mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My oldest teen is heading out to Boy Scout camp and he has to bring his own food due to food allergies. He is allergic to peanuts and soy. The darn soy is the main reason to bring his own food. We are used to bringing his own meals everywhere we go but just have never done it for a full week without access to a grocery store to refill. Just looking for any tips and tricks you campers might have for long lasting foods. It's tent camping and I don't know if he'll have access to the camps refrigeration. Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Maybe some of the meals from this company would fit his needs: http://www.gopicnic.com/ You could even call them and check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Maybe some of the meals from this company would fit his needs: http://www.gopicnic.com/ You could even call them and check. Unfortunately they have included lots of soybeans and soybean items in their foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Freeze meal sized entrees in pint sized canning jars. As they slowly thaw, he can eat them, and they will be keeping the cooler cold. Examples: Chili with meat Hamburger soup A package of double wrapped little steaks that are frozen (if you think he will be careful to eat them right when they thaw). Cooked chicken that is good cold or rewarmed, like chicken drummettes in 5 spice powder/honey glaze Bring veggies and eat them in reverse order of fragility, most fragile first. For example: Arugula salad first night Then butter lettuce salad Then romaine lettuce salad Then tomatoes in balsamic vinaigrette Then cucumber salad Then bell pepper salad (bring the dressing separately) Then fennel. Bring back up foods--jarred spaghetti sauce, tuna or salmon in cans, canned mac and cheese--that can be used or not but are good fall backs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Homemade beef jerky pepperoni instant oatmeal/grits/cream of wheat canned tuna fish and other canned meats apples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My son has gone to choir camp for a few days at a time without me. No allergies, but we're vegans, which always seems to throw the camp cooking staff. What I've done is send him with a big cooler packed full of stuff that doesn't need really intense refrigeration. I sent things like bagels/bread, crackers, cookies, muffins, etc. for snacking. We included a bunch of those single-serving cups of applesauce and hummus, as well as a bunch of bananas. There's one variety of protein bar that's vegan and edible, and we put in a whole box of those. I also sent single-serving boxes of soy milk and juice. That's all I can think of at the moment. It wasn't exciting or what I would want for him in terms of long-term nutrition. But it got him through the camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I feel for ya! My daughter is allergic to peanuts, and she's visiting her bio-dad right now. I imagine him fixing peanut butter sandwiches right beside her food; he doesn't take it seriously, at all. She's made it to 13, so I hope all will be well. We would probably go with the "prefixed" foods. There's a lot of Annie's?? food that is available, canned. The have organic soups and pastas in a can. Then, dried fruit...etc... and don't forget the chocolate and marshmallows (and crackers) as the Hershey's chocolate made in bulk can have the peanut warning...Sorry about the soy, too. You know that peanuts & soy are related, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Hummus. Hard-boiled eggs. White bean dip. Almond butter. Fruit, obviously, dried and fresh. Veggies to dip - peppers, carrots, etc. Yogurt. Cheese. Canned soups and stews to heat up. Cereal. Rice milk in individual boxes. Quiche - eggs, veggies, cheese. Muffins with lots of fruit and nuts (walnuts?) and not much sugar or fat. Whole wheat bread. Chocolate. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My oldest teen is heading out to Boy Scout camp and he has to bring his own food due to food allergies. He is allergic to peanuts and soy. The darn soy is the main reason to bring his own food. We are used to bringing his own meals everywhere we go but just have never done it for a full week without access to a grocery store to refill. Just looking for any tips and tricks you campers might have for long lasting foods. It's tent camping and I don't know if he'll have access to the camps refrigeration. Thanks :) Can you (or one of the scout leaders) call the camp and discuss options for vegetarians and/or other dietary restrictions. This should be the sort of thing that a camp is prepared to help accomodate, especially since there are medical reasons for the restrictions. The tent camping that we've done at long term resident camps involved getting a set of suggested recipes and a food delivery before mealtime. The scouts were responsible for cooking the food. The amount of pre-prep depended on the camp (ie, were onions pre-chopped or ground beef pre-browned). I would be asking for space in the camp kitchen's refrigeration as well as a possible discount on the camp (if he's having to bring all of his own food). But I'll admit that my opinion is colored by the fact that our previous troop had a lot of diet restrictions (several religious restrictions, one severe atypical alergy and one preferred vegetarian). I just thought it was rude to expect a scout to have to bring his own food, when food was such an intrinsic part of the patrol method and scout service and leadership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 [quote I would be asking for space in the camp kitchen's refrigeration as well as a possible discount on the camp (if he's having to bring all of his own food). Asking for space in the camp's fridge is a brilliant idea. And if they are cooking food, they could easily heat up meals you prep ahead of time, even if it's just one meal a day. You can send ready to go things for breakfast and lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Asking for space in the camp's fridge is a brilliant idea. And if they are cooking food, they could easily heat up meals you prep ahead of time, even if it's just one meal a day. You can send ready to go things for breakfast and lunch. I agree that asking for space in the fridge is a good idea. I'd be wary, though, of letting anyone else handle the scout's food unless the person is trained in how to keep allergens from contaminating the meal. One of my son's closest friends has multiple, severe food allergies. Their solution for most camp siituations is to have his dad volunteer in the kitchen for the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I have some suggestions but my dd is avoiding gluten so you need to double check for soy. When dd travels and I am not sure about food availability I pack a box of Luna bars, small bags of dried fruit, organic fruit rollups, easy open tuna pouches. When it is just a one meal/one night thing I send along an Amy's frozen dinner. She can then pick just the gf free items from the group menu and still have back up food if she needs more. I hope you are able to work out a good travel menu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I'll be watching this thread closely. I dread each time I send my food-allergic kid to camp. Some are more accommodating than others. My problem is my kid doesn't remember to eat the food I send. