one-pan meal. First, soak the noodles in warm potable water until soft. Cook the veggies in a little water in the frying pan. Add chicken, noodles, sauce and about 1/2 cup water, cover and cook until the noodles are done. uncover and mix well.

Another thing I do a lot for camping is grilled salmon. I cut the salmon into large cubes and soak it in soy sauce. If you don't want to use soy, try thyme, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Throw it all in a ziploc bag. Put the salmon on a skewer when you are ready to cook and just grill over the fire.

Finally, I love veggies, so I usually bring them camping too. Using two large pieces of heavy duty tinfoil, create an "X" shape on the counter. Put your veggies and seasonings in the middle of the X. fold up the foil to encase the veggies. I usually wrap it up again using another piece, then put in a large ziploc or wrap once more with saran. When you are ready to eat, just throw it on the grill. Some ideas for veggies to use: carrots, garlic and thyme, aparagus with olive oil, red, yellow pepers with rosemary and garlic, mini red-skinned potatoes with red onions and garlic... pretty much anything.

Good luck !