By the third day into a camping trip with my kids, I’m tired of eating wieners, hamburgers and marshmallows. Camping is a great excuse to eat these high-fat, salty, sugar-laden processed foods, but eventually I crave real food, food with texture, colour, variety and redeeming qualities like vitamins, minerals and fibre. And the mother in me worries about the long-term effects of extended hot dog and s’mores diets. It comes as no surprise that researchers have learned that frequent consumption of hotdogs is associated with a significant increase in diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
When camping, the physical activity my kids get surely counters these health risks but incorporating nutritional foods into their everyday diets even while camping establishes healthy eating patterns. you don’t have to bring out the salad spinner or low-carb cookbook or scare kids away from the picnic table with spinach strudel. you can add colour, texture, variety and nutrition to your camping menu with fun, easy to transport and prepare foods. And like slipping a pill in a wiener for your pet, you can even disguise these good-for-them foods as treats.
Try these ideas to get your creative, as well as your digestive, juices flowing for the days after the wieners are gone.
Rice Re-Invented
- Boil rice in orange juice, instead of water. Add dried cranberries, almonds, and parsley when cooked.
- Stir salsa, a can of drained corn and cilantro into cooked rice.
- Boil rice in chicken, beef or vegetable broth then add vegetables of your choice, pine nuts and thyme.
- Invent a creation of your own— think raisins, pecans, walnuts, dried apricots, lemon juice, basil, tomato, peas and sunflower seeds. Be creative.
Breakfast Boredom Busters
- Custom-make your own porridge by adding nuts, dried fruits such as prunes, cranberries or strawberry-flavoured cranberries, apricots or raisins. Scoop on some applesauce or fresh fruit.
- Spread crunchy peanut butter on a tortilla. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Lay a banana along one edge and roll up.
- Spread cream cheese on toast. Layer on thinly sliced pear. Top with maple syrup and walnuts. This would work on a pancake too. How about apple and cinnamon with syrup, pecans or raisins?
- Spread toast with peanut butter. Sprinkle with Grape Nuts cereal and sliced banana.
Forget the Sandwiches
- Spread pasta sauce in a pita shell or on a wrap. Stuff it or roll it with ham or bacon, drained pineapple tidbits and mozzarella cheese. Heat in skillet until the cheese melts.
- Dip tortilla or nacho chips in tuna salad.
- Spread crackers with flavoured cream cheese. Top with fresh fruit like kiwi, grapes, apples, pears and strawberries.
S’more Great Ideas
- Spread graham cracker or a cookie with jam or cream cheese. Top with fresh fruit, coconut or whatever your imagination concocts.
- Spread low-fat cream cheese on a plate. Top with a layer of caramel sauce. Sprinkle with a crushed Skor bar or other chocolate. Scoop up with crisp apple wedges.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2006 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Canoeroots’ print and digital editions here.
