Vegan camping food ideas? Camping with a toddler too...

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lovetobethin86
lovetobethin86 Posts: 202 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm going camping with my husband and 20 month old daughter at the beginning of august. I'm the only vegan and I want to keep it healthy, I've found some good ideas online but wanted to see if anyone has any tips or ideas for meals?
Other question is: this is the first time camping with our daughter nd Im so nervous about naptime and bedtime especially, any tps or tricks for me there? I want to enjoy this, not dread it lol...Its been years since me and the hubby have camped so bringing a little one will be quite different!

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  • Britt2Leigh
    Britt2Leigh Posts: 1
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    Pastas, Beans & RIce are always easy if you have water, pots, and a stove... but, you can also use the vegan hot dogs if everyone else is bring cold foods. I've also brought foods that require prepping ahead of the trip, but definitely well-worth the while. I'll bring potatoes and go ahead and wrap them in tin foil. You can throw them on the fire. If you want to decrease the cooking time, cook in the microwave at home for a few minutes until they get softer, and then wrap in tin foil. No pots or pans needed, and comes out as a regular baked potato! Also, You can pre-slice veggies and wrap in tin foil (like a hobo meal) and bring some tortillas to make some fajitas. I also like to bring whole apples, oranges, or other kinds of fruit along for the trip. Nuts, sunflower seeds, etc have always been good, too. I usually bring packs of oatmeal for breakfast. You can easily heat the water up and then pour into your bowl/cup with the oatmeal. Makes for a quick and easy breakfast. Hope this helps you some!
  • SanFranFrisky
    SanFranFrisky Posts: 11
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    Not sure how long you're going for or how much actual cooking you're looking to do (instead of 'heat and eat'). Nut butters and crackers or pita (takes less room than bread), instant hot cereal, vegetarian soup or chili in a can is good, I love noodles so I usually take ramen packets. I'm convinced anything wrapped in tinfoil and cooked over fire outdoors tastes fantastic and it's easy to prep.

    If you're taking an ice chest, making a batch of seitan to take along is a good option (lots of protein and not messy). Olives, if you like them, don't need to be kept cold. Think about making pancake mix, you can put all the dry stuff in one plastic bag and bring small containers of the liquid parts. Prep tofu or tempeh scramble in a bag and throw it in a pan when you get there.

    I think the big thing is preparation and planning so you don't wind up in the woods (literally) with random ingredients that don't go together or that you don't want to eat. I did that a couple of times before I figured out what the problem was.

    Happy camping.
  • nursedianne
    nursedianne Posts: 69 Member
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    What about Chia seeds? I have heard they are a great source of protien. Can be added to food or liquid and take on the taste of what you add them to.
    I haven't tried them yet. A friend of mine has and had heard about a "diet" supplement in that it makes you feel fuller faster. Not sure about that. I think I will research more.
    If you know of anything please let me know.
    thanks
  • southpaw211
    southpaw211 Posts: 385 Member
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    We just got home last night from camping with our 5 and 7 year old daughters. We joked that people who camp with babies and toddlers deserve some sort of badge of honor. It is HARD work! We were amazed this year at how easy camping has become. Camping with a toddler can be done and a great time can be had, but I guess my suggestion would be to throw trying to time naps & bedtimes right out the window. The first night was always the worst for us, we were exhausted from travel/setup, and they were anxious about this new environment we were putting them to sleep in. HOWEVER, by the next day, it wasn't terribly hard to get them to sleep at nap time (unless it was unbearably hot), and equally easier to get them to sleep at night. I think it's the activity and the fresh air - sleeping was the easy part. Good luck!

    As for food - I'm not vegan, but two of our favorite dishes this weekend that I really just brought to be on the healthier side but are vegan as far as I remember are broccoli slaw and texas caviar. Both recipes came off of Pinterest. The broccoli slaw was especially awesome - I finally finished it off for dinner tonight and I've pretty much been eating it regularly since Thursday. I'll be making it for our next trip out in two weeks!
  • projectxreborn
    projectxreborn Posts: 204
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    I just had a visit from my neice who camped for four days with two children under 6 (one just turned 2 this month) and
    when I asked her how it was she said it went pretty well because her hubby thought to bring a little cordless stereo to play
    some relaxing music while they tried to fall asleep in the tent and seemed to really help. The other thing is to make sure
    they get to run and toddle to their heart's content during the day so they are ready for bed when it is time. Try to stay
    as close to the bedtime routine as possible. Hope this helps....happy camping!
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
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    I just went camping too and I did chili one night topped with avocado and organic chips and the other night (we only went for a weekend) I did corn tortillas on the cast iron pan to heat them up and filled them with beans, avocado, tomato, and cilantro and some sea salt. Yum! I did find vegan marshmallows at whole foods (still filled with nasty corn syrup though, bah! Dandies) just to have a smore at night with the kids with some dark chocolate (no dairy in it.) All super easy to pack/make...
  • curvyvegan
    curvyvegan Posts: 80 Member
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    I'm vegan and have camped with three kids, including a toddler! We did a lot of quick convenience foods, took a cooler so we had some frozen veggie burgers, veggie dogs, etc. Also canned baked beans, vegan pancake mix (I think it was from Bob's Red mill), those cartons of soy milk that you don't have to refrigerate until opening, etc. Took blueberries to throw into the pancakes, carrot sticks and cauliflower already cut up, cherry tomatoes, and some other fruit for snacking. Basically...the same stuff you might take camping as an omnivore, just veganized!

