Camping Recipes...

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i know they have turkey-dogs, which are hotdogs made of turkey. you could go with sandwich stuff instead of the hotdog. Bring some granola bars, healthy trail mix, your fruits and veggies, etc. Wrap chicken breasts (or any other meat) with squash, zucchini, onions, tomato's, mushrooms, potatos etc... in heavy duty aluminum foil and put it in the coals or on a grill on top of the campfire. You can add whatever seasonings you want and can even make it ahead of time. You can also use the foil as a plate and just toss it afterwards.

Ground turkey chili -- Ro-tel, low sodium beans and ground turkey. Cook in a dutch oven in the campfire.

Also, home-made trail mixes -- granola, nuts, dried cranberries, etc.

Fresh fruit salads

These three are staples for my family, but I'm hoping to see some new ideas on this post as well, I struggle with the same problem!!! Annnd... I am so weak when it comes to s'mores. I eat them until I'm ready to go into a sugar coma.

For dessert (you have to splurge a little, no?) take a banana and load it up with whatever (Kids usually cover it with chocolate sauce, little marshmallows, caramel and whatever else, but I dont really add anything...ok, maybe a little chocolate;)....and wrap it all together in foil and throw it in the fire for a little bit. it really changes the flavor of the banana and is so good and nice for cold nights.

Hooray for camping season!

You can always hard boil eggs, great protein, and a quick breakfast/easy to carry on hikes. I live in the SW, so burritos are big here. I use low fat tortillas, beans, (eggs or egg whites if I'm making breakfast burritos), salsa, etc .

Kebobs are another way to get lean protein and veggies in and everyone can make their own. I just cut up meat and put in a ziplock with maranaid. Then pre-cut my veggies and throw those in ziplocks too. If using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak them in water though, or else everything will stick to the skewer. I also make fruit kebobs for dessert!

Sometimes I'll prepare soup or a healthy turkey chili at home and then freeze it in the camping pot. Then all I have to do is put it over the fire and let it reheat.

Of course you can always grill up fresh caught fish...

Thank you, upearly, for the reynolds link! I've been looking at recipes for solar cooking, too, to add to my camping menu.

Sometimes I'll prepare soup or a healthy turkey chili at home and then freeze it in the camping pot. Then all I have to do is put it over the fire and let it reheat.

Such a great idea!

I don't have any earth-shattering recipes, b ut.... I do all the cooking when we go rafting or camping. One thing I do is prepare all my meals in advance and place them in indivual large baggies. EVERYTHING! I even crack the eggs for the breakfast meals and place in baggie.

I always chop up onions, potatoes, peppers and garlic, mix them together with seasonings and place in bagggie. By the time we break them out for breakfast the flavors have melded together nicely. You can smell it all over the campground or river edge. Big Hit.

RoadDog...
Do your potatoes discolor when you prechop them? If not, what do you do that keeps them from discoloring?

Thanks for these ideas! Keep 'em coming!

I do living history reenactments, so full disclosure: The amount of equipment we bring with is far beyond what most people would consider "camping"

That said, anything you can cook at home can also be cooked over a campfire if you invest in a few pieces of cast iron cookware (Lodge brand is nice, but a bit on the pricey side. I have had excellent results using TexSport if you can find it- it's about 1/2 to 2/3 the price of Lodge).

An eight quart cast iron dutch oven with legs and a rimmed lid is highly versatile. Way too heavy if you're hiking long distances to a campsite, but if you're traveling a short distance by foot or camping somewhere you can basically just drive up it's a great addition to your camp gear. A dutch oven lid tool, and a highly heat resistant glove are also very useful as cast iron stays hot for a long time (i use a leather welder's glove, available at any home improvement store).

Take a pie tin, flip it upside down inside the oven as a trivet (keeps the food lifted off the bottom of the oven), then use another rightside up on top of that one and you can bake anything you would at home by placing the oven on a bed of hot coals and scooping more coals on top on the lid (the lid is rimmed specifically for this purpose). Obviously you must observe all fire safety laws and general common sense when scooping hot coals around. And the leather glove mentioned above will NOT make your hand immune to the heat of the cast iron, but will protect your hand from momentary contact. So don't go grabbing hot iron, use a tool to lift the lid and move the oven by the bail handle!

Out fishing? Why cook your catch on a stick when you can make a baked dish that wouldn't shame your Sunday dinner table?

I've cooked roasts, made tortilla wraps, baked whole chickens, and even baked fresh bread with hot coals and a dutch oven.

When I first started rafting almost 30 years ago, I would cook for myself and whoever rode with me. Later, it was me and the older girls. Then it was me and the older girls and their girlfriends.

Soon I was the one organizing the trip. One by one I would get the same request from the others, "Hey, since you are already cooking, can you add me to the list and I will chip in some money?" I was cooking Breakfast and Dinner for every one.

3 Years ago, when Holland started going, I started using a guide service. They provided lunch on the River; everyone started bringing breakfast bars and I was only doing dinner.

Last two years, I started staying at a resort and using a guide service. I don't bring anything but cigars, bourbon and my wallet.

I miss cooking for the group.

Anybody in the PNW need a camp cook?