Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Our Super Frugal Beach Camping Trip, Day 2


So we're on day two of our first ever family beach camping trip, and second family camping trip ever. 

Here's how it's going so far. 


Yesterday after my husband and another family member arrived at the camp site, we set up our tents and started a barbecue. It didn't catch on easily at all, despite all the lighter fluid and self lighting charcoals, but once we got it going, we cooked up a delicious supper of hot dogs and gluten free buns, chicken wings in sweet chili sauce, zucchini slices in sweet chili sauce, and eggplant wedges. The kids snacked on cucumbers and watermelon while waiting for the food to be ready.


Unfortunately it was dark by the time the food was ready so the food got a bit burnt since I couldn't see what was happening without the light. Once the cooking was done we cooked foil wrapped potatoes in the oven and roasted marshmallows. 

Bed time was so easy! With the dark environment the kids were requesting or go to sleep instead of fighting us about it. Once the kids were in bed my husband and I took a walk along the surf. It was heavenly. 

We didn't sleep so terrifically to be honest. Sand everywhere made sleep less comfortable and the sand packed beneath our tent floor was surprisingly more painful than I would have assumed. For next camping trip we need to invest in some type of floor padding like inflatable mattresses.

The weather at night was simply perfect. One of our neighboring camp sites made too much music when we tried to sleep but fortunately turned it off when we requested.

We all were up really early today, out of the tent by 6:30 am. I was surprised to see how busy the beach was at that time. But it made sense because the atmosphere was really pleasant. 

For breakfast I opened a giant can of corn and served it with leftovers from the barbecue. I discovered that the combination of plain tahini paste and sweet chili sauce is superb and had that on my corn and chicken. I've got to use that as a seasoning at home, it was that good. 

Today the kids and I played a lot in the sand...


 And caught some really amazing waves!


The temperature of the water was so pleasant and my kids overcame their fear of the water and fear of being knocked over by the waves. I'm so proud of them! 

Because we were unsure how long we'd stay camping we only brought food for one day. So today while everyone was swimming I walked to the nearby supermarket and bought ice for our cooler, beef kebabs, salami, more gluten free bread, some treats, and ice cream. The ice cream was nearly melted by the time I got back to camp, but it still was a cool and refreshing snack. 

I made another barbecue today where I grilled the rest of our chicken and zucchini and eggplant as well as the kebabs. 


So far this camping trip has been a success and everyone is enjoying themselves. I can definitely see this becoming a yearly family tradition.

Tomorrow we go 'home' or back to civilization anyhow, but these memories will last much longer. 

When you go camping what do you typically do for food? What do you do during the day? 

9 comments:

  1. We are low-effort campers with respect to food. I know a lot of people who have RVs or things they tow or camping vans. Having more refrigeration options makes it easier, I think.

    In the old days:
    Breakfast: instant oatmeal, instant coffee, fruit
    Lunch: PB&J, raw veggies and hummus
    Dinner: chili nachos (canned chili over tortilla chips with salsa and cheese) and more veggies. Or hot dogs.

    Then we started getting fancy:
    Breakfast: eggs and bacon
    Lunch: still sandwiches
    Dinner: foil packets with sausage, potatoes, vegetables

    Lots of my friends do BBQ also. Not really our thing.

    Nowadays, because waiting for things to heat up sucks
    Breakfast: pre-made muffins, nuts, fruit, cheese, granola bars. iced coffee or iced tea.
    Lunch: sandwiches, veggies, fruit, hummus (why mess with a good thing?)
    Dinner: salami, cheese, crackers, more fruit and raw veg, olives, chips and salsa

    ReplyDelete
  2. We take a big camping trip every year with about 8 other families. We are in the mountains and although there is a grocery store, it's about a 20 minute drive away from the camp site. So we mostly bring all our food and just run to a small store nearby for ice replacement. For dinners, we grill or cook over the camp stove (tacos, pasta, etc.) We do a cooked breakfast - eggs, pancakes, bacon and then have sandwiches or leftovers for lunch. We love camping!

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  3. Cereal, canned food, pasta, rice, hot dogs, crackers, bagels, veggies. Anything easy to cook and ready made! We usually camp where theres lots to do -- near a lake, beach, or shoreline, as well as hiking trails. My 4 1/2 year old is very active and outdoorsy so he cant stay put long at a campsite!

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  4. Penny, is Snickers with you?

    ReplyDelete
  5. We are avid campers. But a question - perhaps you answered in your other post. With no car how did you get all your camping supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, and so on, to the campsite? When we go camping our car is packed to the gills with camping stove, plates/pots/cutlery, tents, sleeping bags, food, drinks, clothing, and so on.

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  6. Thanks very nice blog!

    ReplyDelete

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