Last week, my husband and I took our kids tent camping in Lake Tahoe. This might sound like a crazy idea, considering that both of our kids are under five years old, but it was great! The weather was perfect and, with a little planning, we were able to eat well and have fun. The kids, of course, got really, REALLY dirty...
...but that's just part of the fun for them. The water was cold but gorgeous...
...and we had a great day at the beach!
Cooking was quick with our simple accommodations- I love the minimalism that camping forces! To make our meals easier, I did most of the food prep at home. I chopped all of the fruits and veggies and bagged them for each meal. For breakfast we had tofu scramble burritos one day (one of my veg bags contained all of veggies and a small container of pre-measured seasonings) and then instant oatmeal (we added a few goodies like peanut butter, bananas, raisins, applesauce, etc.) the next day.
Tofu scramble burrito prep on the camp stove:
Lunch was PB&J sandwiches for the kids and Indian samosas (wheat tortillas with a mixture of potatoes, peas, and Indian spices that I prepared at home) for us. For dinner I pre-made my favorite lentil recipe (red lentils with kale) so we just had to heat it up when we were camping. The second night we had pasta with sauteed veggies (pre-chopped and bagged) and, of course, vegan s'mores (we used Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows which are fabulous)!
Here is a menu brainstorm that I did before planning the meals for our trip. I know this list will come in handy for me on future trips!
Breakfast:
- Pancakes
- Oatmeal
- Tofu veggie scramble with potatoes (or as burritos)
- Scones (Dreena Burton's Squirrelly Scones- YUM!)
- Cinnamon rolls
- Bagels with peanut butter or vegan cream cheese
Lunch:
- Sandwiches (PB&J, tofu or tempeh, soy cheese)
- Samosas Lentil and/or grain salad with veggies
Dinner:
- Chili and cornbread
- Veggie burgers and sweet potatoes or grilled corn
- Veg kabobs, hummus, pita bread
- Pasta with sauteed veggies
- Soup and bread
- Red lentils and kale with bread
Snacks:
- Muffins or quick bread
- Cookies
- Veggies and dip
- Fruit (incl. apples w/PB)
- Bars
- Nuts
- S'mores!
