Going To Summer Camp Food Compromise

Sorry for the odd formatting, I am on my phone again. 

My oldest daughter leaves tonight to volunteer at camp for a couple of days. These types of happenings present unique challenges, because let's be honest...it's not exactly Whole Food Camp.  She looks forward to this time every year, and this year is no exception, but she did have concerns about the food. She wanted a compromise, food like we eat at home & food at the camp. Food at the camp, she reasoned, because not being able to use a stove top limits her to mainly breakfast and lunch, since we don't like to use microwaves very often (though she does have access to one). So, her compromise is breakfast, lunch, snacks, & drinks sent from home, & dinner made by the camp staff. She does have access to a fridge, so that makes things easier. 

These are my preparations, and my ever present list. I love lists. 

These are her snacks. I know she craves both sweet & savory, and I'm trying to provide her with snacks that can satisfy those cravings while providing her with alternatives to what the other staff/campers may have. So, she has organic lollipops, a Two Brothers Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel bar, organic garlic herb crackers, & 2 Lara Bars. The organic oatmeal packet is in case she's feeling a bit hungry, instead of just snacky.  She has also thrown in 2 organic green tea bags, and I am making her organic apple chips.

These are her drinks. I chose Sweet Leaf organics because the sugar content was less than Honest Tea, at least for the peach. She also has a can of coconut water & a bottle of spring water. I'm not a fan of anything in plastic containers, but I already felt like I was pushing my luck by sending the iced tea in glass bottles. 

For her lunches she is taking Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat bread, and baggies of organic peanut butter & organic jelly. She's simple like that! I offered sliced veggies & hummus, but she chose this. 

She is also bringing 2 organic pears, & organic bean soup (in glass jars...I never get rid of a glass jar!). She will microwave the soup right in the jar. As I said earlier, I don't like to use the microwave, but isn't because of radiation poisoning (or whatever that is!), but because I feel that very few nutrients are left intact after a few zaps in the micro.  We never  microwave plastics. We also never put anything hot in plastics (other than the kid's Thermoses, and I'll be replacing those this summer.).  I knew she would have to microwave the soups, and that's why I used the glass jars. 

Breakfast...such a simple meal, but the bulk of this post! Have you seen those pins (on Pinterest) for refrigerator oats? I came across them a couple of years ago, but we weren't leading a whole food lifestyle. I guess what I really mean is that there wasn't exactly an overabundance of fruit in the house. These appealed to me, big time, but I just never got around to it...until yesterday. I had decided on the instant organic oatmeal packets, but then Food Babe posted a recipe on her Facebook wall for breakfast parfaits (or something like that). I peeked at it, and got busy. Like most other recipes that I use, this one was more for inspiration & adaptation, than precision. 

So, here's what's in the jar...

1/2 c organic steel cut oats

1 packet organic maple & brown sugar instant oats

1 1/2 tsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp raw honey

Put the lid on and shake it all up, or stir so the honey doesn't clump, then keep the layers coming!

1 Tbsp organic raw almond slivers

2 Tbsp fresh coconut shavings (not dried)

Hartzler's whole milk (just enough to cover the oats)

Frozen organic strawberries (fresh is good, too!)

I told her it would taste like strawberries & cream, because of the Hartzler's. :)

And here it is after a night in the fridge...

Oh my! This was so yummy! It tasted just like strawberries and cream, & the oats had a great chewy texture! This will definitely be a regular around our house. :) It was very filling. It can be kept in the fridge for a few days, & you can change it up however you like. It's perfect for her to take out to camp, because it is delicious cold, but it could also be heated up. 

Enjoy! 

Some of these choices are not ideal, but are better than the alternative. I was also limited by my proximity to a healthy supermarket (I'm 45 minutes away), and I forgot to shop for this when we did our Saturday shopping. So, I did the best that I could, with what I had. I'm cool with that. ;)