Generally, when I go camping I am pretty lax about my eating, but it's the summer and I'm trying to get extremely lean. We are wheeling (rock crawling) so we don't have a stove (or BBQ, I don't think). What sort of things should I bring that are healthy?

So far I've though of sandwiches, but they usually don't go over to well in the ice chest. Nuts/whole wheat pretzels, fruit, some sort of meat? If we do have a bbq that gives me a couple of other options...

Are you packing, or do you have a vehicle? That makes a huge difference. And how long are you out for?

Beef jerky
Nuts
Granola bars

You really can't bring anything perishable. I have lots of suggestions, but it all depends on your timeframe.


Generally, when I go camping I am pretty lax about my eating, but it's the summer and I'm trying to get extremely lean. We are wheeling (rock crawling) so we don't have a stove (or BBQ, I don't think). What sort of things should I bring that are healthy?

So far I've though of sandwiches, but they usually don't go over to well in the ice chest. Nuts/whole wheat pretzels, fruit, some sort of meat? If we do have a bbq that gives me a couple of other options...

We'll be gone Friday Morning until Sunday in the mid afternoon. We're bringing a vehicle (four wheeling) but it doesn't have alot of room. Probably one Ice Chest for two people...thanks! I know I'll drink some beer on this trip but I want to eat healthy!

MRE's. Everything you need. Perfect meals on the go.

I have never gone camping without them.

You'll get used to the taste.

I'm going camping too in a couple weeks.

So far all I've got is ( staying low in carbs, so no granola bars.)

Beef Jerkey
Nuts
Fresh caught fish
possibly a quality protein bar

Tinned tuna, salmon, oysters, crab, chicken, shrimp, sardines etc...
Beef jerky, chicken jerky, turkey jerkey (easy to make in the oven) etc...
oats, rice, barley, couscous
nuts, seeds
dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, peaches, kiwis, apples etc....)
dark chocolate (bittersweet or even cocoa powder (unsweetened)....though bittersweet makes a great hot chocolate)

If you don't cook, what Gordo said, plus
Cheerios, Wheaties, Mini Wheats
store-bought protein bars (I don't know which ones are good)
fruit and vegetable bars (http://www.puresource.ca/vervenaturals/RealGreen.htm)
carrot sticks

If you want to whip up a few treats:

Pinto Bean Energy Bars
nonstick cooking spray
2/3 C orange juice
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 C chopped pitted prunes
2 T molasses
1/2 cup Splenda
1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 C ground almonds
1/4 C ground flax seeds
15 oz can white beans, rinsed, drained, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup each raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried cherries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, divided
1/4 C granola

Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with foil. Lightly coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the orange juice with the dates and prunes in a sauce pan until soft. Add remaining ingredients, except half of the sunflower seeds and granola. Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and granola. Press down firmly.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until edges of bars are lightly brown and center is firm to touch. Cool completely. Use foil to lift out of pan; cut into bars.

Sugarless Bars
2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1 cup water
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1 Cut dates and prunes into small pieces. Boil dates, prunes, raisins, and water for 5 minutes. Add oil. Mix and set aside to cool.
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
3 Mix the eggs, vanilla and nuts. Add to the fruit mixture. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the fruit mixture. (If you want a spicy bar add 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg to the flour.)
4 Spread in 7x11 inch pan and bake 25-30 minutes.

Low Glycemic Index Granola Bars
1 1/ C whole wheat flour
sweetener equivalent to 1/3 C
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C oats
1/2 C finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 C sunflower seeds
3/4 C applesauce
1/2 C apple juice
3 eggs
1 T oil
Bake 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes in 8x12 inch dish

Bran Flax Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar or artificial sweetener
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
2 apples, peeled, shredded
1 cup chopped mixed nuts

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax seed, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil, mix until just blended. Stir in the carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
3Bake at 350 F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies makes 40 cookies
3 oz firm silken tofu (1/4 a package of the vacuum sealed kind)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil (I use 2 T)
2 T soymilk
3/4 C peanut butter
1 cup sweetener or sucanat
1 T molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoons baking soda, (if you're going to bake them)
1 C raisins, or chocolate chips (optional)

Prehat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, sift together whole wheat pastry flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a seperate large bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar with a spatula until well combined, 3 - 5 minutes.

In a blender, crumble the tofu in, add applesauce, soymilk and oil. Whiz on high until completely smooth. Add this mixture to the sugar mixture and cream together until well combined. Beat in the molasses and vanilla. Fold in the oats/flour mixture.

Drop by rounded spoonfulls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the tops by lightly pressing with a fork in a criss cross pattern. Bake for 15 minutes.

