While camping our meals can be as simple as a bowl of warm oatmeal, grilled cheese sandwiches or a can of soup. Camping is a great time to experiment with different cooking methods and to still try to eat healthy while you’re enjoying the great outdoors.

Our trip to Windy Lake Provincial Park in the summer of 2015 was during a fairly hot few days but it was also during our anniversary. We planned to take full advantage of the fire pit during our stay, but when we arrived to our site we found the fire pit in disgusting shape.

Leave your site better than you found it but picking up garbage and leaving none behind.

The campsite’s fire pit was filled with garbage and cigarette butts and other garbage was laying around the area. We believe you should leave an area you area camping at, whether it’s a campground or a backcountry site, better than how you found it. The camp staff should never have to come and clear out garbage from a fire pit, they should only have to keep the amount of ash in the pit to a safe level. Don’t even get me started about where I think cigarette butts belong!

If that wasn’t bad enough, we learned that a previous occupant of the site had taken it upon themselves to steal the bolted on cooking grate! The ranger came by when we had called the park office and she was sad to have to admit that it happens a lot.

Chicken strips and spinach salad with fruit.

Mixed salad with Gala apple pieces and a homemade dressing.

We were low on supplies, so we drove into Dowling to get some food and such from the local grocery store. We picked up a quick meal of chicken fingers and a baby spinach salad which we added almonds and fresh fruit to.

Barbecued chicken and button mushrooms with a side of roasted potatoes and carrots. Wash it down with your favourite summer drink.

The next day was our anniversary so we prepared a mixed fruit and lettuce salad with a homemade vinaigrette that we had made at home. We enjoyed that as our appetizer while we waited for the main dishes to finish cooking over the fire.

Camping included hotdogs and baked beans.

The main part of the meal we had chicken and button mushrooms in a barbeque sauce and fire roasted potatoes and carrots. Add a little strawberry wine to a camping wine glass and voila! It was very moist and delicious.

S’mores anyone?

For our last dinner we decided to go old school since we had had very few hot dogs over the fire since we started this extended camping trip. Quick and easy but very satisfying. Open a can of baked beans and maybe even put a salad on the side and you have a complete camping meal.

Hotdogs over the fire go nicely with S’mores. Get yourself some graham crackers, marshmallows and your favourite chocolate and indulge yourself.