If you are trying to eat healthier or are monitoring your caloric intake, you might think twice before indulging in your favorite campfire treats. Although traditional campfire snacks like toasted hotdogs and s’mores are yummy, they are also loaded with calories and fat. Instead of ruining your diet with those not-so-healthy campfire snacks, choose treats that are higher in nutrients and lower in calories and fat.
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Kabob This
Healthy kabob skewers are quick and can be made easily over the campfire. Try a veggie and meatball skewer by spearing a mixture of vegetables such as onions, baby carrots and green peppers alongside lean turkey meatballs. Cook the kabobs over the campfire until the meatballs are heated throughout. Or make shrimp and plum kabobs by toasting chunks of plums, green peppers, shrimp and jalapenos on a skewer over the campfire. Plums are low in calories and are full of vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin C.
Think Sandwiches
Create a turkey baguette by cutting a whole-wheat baguette into two pieces and spreading a low-calorie condiment like Dijon mustard on the inside of each bread slice. Add smoked turkey and a low-fat cheese like Swiss cheese, which only has 100 calories and 8 grams of fat per slice, unlike other high-fat cheeses. Put the top on your sandwich and thread the entire baguette sandwich onto a stick or skewer. Toast the sandwich over the campfire until the cheese is melted. Or make a ham, cheese and spinach sandwich by layering whole-wheat bread with lean ham, a slice of muenster cheese and baby spinach. Spinach adds an extra pop of nutrition because it’s full of potassium, calcium and folate. Cut the sandwich into four pieces, thread each section onto a skewer and toast the bread until it's warm.
More S’mores Please
Whip up dark chocolate banana s’mores by placing graham cracker squares on top of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Top each cracker with a square of dark chocolate, which contains antioxidants and flavonoids that can help improve vascular health. Place a few slices of banana on the chocolate and top with another graham cracker square. Wrap the foil tightly around each s’more and cook it on a skewer or grill plate over the campfire until the chocolate melts completely. Or make strawberry and chocolate s’mores by toasting a marshmallow on a stick over the campfire. Sandwich the toasted marshmallow between two graham crackers along with a piece of dark chocolate and sliced strawberries. Strawberries add a punch of vitamin C to this traditionally unhealthy campfire snack.
Foiled Again
Make banana boats by cutting a banana vertically down the middle. Keeping the skin on, fill the inside of the banana with a few dark chocolate chips, marshmallows and berries. Wrap the banana up in foil and cook it on a hotdog stick over the campfire until the chocolate melts. Bananas are rich in potassium, folate and vitamin A. You can also grill nectarines on a stick -- they contain potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Cut a nectarine in half, remove the pit and sprinkle the insides of the fruit with cinnamon and sugar. Wrap the fruit in foil and cook it on a stick over the campfire until the nectarines are soft.
