camping with a 3 year old - food ideas

[meemee]

pardon me if my question sounds like a greenhorn's list but i have never gone camping before let alone with my 3 year old. we are going to the campgroiunds and days are going to be 100 and nights 60's near the mountains. it is a 4 day trip with 3 nights.

we are going with a friend of mine who has arranged everything so have only got to worry about food.

we will do cereal bfast, sandwhich kinda lunch and chilli/tofu dog dinner on a camping stove. we are taking a lot of fruit with us but my dd is not really a fruit person but more a veggie person. is it too much to ask to steam or boil veggies at nigth? if i take broccoli, carrots and cauliflower will they stay for 3 days unrefrig.

any advice would be most welcome.

[G&B'sMama]

A lot of stuff that we refrigerate doesn’t really have to be refrigerated- especially on a three day camping trip. The veggies will definitely be fine- but if you have delicate stuff (like greens or lettuce) you might want to stick it in the cooler so it doesn’t wilt. One alternative would be to take frozen, mixed vegetables and just let them thaw out- no cooking needed. We did this when DD was small- they are already cut up and ready to go. Cascadian Farm makes an organic frozen mixed veggies that my kids love. You might also want to try roasting veggies wrapped in foil in the campfire- we do this with stuff like potatoes, corn on the cob, bell peppers, onions, carrots, squash. Just wash, season, wrap in a little greased foil, and put around the edge of the coals of the fire. I would give broccoli or cauliflower a try, but you might want to put a bit of water in the foil to get some steaming action. You can get some great results. When we are camping we usually pack some instant foods that you can find in the bulk section- like refried beans or hummus mix- and packages of instant oatmeal (even in the summer the mornings can be cool and a bowl of warm oatmeal tastes so good). These are just add water type stuff and still pretty healthy, plus they don’t take up a lot of space. Don’t forget other bulk foods that make great snacks like dried fruit, granola, pretzels, nuts and seeds, date bars, etc. Also, don’t forget the all time kid favorite (and adult favorite in our house)- nut butter and jelly. We bring a jar of nut butter, a jar of jam and a loaf of bread, which gets us through a lot of lunches.

Have fun camping. My kids LOVE it. It usually takes weeks to get them clean again but it is always worth it.

[annethcz]

Whatever you eat at home is probably okay for camping.

We go camping with our kids (ages 5, 3.5, 19 months) frequently.

Breakfast- oatmeal, cereal w/ soymilk (doesn't have to be refrigerated), fruit/cereal bars, granola bars, fruit, bagels with peanut butter
Lunch/ Dinner- sandwiches, spaghetti, tortilla roll ups, hot dogs (I like smart dogs), burgers (Gardenburgers), soup, ravioli, occasionally I buy prepackaged meals like taco or sloppy joe mix from Fantastic Foods, kabobs, baked potatoes cooked in the campfire
Snacks- granola, cereal bars, cookies, popcorn, fruit (I usually bring a bag or two of apples), crackers, smores... etc. etc.

For drinks, we mostly drink water. I also like to bring packages of Vruit- the cartons don't need to be refrigerated until they're opened, but our family can usually finish off a carton in a sitting.

[Denise K]

Hooray for experienced campers! Someday I may be one.....

I just wanted to add that when you are 3, anythign cooked on a fire is so exciting that it about blows your mind. For DS's birthday we made a fire in the yard and fried onions and tomatoes over it, and spread dill butter on bread, and he thought it was the best food he'd ever had. So at least for DS, if you can get anything to involve the fire it will taste way better. Stick apple slices on a stick and help DC roast them slightly. I imagine lumps of biscuit dough (from a mix) stuck on sticks would be pretty thrilling too. Have a great time!

[G&B'sMama]

When I was a girl scout as a kid I loved the bread on a stick. It always turned out undercooked on the inside and burnt on the outside, but once you fill the hole with jam it just seemed so good!

I'm not even a kid and I still like stuff cooked on a campfire! :LOL

[3girls1boy]

fill up a gallon jug with water and freeze it solid. This will keep stuff in your cooler cold for quite a few days.

One thing that we like to take camping is hard-boiled eggs. Keep them in a cooler. Also whatever you can freeze beforehand to go in the cooler, freeze--yogurts, juice boxes, milk.