"Fancy" Camp Food #3!

Ya... so over in my bio I mention how I try to be healthy, thrifty, responsible, organic, etc...  And how I sometimes just want Oreo's?  Well this post falls into the second category.  If for no other reason than I just took the easy way out.  I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of having an awesome camping weekend.  Especially not guilt over eating badly.  

(For more recipes and camp ideas, check out my earlier and more fancy camping food posts here and here.)

This was a bit of a last minute trip, which included leaving right after work on Friday (after having to stay and work late...sigh...) and getting all prep, laundry, groceries, and new shoe shopping squeezed into a couple hours Thursday night.  The shoes were not for me!  But instead for our dog, Hudson.  He needed hiking boots.  Bright red ones, to be fancy.

We planned to spend most of our time kayaking, hiking, and exploring.  Eating was just going to be a necessary "evil" invading our fun time.  So the plan was to make it as quick and effortless as possible.

Breakfast

I'm not going to lie... we had donuts and French Press coffee.  Shrug.  I will admit I was jealous of a nearby camper who was making what I imagined to be an awesome egg & veggie skillet based on the undeniable smell of grilled onions and peppers.  And as I sadly looked at my chocolate covered donut, I was only slightly sad for a moment.  The morning of Day two we made coffee again, but added a packet of hot chocolate.  Camping mocha!

Lunch

Josh's parents met us at the lake to go kayaking and have lunch.  We had all the "pick-nic" supplies.  Spread it all out on the table and just picked and snacked away!  This is the perfect way to eat lunch.  There really is NO prep.  I suppose it is an "adult-only" type of lunch.  Not because of any scandalous reason, other than dirty little kid hands.  So maybe they can point and you put their choices on a fun and colorful kid plate.  Or maybe if you actually have kids, you aren't freaked out by the germs as it is most likely part of a normal day.

• Hummus
• Cheese- sliced cheddar, & mozzarella string cheese
• Crackers
• Deli Turkey
• Sliced Avocado
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Sliced Apples
• Edamame
• Trail Mix
• Beef Jerky
• Almonds
• Gummy Bears
• Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies- so good!

 

Dinner

We went with classic BBQ.  Josh made a steak, and I had a veggie patty.  Guilty pleasure- Ranch Style Beans and an easy side salad with avocado and 3 beans made it a complete meal.

The only hiccup was the "3 bean" part of our salad.  I normally buy this in a jar with a marinated mix of kidney, garbanzo, and green beans.  And it's a great, easy way to add color and flavor to some greens with no additional dressing needed.  But neither of our two grocery stores had it late on Thursday night.  So I settled for a version that came in a can.  (Which I never do and shouldn't have panicked and compromised.) Sadly, it didn't even come close.  First it didn't have garbanzo beans but instead wax beans which honestly they lived up to their name 100%.  And second, the green beans actually made a rubbery, squeaky sound when you bit into them.  No thanks.  The only edible item in that can was the kidney beans.  So what I learned was, don't buy that again.  Ever.  I recommend you don't try it either.

It was still a great trip.  A quick weekend get away, time with family, kayaking, and exploring the beautiful scenery that is all around us.  Despite the food fail (I won't mention the stop at McD's on the way home...) the rest of the trip was a complete success.  And so it just goes to prove- It really doesn't have to be fancy!  It just needs to fit in your car.

Can you spot Hudson back there with all the gear?!?!?