While at Adventure Treks, students learn how to cook delicious meals in the wilderness. This helps students get more involved in the preparation and planning aspects of their trips, and it teaches them lifelong skills. There is a strong sense of pride that comes from creating a hot meal in a serene wilderness environment. Students and parents often wonder what type of food we eat at Adventure Treks trip. Here are a couple of classic meals that each trip cooks and prepares. Our hope is that the meals students make at AT become regular meals that they cook at home for their family!
Breakfast
For some people, “cooking” breakfast is easy: Grab a carton of milk and a box of cereal. At Adventure Treks, we like to spice up our breakfast options! On a few hectic days, we might have a cold breakfast, but we always strive for hot breakfasts with lots of vegetables, meat, and a vegetarian option. Here’s one of my favorite options—I’ve cooked this on every AT trip I’ve led.
Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
- Salsa
- Peppers
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Sausage or bacon
- Veggie sausage
- Black beans or refried beans
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Tortillas (flour or corn)
- Hash browns
- Hot sauce / spices
- Cooking spray
Lunch
We try to get creative with our lunch options at Adventure Treks. Healthy wraps with lots of fruit and snacks are a staple! Chicken Caesar wraps is a favorite meal of mine that we eat at least once on each Adventure Treks trip.
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Ingredients
- Grilled chicken or pre-cooked chicken
- Tofu or another meat alternative
- Tortillas (flour or corn)
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Cucumbers
- Baby tomatoes
- Shredded cheese
- Croutons
- Caesar or Goddess dressing
- Chips, pretzels, or veggie sticks
- Grapes, clementines, watermelon (one or two fruit options)
Dinner
Students have more time during dinner to cook elaborate meals and learn new skills in the backcountry “kitchen.” During dinner, students often divide up into groups and each cook one item. We then come together in the large group to eat the meal as a community. Other times, a few students will volunteer to cook dinner while others help set up camp. This gives students who like to cook more opportunities to test out their skills. Cooking is a great way to get students involved, and it helps build solid communities. We cook stir fry in some form during every trip. It’s an awesome meal that students learn quickly!
Teriyaki Stir Fry
Ingredients
- Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce also works)
- Garlic
- Onions
- Carrots
- Snap peas
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Water chestnuts
- Baby corn
- Chow mien noodles (fun to sprinkle on top)
- Pre-grilled chicken or steak
- Minute Rice (Minute Rice is nice for a large group in the woods, but any rice works at home)
Snacks
Who doesn’t love snacks?! We always have snacks at Adventure Treks. We know that students are more active, in a new environment, and get hungry more often throughout the day. Each day, we offer multiple snack options: usually fresh fruit, peanut butter pretzels, Goldfish, hummus and carrots, etc. A classic snack that we eat on each trip is GORP (or Good Old Raisins and Peanuts). We have definitely added a few items over the years! Here is a list of ingredients that we use to create different versions of GORP.
GORP
Ingredients
- Raisins or craisins
- Peanuts or mixed nuts
- M&Ms or peanut M&Ms
- Dried fruits
- Chocolate-covered raisins
- Reese’s Pieces
- Yogurt-covered raisins
- Pretzels
- Goldfish
Dessert
A tasty treat can go a long way after a hard day. We like to end the day with a sweet resolution. One of my all-time favorites is Worms In Dirt. It sounds weird at first, but check out the ingredients below!
Worms In Dirt
Ingredients
- Chocolate/vanilla pudding
- Milk
- Crushed Oreos
- Gummy worms
- Oreo pie crust
Each student at Adventure Treks has their own favorite meal. We hope that students leave the trip with a new recipe that they love to make and new culinary skills that stay with them for life! If you have any favorite outdoor recipes please share them with us! We love to hear about different, fun food creations!