No Bake Bumpy Peanut Butter Nuggets
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed
Combine peanut butter milk powder and coconut in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Stir in oats, ground cinnamon, wheat germ and apple juice concentrate. Shape into 1 inch balls. Chill thoroughly before serving. Store refrigerated.
Makes 30 servings
Calories: 46, Total Fat: 2.9g, Cholesterol: < 1mg, Sodium: 18mg
Total Carbohydrates: 3.8g, Dietary Fiber: 0.7g, Protein: 1.9g

No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars
2 cups protein powder of your choice (I have used chocolate Nitrotech, chocolate and vanilla MetRX, and chocolate Grow!)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup nonfat dried milk
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, either smooth or chunky
Optional (see note below): nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips

Blend the three dry ingredients together. Using a mixer, or your hands, blend in the peanut butter. Here’s the tricky part — add enough water to make a sticky mixture. The amount of the water depends of the brand of protein powder. For the ones I have tried (above), it’s between 3/4 and 1 cup of water. You don’t want it dry and crumbly, but not too wet and runny either. The consistency should be quite sticky. If you are not using a mixer, you’ll need to squeeze and knead this with your hands until it is blended.

Spray a 8x8 or 9x9 pan with Pam. Press the mixture into the pan evenly. I spray my hands with Pam also before I do this so it doesn’t stick. Refrigerate for a few hours and then cut into individual bars, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.

Nutritional Information (six bars per pan) 250 calories 26g protein 18g carbs 8g fat

Chocolate Protein Bars
1 cups rolled oats
2 cup rolled oats chopped in blender or equivalent oat flour
5 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder (18g Prot per scoop)
8 egg whites
1 egg yolk
24 Splenda Packets (or 1 C splenda granular + ½ tsp baking soda)
½ Cup Cocoa Powder (No sugar or milk powder added)
1 Cup Carb Countdown Milk
½ Cup Apple Sauce
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch of salt

Mix rolled oats, chopped oats (3 cups total oats), and protein powder in large mixing bowl.

In saucepan warm milk, splenda, cocoa, applesauce, and salt until fully mixed. DO NOT bring to boil! When it is fully mixed, mix in any extracts you used and pour over oat mixture and mix well.

Whip the eggs until white and foamy, almost to the stiff peak point and then mix into the oat mixture. After the whites are mixed add the single egg yolk. Mix well and let sit for 15 minutes so the oats can absorb the mixture. We use a silicone baking mat , but you can spray non stick spray on a cookie sheet and bake as cookies, or you can cook them in a cake pan like a big brownie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 18 minutes. Take out and cool and separate into 6 servings. Per serving Calories 305 Fat 6g Sat 2g Poly 1g Mon 1g Carb 35g D Fib 6g Prot 32g


Orange Cranberry Protein Bars
1 cups rolled oats
2 cup rolled oats chopped in blender or equivalent oat flour
5 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (18g Prot per scoop)
8 egg whites
1 egg yolk
24 Splenda Packets (1C)
1 Cup Carb Countdown Milk
½ Cup Apple Sauce
½ Tsp Orange Extract
1 Cup Dried Cranberries

Mix the dry, mix the wet, and add the eggs.
Per serving Calories 352 Fat 5g Sat 2g Poly 1g Mon 1g Carb 48g D Fib 6g Prot 30g


If you have a cooler, you have even more options
hard boiled eggs
crustless quiche
bean salad (http://mrlt.allrecipes.com/mr/14237.asp?lnkid=631)
chicken pasta salad, like this one or (http://salad.allrecipes.com/az/85531.asp)


Noodle Salad With Quick Peanut Dressing (Serves 2 as a main dish)
150g (5oz) thin buckwheat or rice noodles
blended sesame oil to toss (say 1 tsp)
1 medium carrot
2-3 spring onions (green onions, scallions)
1/2 (sweet) red (bell) pepper
1/3 small white (salad) cabbage
Optional: about 150g (5oz) fried crumbled tofu
3/4–1 recipe (150–200ml, 5–7fl oz) Quick Peanut Dressing (see below)
1. Cook the noodles as directed on the packet, drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and toss with blended sesame oil to coat. (Optionally, cut them into short lengths with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife—this makes the salad easier to eat, if that's an issue.)
2. Meanwhile, cut all the vegetables into julienne strips (see hints on how to julienne various vegetables). Make the dressing.
3. Mix together the noodles, vegetables, tofu if using, and dressing. Nice served chilled, or at room temperature. Keeps well in the fridge, good for packed lunches.

Quick Peanut Dressing
Makes about 200ml (12 tbsp, 3/4 cup)
3 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp good soy sauce (I recommend Kikkoman)
2 tsp blended sesame oil
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1. Mix everything in a jar, and shake vigorously until blended.

Oh yeah I totally forgot about those yummy marinated, ready to eat tuna steaks in pouches :nod:

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carrot sticks

If you want to whip up a few treats:



Awesome list Guava.. I am going hiking in the Italian Alps for a week in a couple of days and will definitely make some of your protein bar options with the ingredients i can find here :D

many thanks