Vegan camping made easy

This past weekend I went camping with a whole bunch of my close friends! I love camping. I love being in the outdoors. You know, all one with nature and the elements and stuff. But with camping comes a lot of non-vegan eating: Bacon strips fried up for breakfast, sausages roasted for lunch and dinner, and of course 'Smores. So what's a vegan to do? Well, I've provided you with a quick list of alternatives and ideas for how you can still get the same camping experience without the usual artery-clogging, sugar-spiking foods.

Fibrous goodness!

• Plan ahead. This is the most important detail in vegan camping! Before I left for my trip I made sure to cook up a double batch of my favorite lentil "meatless" loaf which can be eaten warmed or cold, and I made an extra trip to the health food store to pick up some soy-free burger patties. My sister was all over it and even picked up some soy-free sausages. If you can tolerate soy, then chances are you can stop by your local grocery store and pick up some sort of a tofu concoction which will give you just as much pleasure burning over the fire as a greasy pork sausage would.

• Breakfast options: Personally I like to start my day off with a colon cleansing high-fibrous cereal like Fiber Buds. This doesn't change when I go camping! Almond milk is easy to pack because it doesn't need to be kept cold until after it's opened, so pack that and some berries, and voila you've got yourself a

  

  These were pretty good!

  filling breaky!

• Lunch options: This is where your planning ahead comes in handy! Slice up your loaf, or cook up your vegan patty. Enjoy with a nice green salad on the side! If you're worried that your leafy greens will turn into a sloppy, wilted mess, play around with salad varieties! Try making a raw broccoli salad with cherry tomatoes, and diced bell peppers (all foods that don't get squished too easily).

• Dinner options: Sterilize that sausage covered pokey stick in the fire and stick a vegan-dog on it 'cause it's dinner time! Not sure what to have on the side? Fire roasted vegetables are always delicious. I love fresh corn in the husk off the fire! Need more carbs? Chop up some potatoes, dice up some onions, throw them into an envelope of aluminum foil and drizzle with oil! Wait about 30 minutes and you've got mouth watering potatoes ready to go!

• What about 'Smores? This is a camping staple for many of us! But as most vegans already know, marshmallows are definitely a no-no food since they contain gelatin. I've seen vegan friendly marshmallows in stores but I'm yet to try them. I personally prefer the classic 'Banana Boat' dessert. What's that, you ask? Follow these directions and you shall see:
• Take a banana and cut a length-wise slit all the way through it without cutting through the base-line peel.
• Grab a knife and slather on some natural peanut/almond butter onto the two halves of the banana.
• Take as many carob or dark chocolate chips and shove them into the slit. The banana should look like it's got chocolate exploding out of it.
• Wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil and throw it onto the fire. Make sure to balance it on the bottom edge otherwise you'll make a mess.
• Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
• Carefully unravel your creation and enjoy heaven in a banana peel.

Happy camping everyone!