Next week we are off to Joshua Tree for a camping and rock climbing adventure. Super excited, so I made a menu plan for the week:
Arrival day:
Dinner – Chocolate Chili (prepared at home, bagged and chilled in cooler) with cornbread topping baked in Dutch oven; vegetables and hummus; chocolate chip cookies
First day:
Breakfast – Buttermilk pancakes (maybe with sourdough starter), bacon, fruit, yogurt
Lunch – Sandwiches, veggies and hummus, cookies, plus other hiking snacks
Dinner – Pork tacos (prepared at home in the crock pot and froze), chips and salsa, chipotle cabbage slaw (chipotle dressing made at home), s’mores or cake in the Dutch oven (or both, its vacation)
Second day:
Breakfast – Breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, sausage, salsa, avocado, cheese), cinnamon rolls, fruit
Lunch – Sandwiches, veggies and hummus, cookies, plus other hiking snacks
Dinner – Cumin Lamb Pitas (also prepped at home, tossed lamb strips with spices and froze); hummus and pita chips; cucumber, tomato, pepper and onion salad; brownies
Departure day:
Breakfast – Oatmeal, hardboiled eggs, fruit, bars
Lunch – on the road (probably leftovers!)
I will also pack lots of beverages and snacks for in between times. My job is the campsite and kitchen, the boys are responsible for the hikes and rock climbing.
REI has a nice campsite kitchen list, and I found loads of things at Dollar Tree including all the bins I need to setup a sanitary wash station. Leave No Trace also posted a helpful article about kitchen essentials, and they are big fans of the dollar stores too! I also appreciated details about the 4-bin dishwashing system, which I learned on my last REI trip and plan to implement here. I will be bringing along my Dutch oven as well as a 12-inch cast iron pan. Should help with cleanup!