OATMEAL - AN EASY DIY CAMPING BREAKFAST

Post written by Pattie

When packing for camping trips, food is very important. Just because you’re “roughing it” outdoors doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prioritize eating well. That’s why I put a lot of thought into camping breakfast and what we eat on our mornings in the outdoors. While I’m sure there’s something special about waking up from a night’s sleep in your tent, making cowboy coffee and burning butter for some fried eggs and toast, that hasn’t been the reality or the goal for any of my camping experiences to date. Why not? Well, for one there’s a lot of equipment involved in this plan – cast irons are heavy and eggs are a bit delicate for my current hodge podge car organization system (a work in progress)! And two, living in Texas we find that many of the state parks we visit have burn bans in effect (and let’s face it, balancing a cast iron skillet on my Primus Trail Stove sounds precarious to say the least). I’m sure there’s a future where we invest in a larger stove and cart around a propane tank with us for the weekend, but for now, when planning camp breakfasts, I rely on good old faithful: oatmeal. All it takes is some boiling water and we’re off to a hearty, nutritious and tasty start for our day.

Enjoying homemade camp oatmeal at Colorado Bend State Park, TX - photo by Ryan Claunch — Enjoying homemade camp oatmeal at Colorado Bend State Park, TX – photo by Ryan Claunch

Now I have to say, I don’t eat oatmeal everyday, which could be the reason I get so excited about it when we camp. Oatmeal is light, packable, cheap, nutritious, easy to make and easy to diversify so you won’t get bored. I started by doing a quick Google search for “camping breakfast” ideas and found this super helpful recipe. I follow the base recipe (although I add extra sugar) and from there I simply add whatever I have in the pantry, which is usually nuts and dried fruit. To prepare at camp, boil water and add to a bowl with contents of oatmeal packet, or add oatmeal directly to cook pot (or cup). It’s up to you and your setup.

Here’s my recipe from our last trip, backpacking in Big Bend National Park, TX:

½ cup instant oatmeal

2 tsp dried milk

2 tsp chia seeds

2 tsp sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tblsp dried cranberries

2 tblsp chopped pecans and walnuts

Assemble each portion in snack sized baggies (1 baggie = 1 serving)

My recommendation is to take your oatmeal to a nice spot with a view and enjoy.