Its been along time since I have taken kids into the BWCAW. A buddy of mine wants me to take him and his 2 daughters ages 7 and 8 into the BWCAW. they seem like picky eaters and would be happy with mac and cheese every night. I need more variety so need some suggestions of menu items for breakfast, and dinner. Thanks.

tony

Dry cereal has worked best for breakfast with both of my girls. It's boring but easy and they like it. Lunches, they like the same as me.. beef jerky, tuna pouches, gorp, clif bars. Mac and Cheese is always a hit for supper, fish when fortunate to catch a walleye, and their favorite is the Idahoan Flavored instant mashed potatoes.

I suggest involving them and their parents with the meal planning. Find out if there are any meals they like that can be dehydrated. Mac n cheese would be OK for a meal or two. Here are some things we bring to satisfy our kid.

Knorr or Lipton pasta dishes. Kids like them, and they're not bad as a side dish. They take longer to cook than freeze-dried meals, but we often bring them to a boil, then put them in a pot cozy to save fuel.

Dried fruit. She really likes the Tropicana brand.

Bread with peanut butter. Flat bread or bannock work well and pack flat. Sometimes we even bring a few bagels.

Cheese quesadilla. It's our wilderness substitute for grilled cheese.

Tortilla pizza. Not just for kids!

Cereal/granola bars. I don't really actually like the ones with granola in them, but my family calls them all granola bars.

Dehydrated veggies, such as green beans or corn.

I always bring in some flour and corn torillas. You can do a lot with them. Quesadillas, fish or whatever tacos.

Pancake mix where you only add water is a must.

For an easy lunch or dessert even, there is nothing like nutella on a warm tortilla or bannock.

Me and a friend are taking 7 kids in August. I am guessing we will need a big thing of Nutella.

I agree with getting the kids and your buddy involved in meal planning. It's not too hard to plan meals with kids in mind. I've found it easiest to plan a basic meal and then have additional meats, veggies, spices or toppings available to add to your own plate. We've been taking our three kids (and a number of their friends) to the BW since toddlerhood. We cook/slice/prepare whatever we can ahead of time.

BREAKFAST

SCRAMBLED EGGS: dehydrated or cracked + ready eggs that come in milk-style carton
additions: bacon bits, smoked trout, smoked salmon, cheese, dehydrated or reg salsa, saussage

BREAKFAST SANDWICHES (make with english muffins or tortillas)
additions: see above

COLD CEREAL FOR KIDS, HOT OATMEAL OR GRANOLA FOR ADULTS
additions: dried fruit, maple syrup, honey packets, brown sugar, nuts

PANCAKES and/or potato pancakes for adults
additions: dried fruit, bacon, apple butter, nuts, syrup

HASHBROWNS (instant in carton)
additions: scrambled eggs, bacon, dehydrated veggies, cheese, sausage, mushrooms, salsa

Lunch
We do simple as it's sometimes on the go. Fruit cups, fruit leathers, pretzels, trail mix, jerky, summer sausage, baby bel cheese, crackers, pb + j (with flat-style bagels), mini carrot sticks, dehydrated chicken salad, granola bars

DINNER

MAC + CHEESE
additions: smoked trout, smoked salmon, bacon bits
If you did alfredo mack and cheese you could add mushrooms, sausage, wild rice

CHEESE QUESADILLAS
additions: beans + rice, sliced hot peppers, salsa, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, shredded chicken or pork

MASHED POTATO BOWLS (buy instant mashed potatoes)
additions: butter, bacon bits, cheese, ham, dehydrated veggies, inst gravy, fried onions, and (whatever else sounds good on mashed potatoes)

HOT DOGS / BRATS
additions: relish- packets, dried onions, fried onions, sliced tomato, mustard

MINI PIZZAS (make using english muffins or instant pizza dough)
additions: pepperoni, cheese, sausage, dehydrated veggies, mushrooms, basil

SPAGHETTI (with dehydrated beef and red sauce)
additions: chorizo sausage

TACOS
additions: sliced hot peppers, dehydrated salsa, cheese, small bag of lettuce, small tomato

All suggestions above are good. When I took my seven year old I thought much the same as you ... what do I feed the kids? I also agree to get your friends to contribute to the menu.

Here is what worked for me:

For breakfast I fed him breakfast burritos. Ham or bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese in a tortilla. I took peppers onions and mushrooms along for the wife and I, and guess what? He wanted all of it on his too! Cold cereal and oatmeal for him, as well. I took along a few of those single serving bowls of cereal and Nido. I also made cinnamon, or blueberry bannock. (I cheat here and use "just add water" muffin mix, just go easy on the water so it makes dough instead of batter and fry like regular bannock) Don't forget to bring hot cocoa mix! It has the same effect on kids as coffee does for adults.


For lunch I fed him peanut butter and jelly, or honey, on tortillas. Nutella, Justins Nut Butters and spreadable cheese all work great as well. I made sure he had plenty of snacks, too. Fruit snacks, jerky, gorp with extra m&m's and raisins, and applesauce in the single serve packets.

He's not a meat eater but loves fish. So, for dinner on the first night I took along a single serve portion of frozen salmon and cooked it over the fire. Smoked brats for night #2, without a bun, sliced and mixed into re-hydrated cheesey hash browns. Don't forget ketchup packets! After the first two nights he ate ramen noodles, stuffing with foil pack chicken and instant gravy and foil pack salmon with mayo and relish in a tortilla. I took Mayo packets from Subway along just for this.

I still wanted him to get some fresh fruit and vegi's so I took along some mini carrots, applesauce, a couple of oranges and apples, too.


I guess the first thing you need to figure out is what these young ladies will eat, then go from there.

I agree with what everyone is saying. Basically feed them the same things they eat at home. No need to buy expensive freeze dried meals when almost everything is available at the supermarket.

I agree with what everyone is saying. Basically feed them the same things they eat at home. No need to buy expensive freeze dried meals when almost everything is available at the supermarket. After a couple of trips, your kids will see something at the grocery store and say, "hey, that would be good on a canoe trip!"

Oh, yeah, I forgot the oatmeal. My kid loves the sugary flavored instant oatmeal packs.

Thanks for the suggestions every one.

tony

To go along with the peanut butter and jelly meal, as an alternative to tortillas you can use pita bread. It's a nice cross between fluffy bread and flat tortillas, but can be a little more prone to mold over long trips.