New Camping Menu!

One of the hardest things about the past year in this new job has been trying to find a way to stay healthy in the chaos. I've written about it before. At times it's truly impossible to get to the gym to work out. And though I've been consistent in meal planning, it's been tough to always bring those plans to fruition. There are days when meeting after meeting after meeting means that mealtime arrives and there's no time to prepare the healthy food. 

It's been tough. One of the toughest parts of the job, actually. And it's something we're working on changing in very practical ways.

We've tightened up our eating habits again, working even harder to plan ahead so that even days filled to the brim with meetings are not healthy-food-failures. 

So...thinking ahead to our upcoming mini-trip in Abby, I knew I wanted to come up with some fresh ideas for food on the road. When we camp, we really like to take full advantage of the chance to grill or cook over the fire, since eating outside isn't something we get to do regularly anymore. But we've also learned that we typically default to burgers/hot dogs/chips/s'mores. I wanted to do better. Longer lasting foods that would stick with us for our active days without sacrificing the chance to cook and eat outside.

I reached out to my health coach friend to get some ideas, and she certainly delivered! Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to trying on this upcoming trip and even the one after that!

* One recommendation she made was to take along my yogurt and granola, which I use as both a breakfast option and snack option, depending on the day. She also encouraged me to keep my fruit smoothie in my day, since I enjoy it so much and it's filled with good things. The same goes for the honeycrisp apple and all-natural peanut butter I like to eat for a snack. She said by keeping these things similar to what I use in my schedule at home, I can help my body and my routines.

* She sent me a recipe similar to this one, for a smoked sausage/potato/green bean foil packet that can be cooked over a fire. The one she sent also suggested adding mushrooms, which we love, so I would do that. If I use the turkey version of smoked sausage and don't go crazy on the potatoes, it will be a hearty and filling meal!

* She also sent this idea for a campfire pizza, which I like because we can pick all our favorite toppings (that aren't bad for you) and even make our own individual versions. Basically that means Ryan can have more meat and cheese on his!

* I told her we like to do hamburgers, but I usually skip the bun for mine. I loved this idea for hobo campfire burger packets - which can include potatoes in the bottom to be like a little tiny serving of fries! 

* I couldn't find a link for it, but she also sent instructions for campfire nachos made with chicken - in the cast iron skillet! Chicken, salsa, black beans, corn, cheese, seasonings, guacamole...and you can eat it over chips - or not!

I'm pretty excited to try some of these! We're still getting used to campfire cooking, and it is one of our new favorites!