One Week of Camping, Hold the Meat Please

Well, our week-long camping extravaganza has concluded and it was a smashing success. There were four adults and three toddlers (ages 2, 3, and 4) and many daytime visitors added in. Added into this, realize the camp has no electricity or running water! Indoor plumbing? Not unless you use the toddler potty!!

Luckily, we are all outdoorsy-type folk and really enjoy getting away from it all. We could not have picked a better week either - it was sunny sunny sunny and hot hot hot every day until the day we packed up. Life on the lake was the place to be, and campfires every night were the perfect way to end a great day.

Eating was an adventure. We had a small gas refrigerator as well as several coolers, and so were able to keep quite a large amount of food on hand. We had a campfire to cook on, of course, a small charcoal grill, and a gas stove in the camp.

Breakfasts were mostly cereal with soymilk. Lunches were a variety, from sandwiches to noodle dishes to leftovers, but the dinners were the best. Besides being vegetarian, I had to cook for toddler tastes, strict carnivores, as well as a gluten-intolerant husband! Needless to say, planning was a priority and despite a few bumps in the road (what, no lobsters?) we had many a night of great food.

Burgers and dogs was an easy enough night - for the gluten-free option, we used corn tortillas. The strict carnivores got kielbasa dogs (a step up from the hot dog) and jalapeno-bacon burgers, and of course a good veggie burger for myself. The kids got some Hebrew National or Kayem dogs - as good as it gets for a hot dog, really. I probably could have bought some better quality rolls, but in the interest of money I just stuck with normal rolls, but did opt for organic ketchup. This meal (had two nights) was rounded out with some good salad.

Another night was pasta. We had tomato-basil and spinach angel hair for most folks, and some rice vermicelli for the gluten-free option. I used three jars of organic marinara that was also dairy-free (I am trying to be vegan when possible), and stirred in a container of crumbled silken tofu, a box of frozen cut-leaf spinach, and some zucchini and summer squash. For the carnivores, I fried kielbasa, sausage, and meatballs in a separate fry pan and they were able to mix and match as they pleased.

A third dinner was fajitas. I sauteed a HUGE batch of veggies in safflower oil with some garlic, salt, and pepper. It included vidalia onions, garlic, red and green bell peppers, summer squash, and zucchini. In a separate pan, I cooked up some black beans and lightly smashed them. In a third pan, we sauteed some shrimp in olive oil with a light dusting of paprika, and that provided the meat option for carnivores. The last step was frying some corn and flour tortillas, cut up some avacado, lettuce, and get some bowls of salsa and cheese.

A fourth dinner was stir-fry, and I will say this is one of my favorites. I began with cubed extra-firm tofu and three-grain tempeh pieces, sauteed in Bragg's Liquid Aminos (a vegan soy sauce alternative, and super yummy). In a second pan, I sauteed veggies - again, onions, garlic, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash with the same sauce. In a third pan, I sauteed some shrimp, chicken, and what was left of the kielbasa - a little strange for a stir-fry, but it worked. Finally, I cooked up a great batch of jasmine rice. People mixed and matched, and it pleased all palates.

Most other nights were left-overs or repeats of what we had. I did make a great meal of pancakes with a nice multigrain mix by Arrowhead Mills, and it's very nice because you can make it with water instead of milk.

While the planning was a little overwhelming, I will definitely say it was a great trip. I liked being in charge of the food as I knew I could make each night a vegetarian option, and keep my family members happy as well. I hope we do it again next year, I've already got some great ideas for menu options!