Week Long Camping Trip... Help!

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sensitivefool
sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was getting everything organized for our end-of-summer camping trip (next month) and realized (when I was organizing the grocery list) I don't know what kind of food would be good to bring! In the past we've done tons of hotdogs and burgers, but those were only 2 day trips. This year we're going for 8 days. Plus I don't want a ton of bread and salt every day. What can I get to keep my family full that isn't going to be too unhealthy?! I've never done this before.

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  • MBAndrews723
    MBAndrews723 Posts: 5
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    I love grilled chicken and then when you pull it off the grill top it with salsa instead of bbq sauce.
  • sensitivefool
    sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
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    I should add we cook in cast iron over the fire. No grill. :(
  • ZombieMom79
    ZombieMom79 Posts: 70 Member
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    You need to go get a cheap cooling rack at the dollar store and cook on that over the fire as well. With camping I just pack the foods I eat at home but get them ready ahead of time. Marinate meat, cut up veggies. I camp all summer long, 3-8 nights at a time and find it is possible, you just need to plan.

    I never understood why people thing eating while camping is any different than home. I think camping is associated with junk food so that is all people bring.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I camp all the time and eat pretty much what I eat at home...anything I can throw on the grill, not just hotdogs and burgers. Veggie sides, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. eggs and bacon for breakfast...since it's a longer trip, maybe bring some oatmeal and/or yogurts and such to mix it up....fruit for snacking, etc.
    I should add we cook in cast iron over the fire. No grill. :(

    invest in one. they make ones you can put over the fire. the little propane ones are pretty cheap to boot.
  • sensitivefool
    sensitivefool Posts: 343 Member
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    Junk food is definitely our norm. The family's gonna be pissed, lol!
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Make your own chili or thai curry or sweet potato stew. Next to the meat you can throw in any kind of spices and veggies you and your family like.
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
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    I love burgers and hot dogs and eat them quite often. There is a reduced fat version of Oscar Meyer all beef hot dogs that taste just fine to me(half fats/cals). As for the burgers I always get the 90/10 lean or 93/10 lean ground beef premade sirloin patties. Very tasty! Your family can add more toppings to make them more tasty if desired (alhough it wont be needed), but at least you have your healthy option
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Breakfast
    -individual yoghurts
    -hardboiled eggs (good for the first 4-6 days, imho. some people don't mind them after)
    -fruits like cantaloupe that you can keep whole
    -apples

    Lunches
    -apples and peanut butter
    -baby carrots
    -pb&j (bread thins if you're not trying to eat a ton of bread)


    Snacks:
    -rice cakes
    -sugar snap peas

    Dinners:
    -fajita veggies with beans
    -stuffed bell peppers set on the fire (wrapped in foil). You can stuff them with veggies, some cheese, a protein, quinoa
    -corn on the cob
    -potatoes! great right on the fire, stuff 'em after with deliciousness

    Just some ideas. =)
  • michelle_816
    michelle_816 Posts: 621 Member
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    Do you have access to electricity?
    I will bring a crockpot and cook up chicken taco meat... really anything you can cook in a crockpot would be fine. But with tacos, you can bring the shredded lettuce, salsa, etc... We do this on our long camping weekends and the kids love it too! And it's nice to get a break from cooking over the fire all the time.

    I also always volunteer to bring the fresh fruit when we go and make sure to have that often (blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas travel well).
  • michelle_816
    michelle_816 Posts: 621 Member
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    Breakfast
    -individual yoghurts
    -hardboiled eggs (good for the first 4-6 days, imho. some people don't mind them after)
    -fruits like cantaloupe that you can keep whole
    -apples

    I love the idea of hard boiled eggs! Thanks for the suggestion :)
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
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    It's a camping trip just bring what everyone likes to eat and have some fun. Unless you plan on sitting on a log all day, you'll be getting up and moving much more than usual so the extra calories from the "junk food" will keep everyone going strong.

    I'm pretty sure I would have mutinied if my mom had taken us camping and tried to feed us broccoli and cottage cheese for dinner.

    Bring some chicken and veggies for yourself if you are worried but unless you are going camping for the other 51 weeks of the year it's not that big of caloric spike in the big picture of things.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    Take a piece do foil, place a chicken breast, zucchini, onion, sliced potatoes , whatever veggies you have, wrap all of this in a packet. Place on the fire or in the pan and cook.

    I agree with the person that said you would be more active...swim, hike, bike....anything to offset the calories

    Hot dogs and hamburgers aren't all that bad if you don't eat all the sides and put a bunch of stuff on them.
    Fat free hot dogs?

    One or two s'mores won't hurt things either:smile:
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    Southwest quinoa salad:


    Quinoa
    Tomato
    Avocado
    Black Beans
    Salsa
    Corn
    ** you could add chicken, I'm vegetarian though**
    Lime juice


    And it keeps realllly well!
  • whovian67
    whovian67 Posts: 608 Member
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    I carry around a cast iron frying pan #8 in my trunk :)
    Dont know your storage/ice chest situation.
    We just had a reunion. I pre-cooked stew meat and froze it.. added it day of potluck (200 people)
    You can cook anything in a cast iron pot...if you have time or want to spend it that way.. Or if you have someone who stays at the campsite and monitors the food....
    Grilled chicken frozen, anything frozen.... keeps well if you have enough ice....
  • FLRN88
    FLRN88 Posts: 4
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    We like to make foil packet meals. You can put lots of veggies, little salt, little oil (if you want) and fold them up and put them on a grill or wherever you can get heat. You can put kielbasa in them (turkey kind), potatoes, green beans is one of our favorites. There are tons of camping recipes and ideas on Pinterest if you use that.
  • laur917
    laur917 Posts: 8 Member
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    Camp cooking is easy, wrap some potatoes in foil and throw them in the fire pit close to the fire but not directly in the fire for easy baked potato. then top with some chili you made in the cast iron pot. or add a bunch of your favorite veggies into the foil and roast them up. Also bring a large pot, (might want to get on at the thrift store you dont want your good pasta pot for camping) and some zip lock bags (the good kind so you know its sealed) with you and boil up some scrambled eggs , crack some eggs into a bag, throw in some mix-ins, cheese or veggies or whatever, seal it bag well, and shake it up good then place in the boiling water to cook, doesn't take much time and kids would love to help shake up the bags. for dessert slice a banana in half but keep the peel on and throw some mini marshmallows and chocolate chips on it and cover in foil and again place it on the outside of the fire and roast a few minutes and you've got toasted banana goodness you can eat with a spoon. Basically tin foil is your friend so buy the good heavy duty stuff, and bring tongs and an oven mit to help retrieve the foil packs from the fire pit.

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