A Healthy Campfire Cooking Menu for Your Next Cookout

With summer in full swing, many families are heading out for camping trips to enjoy some time in the great outdoors. Unfortunately, when we head out to camp, we often take unhealthy convenience foods along for the trip. Rather than resorting to hot dogs and marshmallows, with a bit of planning you can serve a healthy, home-cooked meal cooked right on the campfire.

A Hot-Dog-Free Healthy Campfire Cooking Menu

Main dish: Mini-pita pizza

• A great way to pack in some healthy vegetables, mini-pita pizzas can be customized for each family member. Prepare the mini-pizzas with desired toppings before you leave home, and wrap them individually in foil. Keep them in the cooler until you’re ready for dinner, then place the foil packets on the campfire grill. Cook until steam is escaping from the packets and the pizzas are warmed through. Try the same method with quesadillas instead if you prefer a Mexican flair.

Side dish: Roasted potatoes and vegetables

• Before you leave home, cut up some potatoes and other root vegetables, toss in olive oil, and wrap in foil. Cook on the campfire grill along with your main dish. For a quicker cooking time, use vegetables like peppers and zucchini instead of root vegetables.

Vegetable: Corn on the cob

• You can cook corn on the cob right in its own husk. Simply soak the corncobs in water until they are quite wet (to ensure the husks don’t burn). Then place whole cobs on the campfire grill and cook until done.

Dessert: Blueberry orange muffins

• Donna Kelly, a blogger for Utah Valley’s Daily Herald, suggests a simple recipe for campfire-fresh muffins. Simply hollow out fresh oranges, fill one half with blueberry muffin batter, cover with the empty orange half, wrap in tin foil, and place directly in the fire (not on the grill) for about 10 minutes. For an even healthier treat, make your own muffin batter instead of using a mix.

The Bottom Line

There’s no need to leave the healthy food at home when you head out for a camping trip. This simple campfire cook-out menu ensures you get a healthy meal without even having to pack a camp stove.

Christina Newberry

Alumni: University of Victoria – Christina Newberry is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in national and local magazines and newspapers. With a Bachelor’s degree in English and Anthropology from the University of Victoria and a Journalism Certificate from Langara College, Christina brings keen curiosity and the love of a good story to her work with HealthCastle.com.

Christina is a passionate traveler and urban gardener with an interest in vegetarian eating and making good, tasty food from scratch. Sharing lessons learned from her own experiences, Christina writes about lifestyle topics for HealthCastle, with a focus on eating well at home and on the road.