Roughing It

I spent all last weekend living the simplistic life in Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware. My sorority travels to Cape once a semester for a weekend full of community service and we stay in youth camps. These camps vary in cleanliness...and let's just say that this time we weren't so fortunate. I've gone twice before but never stayed in this particular place... (pictured below).

Now onto the reason why this post is about being gluten-free. There was an oven, stove and walk-in refrigerator but no freezer, microwave or toaster. Frozen meals are easy, but in cases like these they can take much longer (up to an hour) to cook in the oven.

Here are some things to keep in mind for those who enjoy camping:

1. Bring easily disposable items

I made the mistake of bringing pasta to cook for dinner one night but forgot to bring a separate strainer and pot from everyone else. Cooked gluten-free pasta has TONS of starch in it and is inedible if you do not drain it. I attempted to eat it but it tasted like straight grain....not appetizing. This time, I brought tin cake pans to cook my chicken nuggets in the oven. It worked perfectly!

2. Pack protein

If you're going to be hiking, climbing or working outside like I was, keeping up your energy level is important. I bought delicious Kind bars from the local health food store to snack on when I felt weak. The Peanut Butter & Strawberry is my favorite.

3. Udi's Udi's Udi's

As I've said in previous posts, Udi's is my all time favorite gluten-free brand. I brought cinnamon-raisin bagels and multigrain bread for breakfast and lunch. They have recently released the first gluten-free hamburger and hot dog buns available worldwide! You can now join in the camp BBQ without a worry. I have no doubt that they are delicious.

4. Do your research

I can't stress the importance to research the place you'll be staying ahead of time. It is important to know what amenities they have and do not have so you can pack accordingly. Also, look into the local restaurants in case your family or friends want to go out for a night using online databases.

5. Prepare yourself

Bring medicine in case of cross contamination or accidental ingestion of gluten. Not many medicines help me when I have some wheat by mistake but I can always trust Excedrin to make the pain more tolerable. I hate to be negative but sometimes you have to anticipate the worst...

On a lighter note, the weekend didn't end up being so terrible. The clouds cleared up on Sunday and we had an eventful day painting a playground near Bethany Beach. Helping make a difference is always worth it.