we had way too many photos to share in part 1 of our whole 30 camping with kids post, so here’s what we cooked on the second half of our trip!  (i encourage you to get the book it starts with food; we’re having our older kids read it as part of a health and wellness study, and it is so eye-opening!)

 

{**affiliate links:  there are a few links in this post that allow you to purchase an item at no additional cost to you, but will provide us with a small commission on your purchase!  many links are not affiliate links at all, but simply sites offering products and information we love and companies support for our own family!  all affiliate links are products we use ourselves and we would only recommend such products.}

 

(one parenting note: another observation about our family’s whole 30 adventure is that even though i thought my kids already took initiative when it came to meal prep, they’ve stepped up to the plate even more when it comes to choosing options that they are learning are good for them and delicious.  bonus!)

 

 

 

dinner, day 2: sausage and potato pouches, green bean salad, warmed spiced apple cider from trader joe’s

 

 

for our sausage pouches, we cut up potatoes and onions at home and tossed them with salt and pepper, garlic and olive oil in ziploc bags.  we brought aidell’s chicken-and-apple sausages (why don’t more companies make a “clean” sausage like this?!) and threw them into a foil pouch for each person with a handful of potatoes and onions.

 

 

this meal was a favorite, and we plan to repeat it at home on the grill!

 

 

our green bean salad was just fresh raw green beans and halved heirloom cherry tomatoes tossed at home with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spicy mustard, garlic and salt and pepper, stored in a ziploc bag.  my girl and i really enjoyed the warm sausage dish topped with the cold green beans – the contrast of soft with crunchy, warm & buttery with tart and cold, was a perfect mix!

 

 

and of course, nighttime campfires.  we warmed up hot cider for the kids and tea/coffee for the “big kids.”

 

 

and because we’re a photography-loving family, some play-time with burning twigs and long exposures.  with great attention to safety, i might add.

 

 

 

and cards, always cards by lantern-light.

 

 

breakfast, day 3:

leftover egg cups and homemade turkey sausage patties (frozen after little’s birthday party), warmed over the campfire, fresh fruit (grapes and clementine oranges)

 

 

 

enjoying the fruit of her labor…

 

 

long morning hikes and geocaching, a camping tradition.

 

 

 

 

for our last meal, we wanted to not have to cook.  i made chicken salad in advance with leftover roasted chicken, dried, unsweetened cranberries, some annie’s naturals dijon mustard (be sure to check labels; a surprising number of their ingredient lists are not compliant!), chopped celery and pecans, and some tessamae’s ranch dressing, of course with salt and pepper.  this was packed in ziploc along with shredded carrots, washed romaine leaves, and served with a side of trader joe’s plantain chips.  everyone nibbled on this as we packed up camp.  yum!

 

and of course, more hiking and exploring.  we’ve been so happy to discover a wealth of gorgeous state parks in our new home in new jersey!

 

 

i hope you got some great ideas from our family’s whole 30 camping adventure.  what ideas can you share for camping with kids, and for camping while maintaining a “real food” lifestyle?