    Didn't worry about naps and bedtime, just basically followed our toddler's cues and laid down with him in the tent until he fell asleep. (An ipod was awesome for this, I listen to podcasts to keep from getting bored! Our hen House, Vegetarian Food for Thought, and Red Radio are some favorites...) Bedtime...just waited until it got dark, let the kids get cozy by the campfire until they were really sleepy.

    Camping is awesome, we have a trip planned in a couple of weeks and I can't wait!!
  • jillianlovesyarn
    jillianlovesyarn Posts: 44 Member
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    I just went camping too and I did chili one night topped with avocado and organic chips and the other night (we only went for a weekend) I did corn tortillas on the cast iron pan to heat them up and filled them with beans, avocado, tomato, and cilantro and some sea salt. Yum! I did find vegan marshmallows at whole foods (still filled with nasty corn syrup though, bah! Dandies) just to have a smore at night with the kids with some dark chocolate (no dairy in it.) All super easy to pack/make...
    Just an aside, but corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup aren't the same thing. Because of how marshmallows are made corn syrup is probably unavoidable, at least in vegan ones. I think Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows are a thousand times better than Dandies because they taste so much fresher so if I wanted to make some s'mores for a camping treat, that would be my personal choice. They do, however, also have corn syrup if you're avoiding corn. Um. And sugar. But I can't imagine the universe in which marshmallows would be low sugar since they're pretty much sugar + flavoring + a little something extra to stiffen the goo so they're not exactly a food one would be eating if avoiding sugar.

    I don't know what your set up is going to be like. I've kind of compiled a list for camping with the idea that we'd be doing a bit of hiking and my husband and I would be carrying everything we needed so we have been figuring things out based on weight. Because of this I like things like dehydrated veggie chips, hummus or refried beans to which you can just add hot water, quinoa or amaranth with homemade seasoning packet, roasted chickpeas or beans, nuts, tofu jerky, quick cooking oats, trail mix, etc.
  • urbansmamma
    urbansmamma Posts: 202 Member
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    Engine 2 Diet had an article about plant strong (vegan) camping that was really good!!! I especially love item #7 on plant strong s'mores!! http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/tips-for-plant-strong-camping/

    Have a great time!!!
  • urbansmamma
    urbansmamma Posts: 202 Member
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    Oh and if you premake these burgers you will be in Vegan heaven!!! We served them at our BBQ and the meat eaters even loved them. Note they are baked, but I'm sure you could reheat them on the BBQ. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/colleens-chickpea-burgers-with-tahini-sauce.html
  • rawfull
    rawfull Posts: 178
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    I like vegan cole slaw, vegan baked beans, vegan potato salad, you can also grille vegetables, peppers, onions, which are very nice with vegan store bought sausages...

    The kids might enjoy vegan smores, made with vegan marshmellows, vegan chocolate, and vegan graham crackers...

    Enjoy your camping...
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
    Options
    I just went camping too and I did chili one night topped with avocado and organic chips and the other night (we only went for a weekend) I did corn tortillas on the cast iron pan to heat them up and filled them with beans, avocado, tomato, and cilantro and some sea salt. Yum! I did find vegan marshmallows at whole foods (still filled with nasty corn syrup though, bah! Dandies) just to have a smore at night with the kids with some dark chocolate (no dairy in it.) All super easy to pack/make...
    Just an aside, but corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup aren't the same thing. Because of how marshmallows are made corn syrup is probably unavoidable, at least in vegan ones. I think Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows are a thousand times better than Dandies because they taste so much fresher so if I wanted to make some s'mores for a camping treat, that would be my personal choice. They do, however, also have corn syrup if you're avoiding corn. Um. And sugar. But I can't imagine the universe in which marshmallows would be low sugar since they're pretty much sugar + flavoring + a little something extra to stiffen the goo so they're not exactly a food one would be eating if avoiding sugar.

    I don't know what your set up is going to be like. I've kind of compiled a list for camping with the idea that we'd be doing a bit of hiking and my husband and I would be carrying everything we needed so we have been figuring things out based on weight. Because of this I like things like dehydrated veggie chips, hummus or refried beans to which you can just add hot water, quinoa or amaranth with homemade seasoning packet, roasted chickpeas or beans, nuts, tofu jerky, quick cooking oats, trail mix, etc.

    I try not to eat any GMO foods or give my kids any GMO food, hence my distaste for corn syrup. Anything corn or soy that is not organic, GMO. Boo! But I guess once a year won't kill us. Next year I am making my own, I found a couple online recipes. ;)
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
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    Engine 2 Diet had an article about plant strong (vegan) camping that was really good!!! I especially love item #7 on plant strong s'mores!! http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/tips-for-plant-strong-camping/

    Have a great time!!!

    love that banana idea! :)
  • lovetobethin86
    lovetobethin86 Posts: 202 Member
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    wow thanks for all the replies, made me hungry! he first night was the wort until the hubby an i brought her in our bed, then it was a ase of her taking up the whole bed lol but fun!

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