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Watching your diet at home can be challenging, much less on the road or at the campsite!
Without the luxuries and extra supplies from home, preparing, cooking, and even consuming particular dietary options or restrictions can be a struggle.
Although vacations are meant to take a break from our strict, everyday lifestyles and may even pressure us to cheat when it comes to calories, there are still ways to not fall completely off the healthy wagon! Even more, restrictions don’t have to hinder you from doing what you love — TRAVELING!
With that in mind, check out these tips when it comes to eating healthy on the road and at the campsite!
Tips to Eat Healthy on the Road and at the Campsite
Build-Your-Own Buffets
Pie iron, foil packets, burgers, and shish kabobs are great meals that can be customized to accommodate all different diets at the campsite. Set up the picnic table as a build-your-own-buffet with food items and toppings where campers can easily create their own dishes.
- Pie Iron Pizzas: Offer a variety of pizza toppings. (Meat, sausage, ham, bacon, chicken, cheese, pizza sauce, black olives, green olives, onions, mushrooms, pineapple, peppers, etc.) While bread slices or pizza dough is often used for the crust, large portobello mushrooms can be substituted for a gluten free or low-carb option.
- Foil Packets: Assorted vegetables and proteins can be added into these aluminum foil packets and cooked to each individual’s liking. For example, steak, potatoes, mushrooms and onions with garlic butter can make a delicious and hearty meal. On the other hand, stick to meats and veggies for a lower carb, paleo, or gluten free option. Accordingly, substitute tofu, tempeh, or a plant-based “meat” for a protein packed vegan meal.
- Burgers: Prepare with or without the bun, with a portobello mushroom or plant-based meat protein instead of burger, or with grass-fed burger–for keto, gluten-free, vegan, or paleo preferences. Check out this paleo hamburger bun recipe!
- Shish Kabobs: These are about as easy and as customizable as it gets! Simply dish out proteins and veggies and let your family build their own kabob to place on the grill!
Platters with compartments, like the Rubbermaid Party Platters, work great for build-your-own-bars and storing prepped items.
Food Prepping
Convenience is very important to RVers. (Why do you think we prefer RV’s over tents?!) While many campers find themselves either on-the-go or simply relaxing in the great outdoors, it’s undoubtable that no one wants to spend lengths of time washing, cutting, and food prepping. With that being said, do the prepping before vacation to make healthier options available, easier to grab for a snack, or simple to prepare.
For example, wash, cut, and place fruits and veggies in space-saving containers.
Bake protein muffins or pancakes before the trip, then heat them up at the campsite. Alternatively, mix up your own pancake recipes and pour into a batter dispenser, like the Blackstone Batter Dispenser. (You can also repurpose a creamer, ketchup, or orange juice jugs for this.) Refrigerate until needed.
Use the same idea for take-and-bake omelets! Crack eggs into a container and add your choice of vegetables and proteins. (Sausage, ham, tofu, and veggies (refrigerate until ready to cook). At the campsite give it a good shake and pour right on the griddle. Or, make Grab -n-Go Omelet Cups. Make at home, store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze. Simply reheat and serve.
Last but not least, other meal options to easily prep and store are soup, stews, gumbo, sloppy joe mixes, and casseroles. Cook at home, pour into gallon bags and freeze flat, if possible. (These take up minimal space in the RV freezer!) At the campsite, thaw, reheat and enjoy!
Remember, prepping not only helps you eat healthier at the campsite but helps you save space in the RV fridge or pantry.
Ziploc Slider Freezer Bags Stand-and-Fill have a flat base with an expandable bottom that makes filling a breeze as you’re prepping RV meals. Doing a ton of prepping? Invest in a Baggy Rack Holder for a hands-free help! Consider reusable freezer bags as another option. They are eco-friendly, cut down on waste, and are made of a safe, food-grade material. Overall, Rubbermaid Freshworks Produce Saver is a favorite of ours for storing cleaned and prepped fruits and veggies. Not only do these keep produce fresh for the trip, but they stack perfectly in the RV refrigerator, maximizing storage space.
Make Healthy Options FUN!
Help keep the whole family eating healthy by making fruits and veggies fun! Sure it will take a bit of prepping, however it can become a fun, delicious, and healthy outdoor activity to create on a nice summer day.
For example:
- Make a fruit and veggie scenery
- Cut out fruits, cheeses, or cold meats with cookie cutters
- Instead if ice cream on a hot day, make your own fruit popsicles or frozen banana yogurt pops
- Make camp critters out of fruits and veggies
Pit Stop Snacks
Anyone else have a weakness for road trip snacks?
Curb cravings while preventing travel grogginess by packing your own road trip snacks, like:
- Energy balls
- Nuts and seeds
- Dried fruit
- Homemade trail mix or trail mix cookies
- Meat roll-ups
- Homemade granola bars
- Healthy mini-muffins
- Homemade Uncrustables
- Fresh fruits and veggies (carrot sticks, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, apples, grapes)
If you do have a pit stop craving, go for:
- Beef jerky
- Hummus dip with veggies
- Protein bars
- String cheese or cheese sticks
- Greek yogurt
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Apples with Jif-To-Go
- Popcorn
Consider your hydration levels. Especially during long travel days behind the wheel, you may try to restrict the number of pit stops made by limiting water consumption. Replace electrolytes by adding powder packets, like DripDrop or Liquid IV to a bottle of water.
Make sure you’re road trip ready with a small cooler, ice packs, and water bottles!
A portable snack container, like the GoBe Kids Snack Spinner, makes on-the-road snacking fun while enticing children to try new food options.
Have a S’more– Just Not More & More & More!
Don’t turn down making those mouth watering campsite treats and creating great memories, in fear of packing on the pounds. Instead, enjoy that sweet treat and commit to playing a fun game of volleyball or taking a long walk around the campground. Remember, it’s all about the balance!
Think about trying new concoctions around the campfire with healthier ingredients.
Try:
- Maple Pecan Baked Apples
- Roasted Carmel Peaches with Pecans
- Campfire Banana Boats
- S’mores with keto marshmallows and low carb/gluten free graham crackers
Aside from sweet campfire desserts, consider ending the night with that good old-fashioned Jiffy Pop. It’s not only delicious, but can curb cravings while fun for everyone to make over the campfire!
Fuel Your Body
Remember, everyone has their own way of camping. It can be about relaxing around the pool or it can involve adventuring, hiking, swimming, playing games, enjoying the beach, bike riding and much more!
With this in mind, going on a long hike eating nothing but egg whites for breakfast could leave you completely exhausted halfway through. It’s important to realize that although you stick to a strict diet at home, your activities may differ while camping or traveling. Think about your itinerary and fuel your body appropriately for that day’s adventures!
RVING IS BEING healthy on the road!