Healthy Camping Food Ideas
- Image by wili_hybrid via Flickr
Its easy to overindulge when camping. S’mores are just so delicious and hamburgers and hot dogs are so much fun to cook over the open fire. Here are some ideas for healthier camping food options…
The easiest thing to do is take a look and see if you can find lower calorie versions of the food you would normally take. Replace fatty cuts of meat with leaner cuts, hamburgers with turkey burgers, find lower fat hot dogs, baked potato chips or pretzels rather than greasy chips. Beef jerky is a great healthy camping food most are 97% fat free. Don’t forget your veggies too, many are very very tasty cooked over the open fire.
- Corn on the Cob – Peal back the husk and remove the hairs replace the husk and soak in cool water for 20-30 minutes, grill till tender over hot coals
- Zucchini and Summer Squash – Cut in half or quarters brush with olive oil lightly salt and pepper and grill over hot coals till tender
- Sweet Potatoes – Cook just like you would with white potatoes, wrap in foil and toss directly on hot coals. (note: do not stab foil wrapped potatoes with a fork to check tenderness or to remove from fire. doing so embeds tiny bits of foil into the potato.)
Another great way to cook on the camp fire is “foil packet cooking”. Almost anything you roast you can cook in a foil packet “beets and sweets” would make a great foil packet meal… All you have to do is lay out a large piece of foil and place the ingredients into the center of the foil. Fold into a packet of some sort (wrap it so you have a few layers of foil on each side). Place just over hot coals turning a few times for even cooking. Time needed will depend of what you are cooking.
Just remember when you are camping you are more active than normal so it’s ok to enjoy a few s’mores!
Please share your favorite healthy recipes in the comments!!!
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July 18, 2009 12:06 pm 
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Wow, great ideas! Never thought of sweet potatoes…I’ve always done the old-fashioned white ones (and use leftovers for hash-browns in the am) but sweet ones are healthier (and the hash-browns would be fantastic)! Thanks for the suggestions…
Jeannette (new Twitter follower)
Sweet potato hash-browns does sound good… as do sweet potato pancakes…
My mom cooks Spaghetti and vaccum seals the sauce and noodles in separate packs and freezes them. They stay nicely in the cooler and help keep other things cool. We then boil water – and stick the bags right in! Food is ready in just a bit!
I don’t do too much camping – but I’ve started making dried fruit with the dehydrate. It’s a great healthy and light snack!
ErikaJean´s last blog ..Back Porch Sittin’
I love zucchini on the campfire. I prepare it with olive oil, balsamac vinegar, and garlic powder. Yum! Peppers and asparagus are great this way too.