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I agree that asking for space in the fridge is a good idea. I'd be wary, though, of letting anyone else handle the scout's food unless the person is trained in how to keep allergens from contaminating the meal. One of my son's closest friends has multiple, severe food allergies. Their solution for most camp siituations is to have his dad volunteer in the kitchen for the week. Good point- I hadn't thought of that. I just figured the meals would be sent in containers to reheat- labeled 'microwave for 2 min' or 'heat in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes' or something. I didn't consider the person might open the meals to stir or something and thus contaminate the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I would be asking for space in the camp kitchen's refrigeration as well as a possible discount on the camp (if he's having to bring all of his own food). Or you could borrow a dorm fridge, in which he could keep ONLY his food, to minimize contamination risks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 You know that peanuts & soy are related, right? Yeah I do. Although he didn't develop the soy until 7 years after the peanuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Can you (or one of the scout leaders) call the camp and discuss options for vegetarians and/or other dietary restrictions. This should be the sort of thing that a camp is prepared to help accomodate, especially since there are medical reasons for the restrictions. The tent camping that we've done at long term resident camps involved getting a set of suggested recipes and a food delivery before mealtime. The scouts were responsible for cooking the food. The amount of pre-prep depended on the camp (ie, were onions pre-chopped or ground beef pre-browned). I would be asking for space in the camp kitchen's refrigeration as well as a possible discount on the camp (if he's having to bring all of his own food). But I'll admit that my opinion is colored by the fact that our previous troop had a lot of diet restrictions (several religious restrictions, one severe atypical alergy and one preferred vegetarian). I just thought it was rude to expect a scout to have to bring his own food, when food was such an intrinsic part of the patrol method and scout service and leadership. Well it's tough because most kitchens use soybean oil to grease the grill so it's almost impossible to be safe eating out. That's why I didn't bother with discussing it too much with the camp cause I believe my son is the only one with this need in our troop. Or to this level anyway. We did get a food discount though. The paperwork mentions a possibility of room in the fridge but I can't ask them directly, I have to go through our troop coordinator. And it's just been a hassle. So hopefully when he arrives he can use some of their space for his perishables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 We do have a travel fridge that I will send along so hopefully there is a place to plug it in. We've been doing this for years so he is familiar with what works best. He's just a teen and needs a lot of food to manage the day so we will just have to stock him with lots of filling foods. He plans to heat up anything on his tiny backpacking stove so we won't rely on the kitchen at all. It's just too hard to be sure of cross contamination. Some people just don't get how serious it is. My husband will be there just in case as well. It's just tough......this same kid has an insulin pump so I just have so much to be worried about that I get a bit nervous. But he is 16 and he is the Senior Patrol Leader so I know he'll be fine. Just wish life were easier sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Thanks for all the great food ideas! You just can't imagine how hard it is when you find something good and the label had "made in a factory with soy" makes package food nearly impossible to find. I guess one of my main problems is just over buying because I'm so worried he might run and be hungry. I feel like I'm preparing for an apocalypse everytime we shop for these trips. I just have to learn to not get more than is actually needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I'm a Scout Leader and Coeliac so I have to take my own food on camps. Also, we cook ourselves on campstoves under shelters, we never have a kitchen. I always take my own chiller with my food in it, and I take my own pots, as the communal grill is used to cook gluten. Bonus is that when I plan the menu (which is often) the whole camp eats gluten free for the main meal and I make sure I can eat most things in the midday meal too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legomom Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I am allergic to peanuts and sensitive to soy. One thing that I pack for my own lunches are bean burritos that I make with tortilla, refried beans and cheese. I make them individually and wrap them in plastic wrap. I like them hot or cold, so it doesn't matter if I can warm them up. I like brown rice in them too, but I think that would be better warmed up if you put in the rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Are tasty bite meals safe? They are Indian meals in a foil pouch that are ahel stable. There are, also, some noodle meals and brown rice I have bought. But not sure if they are safe for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 search at glutenfree http://www.glutenfree.com/index.cfm?dsp=public.products.search_filter_advanced&&promo_id=&by_fixture=-1&by_style=-1&by_brand=-1&by_price=-1&search_text=. you can add soy free, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Thanks for all the great food ideas! You just can't imagine how hard it is when you find something good and the label had "made in a factory with soy" makes package food nearly impossible to find. I guess one of my main problems is just over buying because I'm so worried he might run and be hungry. I feel like I'm preparing for an apocalypse everytime we shop for these trips. I just have to learn to not get more than is actually needed. I wouldn't worry about this. It's far better to have too much than too little. And the variety available will help make up for having to be 'different'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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