...happy in a raspberry patch in New Brunswick, Canada

I am just settling back from a 10 day camping trip with my family and dear friends.

We journeyed by car through New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec, camping all the way. We saw some spectacular spots! One of our favorites was Tadoussac (Quebec), where our campsite overlooked the spectacular, wide mouth of the St. Laurence River. We saw Minke, Beluga and Humpback whales swim majestically by. It took my breath away!

I love camping, I hadn’t done more than a 3 day camping trip before this journey – we don’t even own a camping stove – but this trip turned me into a committed fan.

I love being outside so much, sleeping in nature and cooking healthy food at the campfire.

One of the many things I appreciate about camping is that I can make healthy meals for my family no matter where we are. We are not at the mercy of restaurant food.

Here are 4 things that I learned on this camping trip in regards to food:

1. Wherever we went, I asked when and where the local farmer’s market was taking place. This is the easiest way to find wonderful local food, people, and other great stuff!
2. Cabbage is a great travel food that lasts for a really long time without refrigeration. Near the end of our camping trip I made my favorite coleslaw from all the food we had which lasts well without refrigeration.
3. Everything tastes better when you are sitting outside relaxing in nature.
4. It’s amazing how fast you can clean up from a meal when it starts to rain!

Here are three super-easy healthy dishes I made while we were camping – but you can try them at home too!

Roasted cauliflower, yellow squash and onions: (make this with any hearty veg)

Simply …

• cut Cauliflower, Yellow Squash and Onions.
• sprinkle with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper.
• wrap it up in foil
• put it on the grill until it’s soft and delicious (about 45 minutes)

I did this with sliced potatoes, onions and a bit of goat cheese too. It was scrumptious!

Use a double layer of foil so it doesn't burn. That's Dulse seaweed on the side, crisping up for a lovely salty snack.

Yum! (even though the open fire pit burnt it a bit)

Mesclun Mix salad from the farmer's market in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Mesclun mix salad:

This is the easiest way to create a superb salad.

• Buy fresh Mesclun Mix from a farmer’s market. This one had Nasturtium  flowers in it! Nasturtiums are edible and have a lovely, peppery kick to them.
• Wash. Believe it or not, I brought my salad spinner on our camping trip!!! I was so glad I did, it made veggie washing and prepping a snap.
• Sprinkle a bit of Salt, toss;  a drizzle of Olive Oil, toss;  and a generous squeeze of Lemon Juice (in that order).
• Ta-da: a beautiful fresh salad and dressing

Quick and Easy Guacomole:

This is my shortcut, perfect for camping guacomole.  If you want to see the pros do it, check this out.

• Cut up 1 avocado
• Cut up 1 tomato
• Add 2  to 3 tablespoons of Muir Glen Organic Mild Salsa
• Salt and pepper to taste, a little lemon or lime juice is nice too.
• Mix it up and enjoy.

We used this Guacamole for a Veggie Burrito meal that was a hit with adults and kids alike.

I would love to hear your healthy camping recipes! We are heading on another camping trip in 2 weeks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nina Manolson, MA, CHC, LMT is the Smokin’ Hot Mom Mentor and Family Wellness Expert. She’s the founder of SmokinHotMom.com and HealthyYummyKids.com. She helps busy moms look and feel their best, and helps them feed their kids well in a world that doesn’t. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her healthy recipes and wellness tips click here.

10 Responses

1. Jennifer Moran says:

   August 16, 2010 at 12:08 pm

   Great suggestions, Nina! We are going on a 4-day family camping trip next week. I’m making lots of crackers and granola now.

   Reply
   • ninamanolson says:

     September 8, 2010 at 10:33 am

     How was it? I’m sure you made delicious food!

     Reply
2. Gail Rosin says:

   August 16, 2010 at 10:31 pm

   Makeks me want to go camping…and our family has had one notoriously bad camping trip in our history..and this is it!
   Your pictures look great!
   I started a blog too…left you the link to it….i hope you like it! I am having a ball with it! I am calling myself the Food Guru!

   Reply
3. Steven says:

   September 8, 2010 at 9:11 am

   I’ve been gathering camping recipes and these ones are really great. They’re healthy and nutritious. I can’t wait to try it out. I plan to go winter camping and I think this can also be a great winter camping food. I hope you post more recipes.

   Reply
   • ninamanolson says:

     September 8, 2010 at 10:32 am

     Thanks for your note Steven, I hope your winter camping is great and that you let me know what you made!

     Reply
4. Melissa says:

   September 10, 2010 at 9:19 pm

   Oh food how I love it. Much more when I am camping, there’s really something about camping – it makes me really crave for food. I am hoping that I could get all the recipes I find online. Thank you for sharing

   Reply
5. Dan says:

   September 11, 2010 at 4:34 am

   Well this blog is just right for my sister who is insanely turned into vegetarian… I wonder how you guys can do that. Anyway, I will bookmark this and share it to my sister. I am sure she is glad to know all about this article.

   Reply
   • ninamanolson says:

     September 11, 2010 at 9:26 pm

     Thanks for passing my blog along! You know, for most of us who have become vegetarians, it doesn’t feel hard, it just feels right. Each of us has to find the food that makes us feel most vibrant. That will be different for everyone. Best, Nina

     Reply
6. jessicaflashlight2010 says:

   September 13, 2010 at 9:45 am

   Oh my god that is absolutely stunning veggie foods! I would have just been totally in awe…Thank you for the cool share!

   Reply
7. Jessica says:

   September 15, 2010 at 2:58 am

   I love veggie food but I am not vegetarian. I still prefer to mix my meal with something else. Anyway, your recipe is applicable for everybody so nice share.

   Reply