Camping recipes?

Hubby and I are heading out camping in a couple weeks and are putting together our menu. We're going to be hiking for several hours each day, so we'll be burning the calories, but camping is also the time we tend to indulge (mmm, s'mores!). Last time we went out for a weekend I came back with an extra 5 pounds from 3 days of camp food (though 3 quickly fell off as my system cleared out ). I'm hoping to avoid that this trip. Anyone have some good recipe ideas? We have a two burner Colman, and I'd love to try some recipes over the fire. We like portable lunches, so we can eat them while we hike.

Much appreciated!

I find that most recipes can be adapted for camping, especially if you have the benefit of a propane stove and an ice-filled cooler!  Even on a campfire, though, there is lots you can do. 

Lunch:

- I think the best portable lunches for camping trips are uncooked -- something about hiking and a hot lunch just doesn't work for me.  I bring lots of snacks so I can graze throughout the day: dried fruit, nuts, Larabars, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, Babybel cheese, crackers or bread.  Not too creative, I know.

Dinners:

- Shish kebabs are an easy choice, as they require minimal equipment and prep-work.  You can even cut up your veggies before you leave if you prefer.  Bring a jar of your favorite seasoning blend and a can of cooking spray and you are pretty much set.

- Anything that requires you to saute, pan-fry, sear, or grill is perfect for over a campfire, especially if there is a metal grate over the fire pit.  Getting the temperature right can take some good fire management, but it isn't unlike getting used to a new stove!

- I have had a lot of luck bringing frozen and fresh seafood (the only meat I eat) on camping trips.  Anything fresh gets eaten the first evening and frozen foods packed at the bottom of an ice filled cooler can be eaten on the second or third day, depending on how fast they thaw.  Bags of frozen shrimp are great because you can keep them frozen until right before you use them. 

- You can make your favorite spice rub or marinade before you leave and bring it in a baggy (double-bagged, please!) or jar.  I sometimes make a paste of curry powder, chili powder, chopped fresh garlic, a bit of sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt and use it to marinade a piece of salmon during the time it takes to build a fire. 

- I always try to advantage of the fact that I have a wood fire!  I like to fire-roast some bell peppers or chiles (great for burgers, quesadillas, etc.), potatoes (wrapped in foil or not), &/or corn. 

- Aluminum foil packets can also be really fun: layer them with your favorite veggies, a bit of liquid and seasoning, some meat if you choose, and then wrap and put in the fire.  There is a Good Eats episode dealing with foil packet cooking that is worth googling, as Alton Brown provides a sort of formula for creating your own foil packet dinner.  For dessert, take a large piece of aluminum foil and spray it with a bit of cooking spray, add slices of apples/pears/peaches/other fruit, sprinkle with cinnamon, and wrap into a packet.  Cook until fruit is tender and delicious.

Boil in a bag brown rice is quick and easy.  Take that, some cans of black beans, and a jar of salsa.  Heat the beans in the salsa and serve over the rice.

None of the ingredients of red clam sauce with pasta needs refrigeration.  Thin spaghetti, cappelini, or angel hair pasta cooks fast.  Take a can of whole baby clams (very high in iron!) and some tomato paste.  Saute garlic in olive oil, stir in tomato paste and the clams with their juices and cook a little over low heat, or heat and set aside.  Boil the spaghetti and strain it, adding just a little of the cooking water to the sauce.  Put the drained spaghetti into the saute pan and toss over medium heat until the flavors have blended.  You can add Italian herbs and a squeeze of lemon to this too.  This would also work with canned tuna or even chicken.

Try some fire roasted red peppers and eggplant.  Roast them over an open flame until the skin is blackened.  Let cook inside a paper bag then wipe off the skin with paper towels, drizzle with olive oil and garlic and eat on bread.  This is a little messy to prepare, but you'll be outdoors so there's no kitchen to clean up. 

Do you have a grill thing to put over the fire?  If so, make some whole wheat pita pizza!  Buy some whole wheat pitas, bring some pizza sauce and (go low-fat) cheese and make your pizza.  Put some aluminum foil under it and let it heat up! 

The foil packets are a good idea. We make them when we go camping in the desert. You can google "campfire hobos" and a lot of different recipes pop up.

We make ours with either lean ground beef or turkey, chopped onions, carrots and red potatoes. You just take a sheet of aluminum foil, spray with Pam or rub with olive oil, place the meat and chopped veggies on top, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper, garlic powder, or whatever seasonings you like, and you can add a little bit of butter or margarine too, if you want. Then you just fold up the foil into a triangle, and make sure to seal the corners very well, so they don't leak. I usually double-wrap mine with the foil.

These are easy to make before you leave home, just throw them in the cooler until you're ready to cook. To cook them, you can place the packets directly into the campfire. They usually take anywhere from 10-15 minutes per side, depending on how big the fire is. Usually when the potatoes are fork-tender, it means that they are ready, but make sure to check that the meat is cooked through as well. 

Depending on what meat/veggies/seasonings you use in these, they can be very healthful, and they're super yummy! :)

If you do shish kabobs, thread the items on separate sticks, all the peppers on one stick, all the chicken on one stick, etc, so you can cook the sticks starting with what food items takes longest to cook, chicken first, tomatoes last etc.. That way your veggies won't be overcooked and falling off while your meat is still raw. Since you can't really eat the shish kabob on the stick without poking your eye out, you have to scrape it off into a plate anyway, this way you can scrape off just how much of each item you actually want, and eat it with a spoon or fork. This is really great if someone is allergic to mushrooms or hates onions, etc.. They only pick what items they want to eat.

Google "Dian Thomas camping recipes" for great camping recipes, she wrote books and appeared on talk shows throughout the 70's with some fun camping ideas.

If you need something sweet, I love an "apple pie" when I camp. I use a pie iron, round or square and put sara lee 45 calorie bread buttered on both sides with fat free i can't believe its not butter and put reduced sugar apple pie filling with a little cinnamon and splenda. I cook it over the fire and it browns up like a grilled cheese and tastes delicious. If I have a few extra calories to use I will put a little fat free whipped cream or low fat ice cream on top. It is great!!!

Mmmm. My family camps a lot! We have a camper SO we kind of cheat, but here are a few of my favorites.

Turkey Chilli- Use ground turkey meat instead of beef. Mix in various herbs & spices, small chopped veggies (onions, peppers, tomatoes . . you can even do this ahead of time and throw them in a zip lock baggie). Then use a tomato paste OR some ketchup if you like it sweet! Sprinkle on some low fat cheese and have a nice piece of whole grain bread to dip and you've got a great meal!

Grilled Corn on the Cob- Cook the corn on a grill right over the fire! Rub on some olive oil (low cal popcorn toppings that come in little sprinkle containers also can add a TON of flavor!!)

Poppy Seed Salad- Mix baby green spinach (raw), onions, strawberries, and some grilled chicken in a big salad bowl. Throw on some LF rasberry vinagrette or poppy seed dressing and you have yourself a WONDERFUL summer meal :)

My favorite hiking lunch is simple! Pita bread with peanut butter, jelly, and cut up apples, all on the pita! Bring some humus and carots/cucumbers for dipping, and throw together some trail mix (almonds, crasins, dark chocolate chips, rasins, dried fruit. . .etc)

Ekkk, I'm making myself hungry!! Hope I was of some help :)