Friday, April 18, 2014

Paleo Camping Food



Last weekend we went to Joshua Tree with some friend families to camp and do some rock climbing. I had never been camping yet completely grain free so I had to do some planning and preparing ahead but it was surprisingly easy to come up with a grain free camping menu.

Most of it was AIP friendly too apart from some gluten free sausages that might have had night shade spices and kids had some s'mores with gluten free graham crackers at the campfire. Here are some ideas for your future camping trips!

Check out also my post about traveling while on a special diet. The travel food ideas apply to camping too.

Equipment needed for the camp kitchen (on top of a tent, sleeping bags, pads, warm clothes and other camping gear you need):

a camp stove and fuel
lighter or matches
a frying pan and spatula
cutting board
knife
can opener *swiss army knife works for many of your needs
plates, cups, forks, knives and spoons
paper towels are the thing I always miss when I don't have them
hand disinfectant is handy to use after handling the raw sausage 
flash light, lantern or headlight if you plan on cooking in the dark
Dr. Bronner's liquid soap is handy for dishwashing and hand washing
a brush or sponge for washing dishes
coal if you use a grill
firewood if you want to cook on fire

Breakfasts:

Pancakes
I made ahead of time some plantain pancake batter at home and stored it in ziploc bags to use at the campground.

Breakfast Sausage and fried zucchini
I made a breakfast sausage mix before hand at home and stored it in ziploc bags to use at the campground. I have modified a breakfast sausage recipe from Nom Nom Paleo for this.

2 lb ground pork (at least 20% fat)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp salt
fresh herbs to taste (cut them with scissors in small pieces) - I used rosemary, thyme, sage and sweet marjoram
1. Mix everything together. Store in a container or a zip loc bag until you are ready to use them. 
2. Form little patties or sausages and fry in coconut oil or lard.
3. Cut zucchinis in slices and fry in the leftover fat from the patties (or bacon).

Sides: 
Sauerkraut or other fermented vegetables, sliced avocados, fresh fruit, fresh veggies like cucumbers and carrots

Lunches (all of these work as snacks too):

Persian cucumbers
Baby carrots
Homemade fermented pickles or other veggies
Canned tuna or salmon (check ingredients)
Smoked salmon (check ingredients)
Avocados
Olives
Salads and coleslaws prepared ahead of time at home and packed in containers or ziploc bags. See a ziploc coleslaw recipe here.

Dinners

Tuna salad
Lettuce (ready cut in a bag is nice and saves trouble!)
Cucumbers, chopped
Olives
Canned tuna (or salmon)

Dressing prepared ahead of time at home and brought to camp in a leak proof jar:
1 part balsamic vinegar / coconut vinegar / apple cider vinegar
4 parts olive oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Shake to mix and serve with the salad.
Hobo Aluminum Foil Dinner
This you can prepare already at home to save trouble and time at the campground. 

Raw veggies and meats or fish of your choice 
Coconut oil
Salt

We used: 
turnips (some of us ate potatoes) - these I precooked at home
bok choy
spinach
pineapple
pork
mushrooms
















Cut the veggies and meats and pack them in heavy aluminum foil (if you don't have heavy foil, it is best to double the foil). Before you close the packages, add some oil and salt. Put the foil packages on grill with charcoal or wait until the campfire has burnt  for a while so you can put the packages in the coals. Check from time to time to see if they are ready and that they don't burn. 















Happy camping! Please share your paleo camping food ideas in the comments below!

5 comments:

  1. Perfect timing, as we're about to go camping! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. When we go camping, we make it an opportunity to bond together as a family and to eat heartily together. We love cooking and preparing meals for camp. For a 4 day camping trip for a family of 4 it takes me a week just to plan and gather all the supplies I need. Eggs and pancakes are staple food and granola bars plus trail mix are healthy alternatives. We also love burritos and we often bring these to eat during dinner time. My kids also love pastas or noodles that can easily be mixed and cooked for a scrumptous meal. For more ideas on what to serve during camping, see this vital link: http://backpackingmastery.com/food/best-camping-meals.html

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    Replies
    1. I wonder if you read this post at all. Author of this post is on a very restrictive diet for a reason, there is no place for eggs, anything with gluten, granola and other stuff. All this is unhealthy for people with autoimmune diseases.

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