I haven't posted in a while. After 3 years gluten-free we have such a great routine and a plan for all occations...

But, now we are faced with a new one!

In June, my daughter and I will be going on a large Girl Scout camping trip. It is only for one night, but it is our first and I'm wondering if any one has some experince/tips for gluten-free meal planning and preparation for girl or boy scouts.

While I am very nervous, I am determined to make this work.
I want my daughter to know she can particpate in these types of events as long as she plans properly.

I have volunteered to be involved in the meal planning (I am hoping to do the shopping so I can buy gluten-free products). I am very concerned about cross-contam. I can't imagine anything worse than being glutened and not having easy access to the bathroom!

I've already got my plan for s'mores... but it is lunch, dinner & breakfast I am worried about. They will most likely be large "one-pot" stews, etc.

Any help or suggestions are welcomed!

I will post again if/when I get the planned menu from the coordinator. I may be looking for substitutions, etc.

I have a few ideas:

Canned tuna, salmon, turkey, ect.
Canned beans
Rice
onions
chickpeas
potatoes
garlic
nuts
olive oil
beets
baby carrots
Mc Cormick bouillon cubes
kidney beans
Mrs Dash original spice
Popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's)
Fruit to go bars (http://www.sunrype.com/viewproduct.php?line=7 I've never noticed a problem with these)
Instant soup http://p2.hostingprod.com/@thaikitchen.com...icenoodles.html (here is a list of the gluten free ones: http://www.thaikitchen.com/dietaryinfo.html)

Here are some meal suggestions with those ingredients:

Example Meal
boil 2-3 cups of water
add one cup of rice
baby carrots
garlic
kidney beans
1-2 Mc Cormick bouillon cubes
cook until rice is done.

Example Meal
cook 2 onions in a pot with oil until tender
add 2 cups of water
add one cup or rice.
Add chickpeas near the end

Example Meal
boil potatoes and serve with canned tuna/chichen and carrots.

Example Meal
Cook sliced beets, onions, garlic, and canned meat in oil for a few minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of water, 1 Mc Cormick bouillon cube, and some Mrs Dash Original spice for flavor. Cook until vegetables are tender.

I haven't done a girl scout camping trip, but we do go camping in the summer with friends. Here are some things I have found to help.

Breakfast:
Bring your own griddle - cook sausage, pancakes, grilled toast, eggs, etc on it. It's amazing that even something like Ener-G Brown rice loaf that tastes like styrofoam tastes good when it's grilled with butter, eaten outdoors. If you find a good pancake mix you can make pancakes for a whole group and no one will know they're gluten-free. Also bring lots of fresh and dried fruit for breakfast and all meals.

Lunch:
Maybe suggest baked beans with chopped up hot dogs. If they are roasting hotdogs, then put one in a tortilla or other bread. This works with hamburgers too. Make sure you bring gluten-free chips, carrot sticks, etc.

Dinner:
Our favorite is something we call "Camper Stew". In a large skillet, over the fire, brown 1 lb. gr. beef or gr. turkey with one large onion. Add cubed potatoes (I often use dried potatoes out of a pack of scalloped potatoes), carrots, garlic powder, salt and pepper and enough water to make sure it doesn't scorch. If you used dried potatoes, make sure to add enough water to hydrate them. Cover, stir every few minutes. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Another thing we like, but the coals in the fire have to be perfect, are "Foil dinners". Take a large piece of heavy duty foil, double it, spray with NS spray, put in a raw meat patty, onions, potatoes, carrots and seasoning. Fold up the edges of the foil. Seal as tightly as possible. Cook over the coals (not in them) for about 15-18 minutes, turning occasionally. Test one packet first to make sure it's done before removing all of them. This also works great in a gas grill on medium with the lid closed.

Good luck!

I'm a girl scout leader, so I know what you're going through!

When I was a scout and we went camping, we had things like tacos (hard shells) so that's an easy dinner, and as long as all of your ingredients are gluten-free, no contamination problems.

For things more rustic, we used to make pouch meals on the fire with a hamburger patty, canned potatoes, canned carrots, and seasoning. Not my favorite, personally, but kids love it. Individually sized, gluten-free, and each girl can make their own by themselves. Also, the cleanup is amazingly easy!

You could also eat hot dogs, and the other girls can have them with a bun and your daughter can have hers with a corn tortilla.

Eggs with for breakfast are good, but if you need quick, buy individual cereal bowls with plastic spoons for the other girls, and find some cereal your daugher can eat and pack it. When you're trying to clean up to get out of camp, cereal and fruit is the easiest.

It's really easy to be gluten-free while camping, it just takes planning and making sure you do the shopping!

I have a service unit campout to deal with at the end of April, so I'll let you know how that goes!

This is not about meal ideas.... But I must say, how sad for the Girl Scouts that can't eat the cookies!!! That used to be a "holiday" in my book! I really miss the cookies! Maybe they could come up with a gluten free cookie!

Good luck with the trip. I think the suggestions given are great ones!!

Thank you all so much! This is amazing!!
I'm really excited to try these recipes.
I'm going to email the coordinator right now and let her know I have a solution to my "problem." She's probably reading the email I send her earlier today and thinking "Oh, no how will we deal with this?!?"

ChelsE.... how old are your girl scouts? Our troop is 4th grade juniors. Do any of the scouts have celiac, or is it you? Just curious.

jams... I have a great, easy recipe for gluten-free "thin mints" we made them this year and delivered them to our celiac friends/relatives.

My daughter loves to sell the cookies. We give what we would normally buy to a local food pantry. Because we all remember how special it was to get gs cookies in our school lunch once a year! She is working on a letter to GSUSA to explain the need for a gluten-free cookie option. We'll let you know how it goes!

THANKS!!
Ruth

PLEASE POST THE RECIPE FOR THIN MINTS IN THE RECIPE SECTION!!!! Those are my absolute favorites of all time!

Please post the recipe. They were my favorites and I haven't tasted anything like them for 10 years.

Mine are 4th grade Juniors, too! I have 12 of them, none of them mine. How funny! I'm the only celiac, although before I came to the troop there was a celiac girl, but she dropped out


Might explain why the girls are so cool about it, though!

I added the gluten-free Thin Mints recipe to the "Recipe" section.
It's messy, but delicious....no baking involved!

Chelsea... it is great that you are a GS leader w/out having a daughter in the troop. You really must be a great role-model for the girls.
I've printed out your relpy. I feel like I'm ready now! Thanks.

Ruth,
my son is 12 and a boy scout - who loves going camping. His leaders have been great about the food. and his assist scout master is female and is a fantastic cook who can always adjust something to be gluten free....my son just got back from a hike to Philly....
here is his menu.

breakfast - cereal (he brings his own - Fruitty pebbles)
His own rice bread - and peanut butter.....
fruit
eggs, bacon,

Lunch - they were going to get Cheese steaks....w/o bun of course - but he decided to have salmon sushi - on the road (creative)

otherwise he brings his bread to make a sandwich, fruit, etc.

Dinner - most stews are naturally gluten Free when you are using fresh ingredients - if you want to thicken the stew - use cornstarch.

last trip his friends were having meatball subs - so I made him his favorite chilli - and I froze it.

I always send him with soup, canned or packaged tuna (my son loves fish) also dinty moore stew. and my troop always brings hot dogs - my kids love eating a hot dog plain.

she will do fine.....let us know how it goes

son age 13 diagnosed at 10
daughter age 6 diagnosed at age 4
husband - died from undiagnosed Celiac disease that developed into lymphoma (2003)
Dawn