Hot Dogs, Ketchup, Hot Dog Buns and a stick... is this your grocery list and supply list all in one for your typical family camping trip? C'mon guys and gals! Live a little! There is no reason why you and your family can't eat good on your next family adventure and make the trip as well as the meals memorable.

With a little planning and thought put in, you can ensure you hear cheers and not growning at dinner time.

With the right gear anyone can prepare similar, if not better meals then you typically make at home. So lets start with the gear for a typical family campout:

A Coleman 2 Burner Stove
Single Fry Pan or Cast Iron Pan
Small/Medium Sauce Pan with Strainer lid
One Large Pot
Utensils 
Cutting Board 
1 Good Knife

Not a lot of gear, right? With these simple kitchen items you can make all of the following dishes described and pictured below. Don't be afraid to eat good during your camping trip. And, with help from the kids and family cooking and even cleaning up can be a quick and fun experience for everyone.

I have a "chuckbox" also known in Boy Scout circles as a "patrol box" to store all of the above items in as well as other camping supplies and cook from. Check out this Facebook video for more on the design and layout. 

A few tips to help you on a multiple day trip:

• Before the trip freeze the meat that you will be using later in the week - this will keep it the rest of the items in your cooler cold and keep your meat from going bad as well.
• Use vegetables for multiple meals i.e. peppers and onions for omelettes in the am and then the remainder for grilled veggies or toppings for burgers for dinner.
• To save time cut up your vegetables and other items needed for meals into ziploc bags or containers and mark them for what meal they are for. This save on food prep time and ensures less waste. 
• Pre-cook certain meats for such dishes as spaghetti or dutch oven dishes, this saves on time and the amount of dishes necessary during your trip.
• Maintain two coolers - one for meats and the other for veggies, fruit etc to ensure you don't contaminate your other food stores from meat defrosting.
  
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I hope these tips and meal options help inspire you to cook a little better on your next family camping trip. If you have recipes you love to make while camping send them to us... We would love to feature them! 

Need help planning your menu? Download the Hiking Forward Family Camping Menu Planner.

Keep Hiking Forward!

Scott

There are a lot of things that I have brought back home from Hell Hike and Raft namely a strong bond with a host of new friends, amazing memories of tackling the amazing mountains and rapids, and the food! Mmmmm the food was unbelievable! I don't want to go too deep in this post about the amazing offerings we were provided by our new friends at Americas Rafting Company because I have a full post in mind soon. 

Every meal was its own independent best it could be to us all and without a doubt the Pork Loin we were offered on the evening of our first day on the river answered the mail! The meal was a marriage of continued excellence in backcountry cooking by our guides Parker and Becky and a sponsored product provided by our team member Annie Yearout (aka outdoorsymama). 

Annie provided the team and Parker and Becky with hot sauce. Yes, hot sauce. Not just any ole hot sauce but amazing lime hot sauce. Floyd and Fred's Hotlime, a family recipe turned business was used in a few of our meals while on trail and on the river. But none of meals brought the two flavors to life like the pork loin that was had while in camp at Sheep Creek Camp.

Always trying to recreate experiences, moments and flavors to bring about those similar moments and memories this week I will finally crack into my bottle of Hotlime and marinate a rather hefty porkloin to share with my local friends. Being of an Italian heritage, I was raised around food and the premise that food and memories work together. I hope to bring just a small percentage of joy to my fellow hikers as we were provided during this meal while paddling the mighty Snake River in Idaho.

Hotlime gave the porkloin a tangy, citrusy, yet almost intoxicating flavor that made you just want more of the porkloin. I think I had twelves pieces that evening in camp. It was simply amazing. I can't wait to make the marinade that is offered by Hotlime on their website for meat, pork or chicken. I have listed it below for convenience. 

HotLime Marinade for Meat (Beef, Pork, & Lamb) 
for 8 - 12 servings 

For steaks, just brush the marinade on during the cooking process - whether grilling, broiling in the oven, or searing in a cast iron pan on the stovetop. For roasts or tri-tips or legs of lamb, a longer saturation in a bowl will have a greater effect. Cover the meat with the marinade and leave it out at room temperature for three hours or in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Turn the meat a few times during the marinating process. The longer the meat stays in the marinade the more the flavor will be affected. 

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 cup soy sauce (or Teriyaki sauce, which is a little sweeter) 
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce 
2 tablespoons tomato paste 
1 tablespoon HotLime (use more or less to suit your taste) 
1 tablespoon dijon style mustard 
1 tablespoon paprika 
1 tablespoon of mixed dried herbs (include thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage) 
Salt and pepper to taste (the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and HotLime all have salt in them already, so you may not need any extra) 

Mix everything but the olive oil until thoroughly blended; then to get the oil to combine adequately, whisk the oil drop by drop until half is blended and add the remainder in a slow stream. Apply to meat. You can keep the remainder in a covered jar for future use for up to a week.

Stay tuned for a full review by me and my fellow local hikers on how well the Hotlime marinated pork loin is received. Personally, I can't wait to make the marinade and get this baby over an open fire. 

For information about Hotlime go to www.hotlime.com.

Keep Hiking Forward!

Scott