I love camping!

We just went car camping this past weekend in Oakridge and Hood River, Oregon to do some mountain biking. In preparation for this three day camping excursion the main thing I focused on was what we would eat. I am blessed (or cursed) that I think about food- what, when and how I will eat or feed others- on a daily, if not hourly, basis, so this is nothing new. However, it was not until we were eating our camping leftovers last night that it donned on me that camping food may not be as easy, or as much of a joy, for everyone. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to share with you what I had planned and implemented for the three days we were off in the woods.

What I brought:

1. Pre-made pasta; this I made the night before, it was a very thick ground venison and veggies sauce, with 2:1 ratio sauce to pasta. Note: If you are going to be camping for more than a few days, I suggest freezing this in Tubberware and packing it frozen in your cooler, then having it on a night later in the trip once it has thawed.
2. Pre-made black bean and rice burritos, individually wrapped in tin foil. For these I used leftover rice and beans from Tuesday night dinner and uncooked four tortillas, plus salsa.
3. Pre-baked potatoes. Makes for easy home-fries over the camp stove.
4. Pre-made cucumber and banana pepper salad. Simplest salad ever! Thin slice a cucumber and a large banana pepper (I also added a tomato and fresh basil), place in sealable container with 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoons sugar, a good amount of ground pepper and a dash or salt. This will keep nicely and tastes better the longer it soaks.
5. Pre-made salmon dip. Also from dinner leftovers last week; bbq salmon mixed with hummus, mustard and diced pickles.
6. Cut carrots and celery
7. Bananas, blueberries, strawberries and nectarines
8. A dozen eggs
9. Bacon (uncured, organic, peppered)
10. Adelle’s cajun sausages
11. Whole wheat raisin rolls; bought singles from the bakery
12. Mustard, stone ground
13. Individual yogurts (Tillamook Greek)
14. Granola (Angelina’s Bakery, Sisters)
15. Flax and rice crackers (Mary’s original)
16. Bread loaf (Dave’s Killer Bread)
17. Peanut Butter (fresh ground)
18. Mixed buts (bulk)
19. Hummus (Lilly’s original)
20. Bar of dark chocolate

What we ate:

First night after camp was set = Burritos, reheated on grill.

Day 1:

• Morning= Cooked bacon, used grease to fry potatoes and eggs. Made sandwiches to take with us on bike ride
• While riding= Peanut butter and banana sandwiches and mixed nuts
• Snack after riding= Salmon dip with crackers and nectarine
• Dinner= Cajun sausages on whole wheat raisin roll with cucumber and pepper salad; chocolate for dessert

Day 2:

• Morning= Yogurt, berries and granola, made sandwiches for bike ride
• While riding= Peanut butter and banana sandwich and mixed nuts
• Snack after riding= Carrot and celery sticks with hummus
• Dinner= Pasta, cucumber and pepper salad; chocolate for desert

Day 3:

• Morning= Burritos with fried egg and bacon
• After riding= Salmon dip and celery
• Snack (while driving home)= Crackers, mixed nuts
• Dinner (back at home)= Leftover pasta and salad

I usually always bring more than needed and it works out great to have leftovers for the night, and sometimes whole week, after camping. Time and energy is often running low after such a fun weekend outing.

Please let me know if you find this helpful, or what other camping and road tripping food info you may be interested in!