Understanding which foods can supply your daily needs for vitamins, minerals and general sustenance will help you by giving you a range of healthful things to eat. When you are shopping for camping foods (and food in general) be sure to read and understand food and ingredient labels as well as how the nutritional and energy value of the food fits into your overall daily needs. This is easier for packaged foods than it is for fresh produce but there are nutritional databases available online that may help with the latter. Another strategy for keeping your vitamins and minerals balanced in your diet is to make your snacks like "mini meals" with all of the food groups represented, in greatly reduced portions. Have fun as you are learning about meal planning, grocery shopping and understanding how to keep your body's metabolic fire burning in the safest and most complete way possible.
Trail Mix Bars
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Cooking spray
Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3 cups crispy rice cereal
3 cups toasted oat cereal rings (such as Cheerios)
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Mix crispy rice cereal, oat cereal rings, sunflower seeds, raisins, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl.
1 cup honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir honey and brown sugar in a saucepan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
Pour the hot peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until all dry ingredients are moistened. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish to make an even layer. Let cool and cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.