Here is a guest post from one of our members and previous coaches, Beth!

Camping in the summer is an American staple vacation. We’re going to fill you in on how you can go about eating healthy, while being out in the wilderness!

Whether you’re packing several miles to a remote location or have a little tent popped up between three 16-wheelers, there are always 3 main questions: 1) Where will I be able to go to the bathroom? 2) How bad are the mosquitos (and honey, where did you pack the repellant)? And 3) What is there to eat?

You see, the trouble is that a lot of the convenience foods for camping are processed and laden with sugar and other stuff that you don’t really want to eat. Just because you’re camping, though, doesn’t mean that you have to ditch eating well. Here are a few tips, ideas, and links to recipes that have our stamp of approval.

  1. Freeze your meals in Ziploc bags.  When preparing for my first Boundary Waters trip 5 years ago, I thought my husband was crazy when he told me we would have spaghetti on our trip.  Alas, I found myself making spaghetti (zoodles for me), packing it in gallon-sized baggies, and freezing it away.  It fit into a soft-sided cooler we brought along and stayed frozen until the day we planned to have that meal.  We let it thaw in the sunshine for part of the day and warmed it up in a pot over the camp stove.  This technique would work for any freezable meal. On a cool, rainy evening in the BWCA, this was an absolute treat.  Need some ideas for freezable healthy meals?  Click here.pexels-photo-27865
  2. Omelettes.  Don’t skimp on breakfast when you’re camping just because you’re camping. That would be a shame…I found this recipe for making “No Mess Omelettes” in mason jars.  What I like about it is that you can get your fill of diced up veggies and individualize jars for picky eaters. I’d recommend the mason jars if you are car camping. If you are doing something a little more rigorous, you could do something similar in a Nalgene bottle, freeze it, thaw it overnight, and pour it into your pan to cook in the morning over the camp stove or fire. Make camp breakfast a healthy event! 
  3. Hobo Dinners. Take some meat, veggies, (sweet) potatoes, and seasoning; wrap it all up in an aluminum foil (heavy duty) packet; and throw it into the fire for a while. This meal is easily personalized, easy to clean up, and is well received by adults and children alike. It’s also my hubby’s favorite go-to when we’re camping or even grilling at home. For a more specific recipe, go here.  For more ideas and help with wrapping your foil packets, go here.
  4. Snacks.  There are a ton of recipes out there for energy bars and snacks. It’s important that whatever you bring is portable, won’t melt, and will give you the energy you need to keep hiking, swimming, or crushing a mean game of ladder golf. You could try this recipe for Hot Spicy Macadamia Nuts or see this article for more camp food ideas from the Grass Fed Girl.

When picking recipes and preparing for your trip, keep in mind the people going, how you’re bringing your food (cooler space, weight, hiking, driving, etc.), how much work you want to put into both making your meals and cleaning up, and any waste that will be created (especially if you have to pack it out). Through thoughtful planning and a little bit of creativity, you won’t feel deprived and you definitely won’t feel like garbage from eating processed junk food.  

For a full list of other foods to bring, go here. For a list of other stuff to pack so you can eat well, see this site.
Happy camping, folks, and we’d love to hear about what you tried or if you have any tips as well – share them on our Facebook Page!

Beth C. – Resident CrossFitter and Olympic weightlifter at The Athlete Lab