Hi Y'all - Any ideas about how to stay on the beach while camping? I'm really not a camper (actually I really dislike it - but friends have been really, really encouraging us to join them) and am a bit worried. We will be gone 3 nights. Does salad keep? (((sigh)))

Thanks for any thoughts.

Roxy55

Roxy55,

I went camping not that long ago, and the ladies came up with some great ideas! The ones I enjoyed the most were:

Chicken Quesadillas - chicken breast (I baked it prior to camping), low-fat cheese, and WW tortillas heated in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray.
Trail Mix - I used dried blueberries, walnuts, soy nuts and carob chips, but you can use whatever you like (as long as it's OP).
Salad keeps pretty well as long as you don't place it right on the ice.
Don't forget the staples: SB or WW crackers, string cheese, laughing cow cheese, smoked deli turkey or ham, veggies (pre-cut), bottled water.
I pack eggs in a tupperware container wrapped in paper towels to keep them from cracking.

Go to Search this Forum and put in the word camping. We've had a couple of posts with really good ideas in them. Sorry I don't have time to discuss more but I've camped several times on South Beach.

Chunky vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, peppers) will keep for a while. Put them into a zip lock bag with some marinade (vinegar, garlic, herbs). When you're ready to use them, just wrap them in a foil envelope/pouch and bbq or put them on the campfire.

Resist those marshmallows!!! lol!

Hi!!
I always suggest shish ka bobs!! You can add whatever you like to them, chicken or beef, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, zuchinni, small onions or pieces of onion, bell pepper, etc. etc. etc..
You can offer to make a meal for everyone with these...just bring extra for yourself for your next day lunch and such!! When I went camping last time I marinated the chicken and beef, cut into the correct sizes at home, brought it in tupperware containers and it worked great!
When it came time for dinner, I soaked the shish ka bob sticks in water (so they dont burn) and had everyone make their own from a big selection of meat and vegies...everyone loved them!!
Another good thing is hard boiled eggs
celery sticks
carrot sticks
cucumber slices
low fat triscuits
string cheese individually wrapped
You can ask your friends...they have popcorn poppers made especially for over campfires..maybe they have one as plain popcorn is a good snack!!
I would bring a bar of dark chocolate also...that way if everyone has someores you can have some dark chocolate!!
Don't forget your fruit!! Apples, bananas, both travel well...and if you are careful you can bring some strawberries and have those too!!
Have fun!!!

about those eggs-
if you have a tupperware (or similar) juicer (the kind with the little hole spout on the lid.) you can crack the eggs before you leave home and put them in the juicer. when you get ready to use them-just pour them through the spout. they'll come out one at a time.

also if you put a raw egg in a baggie and knead it to mix it up good. add grated cheese, muchrooms, onion, etc. you can seal the bag and boil it for 10 or 15 minutes and get a perfect omlete. i do this at home sometime.

I love to camp!! I can't imagine anyone hating it. Waking up and drinking coffee in the woods is the best feeling ever! In fact, I'm going on Sept 16th with my girlfriends. It's pretty easy to stay OP if it's P2. P1 is a little harder but very doable. The trick I've found is to do a lot of preparation before you so you don't have to spend your time in the woods chopping veggies or whatever. Here's some idea's and things I've done:

P1:
-Wrap lean hamburgur patties in lettuce instead of a bun. You can have all the fixin's too...just use lc ketchup. The flavor of a ham or cheese burger is all there, trust me. A head of romaine keeps very well in a cooler. (Tip: I chop up onions and mix them in with the gr. beef before forming into patties. It adds flavor and helps keeps very lean beef really moist.)
-Eggs, cheese, and veggies (precut) are great for b'fast omelletes
-Pre-marinated grilled chicken breasts with some veggies sauteed in a skillet over the fire or a camping stove makes a great dinner.
-Pretty much any grilled meat with veggies is good. Make a foil packet for the veggies over the grill, or cut them big and put them right over the fire.
-Lunch meat, cheese, and veggies in a lettuce wrap for snack or lunch.
-Containers of hummus travel well and are good with pre-chopped veggies.

P2: I just use whole grain breads. Everything else should be no biggie. The tips about the dark chocolate and the trail mix is a great idea. I saw sf choc chips at the store....those would be good in the trail mix. I'll definitly be bringing some with me this trip.

Wow, thanks so much!! So many great ideas! I don't know why I didn't think of them myself - they seem so common sense. I guess I'm not used to thinking outside the "refrigerator box". Pearshape - I know, I'm not a happy camper - but I'm going to try to be. It has been so long & Ithink that it is worth trying again. I guess I'm more of a reluctant camper vs. an unhappy one. Anyway - I'm working up my shopping list & getting more and more excited as the weekend gets closer.

And, proudmother - I'm definitely going to try that boil in a bag omlette. Genious!!

Take care, ladies & thanks again!! Roxy55