Tag Archives: summer camp

Camp Food

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Third year in a row for G going off to camp.  The food has greatly improved over the  years and this year I think I’ve done quite well for him.  To be honest after the first year there was no where to go but up!  I sent him off with frozen meals that he was to heat up in the microwave that the camp provided.  I didn’t find out until he got home that the microwave was gerbil powered and poor G was never able to properly defrost his meals.  He chipped away at the partially thawed stuff around the edges.  What an unappetizing way to eat stew and potatoes.  Oh well, he was in no danger of starving, the tuck shop kept him well fed with gummy candies.

The following year I planned with this inadequate microwave in mind.  The meals were partially thawed beforehand if not frozen at all and I delivered the food two extra times during the week rather than just once.  I was confident he’d be able to have a warm dinner.  Not so, apparently that year he didn’t even bother to use the microwave.  Too hungry and couldn’t be bothered to wait to heat it so he ate the food fridge cold. All I can think of is, yuck!  He didn’t complain but there must be a better way.

This year I have planned his dinners to be eaten warm or cold.  Rather than casseroles and stews I have made meals of barbecued sausages with roasted potatoes and teriyaki chicken with fried rice along with salads.  They are all fresh, not frozen.  He can avoid the microwave and hopefully the meals will taste good – no congealed gravy to turn your stomach.

I’m going up tomorrow to collect the dirty containers and drop off the new food.  Hopefully the containers will be empty and I don’t just mean the bags of cookies and marshmallows.

Summer Camp – with food allergies!

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Kids Camping

Remember summer camp? …would you get along with your bunk mate? …would you have to like the person across from you at dinner?…would there be anyone to talk to? …separation anxiety.  And that’s just the parents.  For our kids we hope they return, sun kissed and earth smudged.  Our older son had a fantastic time at camp and I had always hoped there would be a way for G to experience the same thing.  I debated the pros and cons and how to’s in my head for years and finally last year we took the dive into summer camp with food allergies.
I decided that the only way I could let G go to camp and maintain my sanity is if I supplied all his meals.  Sounds a bit crazy when I write it down, but it wasn’t that difficult.  Besides, unless the camp is set up to cater specifically to children with food allergies I don’t think a camp could handle this extreme request, nor would I expect it.  We chose a camp my friend’s daughters were going to which is only 90 minutes from town.  I emailed the registrar and asked if it was possible for the camp to accommodate a child with food allergies if I supplied the food.  They were very welcoming.  They had a fridge set aside for him to keep his food and soy milk in and a microwave only he used to heat his meals.  The Tuck Shop was open on check in day so we checked out all the safe snacks he could buy (there never seems to be a lack of G friendly junk food!).  I supplied cookies he could have for ‘Mug Up’ at the end of the day and marshmallows for a treat.  I went up in the middle of the week to replenish his supplies.
The only snag was my own fault.  I had made containers of casserole type food for his dinners and frozen them.  Turns out they were frozen too well.  The under powered microwave G used couldn’t actually thaw the dishes so he ended up eating cold scrapings of casserole from around the edges.  I think he lived off of cold hot dogs and Wine Gums bought at the Tuck Shop.  There’s protein in the gelatin, right?
He had an amazing week and came home with a new sense of independence and confidence.  He still stays in touch via email with a couple of the friends he met there.  They have arranged to go to the same camp together again this year and this Saturday we will be heading up to camp loaded with sleeping bag, pillow and food – this time not quite so frozen!