Here's a delicious lunch that can be prepared a head of time and taken out each morning for a delicious lunch.

• 1 (3.5 ounce) boil in bag brown rice
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 6 soft taco flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained


Cook the boil in bag brown rice according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the salsa and cilantro and mix well, set aside.

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Put the chopped avocado in a bowl and add the fresh lime juice and toss well. Set aside.
Place the six tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla in a 3 inch strip. Top the cheese with 1/4 cup of black beans.

Then place a heaping 1/3 cup of the rice mixture over the beans. Then divide the avocado over the six tortillas. Fold up opposite sides and then the bottom and roll up to enclose the filling.
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Heat a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the top and bottom of the burritos with the nonstick cooking spray. Place 3 burritos in the skillet seam side down. Cook for about 1 minute or until lightly browned and crisp. Turn the burritos over and cook another minute until golden brown. Then repeat with the 3 remaining burritos.

Who says you have to spend nightly time to get a nutritious lunch the following day?  Why not carve an hour out each weekend to prepare lunch for the week options.  These recipes freeze well and can be quickly added to your lunch box each morning.  

When through just scoop into your favorite lunch containers and freeze for the week!

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey tastes so good in this recipe too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can corn (undrained)
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can diced green chilis
tortilla chips
Other taco toppings you like (cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc)


Brown meat and onion, drain.

Stir in taco seasoning, corn, black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and green chilis. Simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pack in your favorite lunch container. Freeze.

Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings when packing. 

The beauty of this recipe is that it yields some seriously meaty, zesty, cheesy enchiladas from scratch in no time at all! This mix of lean chicken breast covered in fresh cilantro, gooey cheese, and thick and fragrant tomato sauce all rolled up in flour tortillas can be frozen individually for lunches.

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1/2-inch pieces 
salt and pepper
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans or lentils, rinsed and drained
8 large flour tortillas
3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
1 can store-bought enchilada sauce
(optional: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

In large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced chicken and green chiles, and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Then spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.
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Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Sometimes when busily going about our vacation time, we forget what a simple staple can do to our day after a long afternoon.  

All you need to do is pick up a loaf of white bread, a pound of cheese, some butter spread, and drag out your electric skillet.  With a bag of potato chips, you have a soothing, quick, comforting meal.

A loaf of bread
Spread butter
A pound of sliced cheese
Additional sandwich fillings of your choice (ham, turkey, tomato, onion, etc.)

Turn on electric skillet to medium.
 
​Butter each slice of bread on one side. Place cheese slices between the un-buttered sides. Add any additional sandwich fillings you like, such as sliced tomato or deli ham.

Place sandwich on electric fry pan. Let sandwich cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.

These scrumptious packets will add a bit of flare to your next BBQ cookout.  Wrapped in foil packets, and so easy to put together, you'll be happy they're an easy prepare after a long day.

• 1 package (20 ounces) refrigerated red potato wedges
• 4 hot dogs
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

​Divide potato wedges among four pieces of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Top each with a hot dog, onion wedges and cheese. Drizzle with barbecue sauce. Fold foil around mixture, sealing tightly.
Grill, covered, over medium heat 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. 

Nothing beats the first morning of camping than a delicious hearty breakfast.  It keeps the family from dashing off too early for the usual planned events.

Scramble this up while your loved ones take in the fresh air and breeze.  Just a little love like this can make all the difference for great memories. 

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 pounds)
• 1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, halved and sliced
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, optional
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, cook and stir onion in oil under tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add potatoes. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add kielbasa; cook and stir until meat and potatoes are tender and browned, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in chilies and corn; heat through

There is nothing better at the end of a great camping day then sitting around the fire toasting S'mores.  But, let's be honest, after a few days of the traditional S'mores, life can become a bit mundane.

Try shaking it up a bit with S'Moreos. This recipe will surpass, by far, any S'more recipe you've ever tasted.

• 4 Oreo cookies
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 4 whole graham crackers, halved
• 1 milk chocolate candy bar (1.55 ounces), quartered
• 4 large marshmallows

Spread both sides of each Oreo cookie with peanut butter; place over half of the halved graham crackers. Top with chocolate.

Using a long metal skewer or long-handled fork, toast marshmallows 6 in. from medium-hot heat until golden brown, turning occasionally. Place on chocolate; cover with remaining graham crackers. Serve immediately.

There were whole chickens on sale at 99 cents a pound when we were camping last week.  I thought why not try a recipe I had laying around that used a whole chicken on the grill. After all, if worse comes to worse we'll open those packets and place the chicken directly on the grill if it doesn't pan out.  

I knew I was up for a task because we were just plain tired of hamburgers.  I was pleasantly surprised on how quickly this came together and cooked thoroughly.  Ah! A home-cooked meal out in the open range!

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-1/2 to 4 pounds), cut up
3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Place two pieces of chicken on each of four double thicknesses of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. x 12 in.). Divide the potatoes, carrots and green pepper among the packets. Top each with soup, water, salt and pepper. Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly.
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Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Yield: 4 servings.

We are often camping on the road for two weeks.  There is just so many hamburger and hot dog meals you can consume. My youngest son is always calling for a taco meal.

We came across this recipe from some fellow campers.  It seemed so effortless and seamless we decided to give it a try.  It was a snap to make, and the taste was amazing!

• 6 packages (1 ounce each) corn chips
• 1 can (15 ounces) chili without beans
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 jar (8 ounces) mild salsa
• 1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Cut the top off each bag of chips; set aside. Place chili in a saucepan; cook on a grill over medium heat for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of chili into each bag of chips. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa and lettuce.
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I was recently camping and stumbled upon some wonderful, fragrant locally grown tomatoes. It immediately surfaced past memories of childhood. My father, who loved tomato sandwiches, would pick 
the largest, juiciest first of the season tomato and tantalize us with a fresh tomato sandwich. Usually these homepickens' were extracted from a "you pick'em" farm in New Jersey. All six of us would huddle into an old Desoto en route to basket pickin' heaven. While there, each of us would try to find the largest, freshest tomato that would fit exclusively on the soon to be lunch feast highlighting the ultimate Tomato Sandwich.  Mom always made sure to back a loaf of Wonder bread and Hellman's mayonnaise so that a road side picnic table would be an ample place to have lunch.

But for those whole wheat sandwich queens, this is not for you. For the ultimate tomato sandwich must be on white bread. There is something about the light, flakey, spongy, white bread that does not inhibit the luscious tomato's aroma and taste.

1 large homegrown Beefsteak tomato
Hellman's mayonnaise (or other great southern mayonnaise)
2 slices of white bread
salt and pepper to taste

Take one slice of bread and lather with Hellman's mayonnaise. Slice tomato to the size of above picture. Lay flat on bread and season with salt and pepper. Place second slice on top and slice into quarters. Close eyes, bite, and reflect.