Simple Whole Food Camp Cooking Guaranteed to Impress is the final installment in Everything You Need to Know About Camping. The series was written to help calm your apprehensions about camping and get you out into the great outdoors. If you’ve never tried camping before, the idea of getting outdoors and next to nature can be a little overwhelming. Questions arise quickly… “Where should I go?” “What should I take?”  and “What will I eat?” are just a few that come to mind. Let’s start from the beginning and break it all down to see if we can get you outdoors and up close and personal to nature. Hopefully after reading a few of these ideas you will be out building a fire, cooking up great meals and leaving all your cares behind in no time flat.

Here is a brief recap of the series so far.

Part – 1 So You Want To Go Camping answered for us a few simple questions: “What is camping?”  “Why should I go?” and “Where should I go?”

Part 2 – 10 Must Haves When Camping helped us to understand 10 of the most important things needed to help prepare for a successful camping trip. 

Part 3 – Let’s Get Cooking took us through the different methods of cooking when camping.

Part 4 – 5 Essential Tools for Camp Cooking served to inform you of the necessary equipment needed to set up a camp kitchen.  At last we come to part 5. My favorite in the series. Cooking!

THREE RULES FOR SUCCESS

If you’ve been following the series and preparing accordingly you now have everything you need to prepare some pretty amazing camp food. No need to stock up on the processed hot dogs, canned beans, chips and cookies. It’s not necessary to leave behind healthy eating when you walk out the door. I’ve gathered together a few of my own tried and true recipes and  a few exceptional ones from around the web to help get your creative juices flowing, but first a few simple rules to make your life easier when cooking in the great outdoors.

1. A little preparation goes a long way. Take a few extra minutes at home to do a little prep work. Dice veggies, chop meat and put together seasonings ahead of time for that great stew you’re planning.  The stew will be a cinch to make at camp and won’t take any more effort than putting everything in the pan. Another great idea is to put your fabulous pancake dry mix together ahead of time into a heavy duty plastic bag. When it’s time for breakfast simply add the wet ingredients right into the bag, close up the bag and knead to mix. Cut a small corner from one of the corners of the bag and you have a perfect spout with no big mess to clean up afterwards.
2. Keep it simple. Save the elaborate meals for home and stick to simple whole food ingredients. Appetites are always greatly enhanced when camping in the great outdoors. There is something about that fresh air and the open spaces; everything just tastes better. The simplest  fare is fit for a king. Jumping through a bunch of hoops will only get you tired and cranky. Trust me…I am the voice of experience on this one. No one will notice anyway.
3. Have Fun. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. Involve everyone in the process by making the meal all about community. Get everyone involved and give them a few choices to make the meal their own. Then sit back and enjoy the fun of whose food tastes the best or whose ideas you want to try next time. Keep in mind that food is a powerful connector. Take advantage of the opportunity and connect!

With these simple building blocks your Simple Whole Food Camp Cooking can’t help but succeed. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

SIMPLE WHOLE FOOD CAMP COOKING RECIPES GUARANTEED TO IMPRESS

Campfire Breakfast Potatoes: Dirty Gourmet

Breakfast

• Campfire Breakfast Potatoes: Dirty Gourmet
• Pumpkin Pancakes: Dirty Gourmet
• Hearty Whole Grain Pancakes
• Campfire Raspberry Double Dutch Baby
• Pistachio and Raisin Breakfast Couscous
• Campfire Eggs

Pressed Italian Sandwiches: Pure Grace Farms

Lunch

• Pressed Italian Sandwiches: Pure Grace Farms
• Feels Like Summer Chicken Salad Sandwiches: Dirty Gourmet
• Quesadilla Salad: Dirty Gourmet 
• Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches: Living Light
• Happy Camper Pasta Salad Bar

Happy Camper Turkey Chili: Pure Grace Farms

Dinner

• Happy Camper Turkey Chili: Pure Grace Farms
• Grilled Salmon in Foil: Pure Grace Farms
• Happy Camper Pasta Salad Bar: Pure Grace Farms
• Shrimp with Avocado Mango Salsa in Foil: Epicurean
• Summer Grilled Potato Medley: Pure Grace Farms
• 5 Ingredient One Pot Meals: Dirty Gourmet

Dutch Oven Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler: Dirty Gourmet

Dessert

• Ginger Lemon S’mores: Dirty Gourmet
• Dutch Oven Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler: Dirty Gourmet
• Chocolate and Peanut Butter S’mores
• Caramel Apples in Foil

Simple Whole Food Camp Cooking shared with:

In The Kitchen with Jenny: Foodie Friends Friday *Momma Lew *2 Crochet Hooks: Snickerdoodle Sunday *Mrs Tee Love Life Laughter: Mommy Monday Blog Hop *The Kolb Corner: Merry Monday Link Party *Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags  *Plucky’s Second Thoughts *April J. Harris: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop *Create With Joy: Wordless Wednesday *Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays *Recipes for Our Daily Bread: Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop *Hot Mama’s Kitchen: The Yuck Stops Here

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”