Camping This Summer? Fun Food Ideas Right Here

Dining alfresco under the stars is a great family-friendly way to celebrate summer, but you don’t have to limit yourself to hot dogs and s’mores over the fire.

Check out these fun ideas from Kelsi Evans, an avid camper and also a bariatric clinical dietitian for the Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center.

1. A favorite breakfast is pancakes in a foil pan. Mix the pancake batter in a bowl and pour into a lightly sprayed foil pan and grill it over the fire. Add fresh fruit, nuts or seeds for different textures and flavors.
2. The foil pan method can also be used for brownies. Use a sugar-free brownie mix and add light whipping cream and fresh strawberries for dessert.
3. Like veggies? Use thinly sliced zucchini and yellow squash with peppers, onions and potatoes in a foil packet. Season with light Italian dressing and cook over the fire. This is a great side for marinated chicken skewers.
4. Camping snacks can be fun and healthy. Consider “cowboy caviar,” which combines fresh vegetables with beans, avocado and cilantro for a non-dairy, no mayo dip for whole-grain chips or crackers.

“I recommend those who are cooking over a fire to stir often, cover with foil and rotate over the flames for quick and even cooking,” she said. “The more prep you do at home, the fewer dishes you’ll have at camp. We marinate our meats beforehand, and I make most of the cowboy caviar too. Just add diced avocados later.”

Happy camping!

Kelsi Evans, MS, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian at Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center in Springfield and Lincoln. She works primarily with clients in weight loss programming, but also sees a variety of clients for outpatient nutrition counseling.