We dropped the kids off for their week at camp on Saturday! This camp is very special to us – my husband and I were campers as kids and we met there while working as counselors one summer. We consider it a privilege to send our kids each year. Plus, it gives us a week to spend together – just the two of us.
Our youngest has a gluten sensitivity right now, so prior planning and working closely with the kitchen staff was very important. Many summer camps don’t yet have dietary options for children with allergies. It’s critical for many parents to send foods with their kids, ensuring they can enjoy the week without getting sick. Most dining halls rely heavily on breads and flours, so I packed lots of gluten-free food for my daughter for the week.
This was my first year packing my daughter’s food. To be completely honest, it really stressed me out. I was concerned I wouldn’t send enough, causing my youngest to not have enough to eat. I’m sure some of you are in the same position, so I thought it would be helpful to share a list of foods I sent her with.
What I packed:
(The camp offers a salad bar and fruit bowl, so I didn’t worry about packing fruit or veggies)
- Hard Boiled Eggs
(most of the breakfast food served is based on wheat flours)
- Plain whole yogurt
(I bought the Straus brand)
- Applegate Organic Sliced Roast Beef and Turkey
- Bell Pepper and Seed Crackers
- Organic cheddar and monterey jack cheeses
(cut into wedges and put in a container)
- Applegate Sausages
(cooked and individually wrapped)
- Coconut cake
(a nutrient dense cake – cut into large squares and individually wrapped)
- Grain Free Graham Crackers
Bell pepper and seed crackers are one of our favorite snacks. Five ingredients and very little hands-on work make them an easy snack to keep on hand. We prefer to eat them with some good organic butter on top (such as Organic Valley Pastured Butter). They’re also great with a thin slice of cheese.
Grain Free Bell Pepper and Seed Crackers (Paleo, Grain Free, Gaps)
Makes 1 large baking sheet of crackers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sunflower seed kernels (I used soaked and dehydrated seeds, but toasted seeds will also work well)
2 roasted red, orange or yellow bell peppers*
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (omit for Paleo)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 170ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Place sunflower seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add bell peppers, Italian seasoning, sea salt and cheese. Process until smooth.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon mixture onto baking sheet and spread using an offset spatula until it’s about 1/8” thick. Dehydrate in the oven overnight (about 7-10 hours depending on how much humidity is in your area) until crisp. Cool to room temperature. Break apart into large crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
*To roast the peppers:
Preheat the broiler. Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and put under the broiler. Cook until the skins are just turning black. Using a pair of tongs, turn the peppers so the black skin is facing down. Repeat until all sides of the pepper are turning black. Place peppers in a deep bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for 10 minutes (the steam will loosen the skins). When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and remove the seeds inside the pepper.
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I rave about myself every night at the dinner table, “Honey, can you believe I made this??” And it’s all thanks to you!! (and teaching me that organic butter is welcomed and embraced! No more fat free, yay!!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
That is so awesome that your kids get to go to the same camp you went to! I’m sure they’re having a fabulous time!
Thanks Carrie – our son went to camp last year with five days worth of food. At the time we weren’t sure how to treat him, but the best we found was no sugar, no wheat so this mama bear spent a week planning and preparing many of your recipes for him to take along. I contacted the camp for a meal plan for the week and was appalled at what the kids would be eating. Pasta, pizza, tacos were staples. So were pancakes, french toast, cereal and lots of bread. So, I packed chicken tenders for a few meals (your recipe I substituted almond flour instead of regular), ranch dressing (your recipt, too), yogurt, cheese sticks, and a few gluten free snacks like nuts, etc. Fruit and veggies were provided and they scrambled him eggs in the morning at his request. He did really well. Most of his buddies and even the counselors were jealous, they wanted what he was eating.
It’s great to hear that he did so well! I love that the other kids and counselors were a bit jealous.
I can’t wait to talk to my youngest and hear how the week went! 
we have a severe allergy to sunflower seeds, are there any other options?
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a great substitution.
Oh these look and sound AMAZING!!!!! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for giving us oven directions…I don’t have a dehydrator. My mom makes a raw vegan cracker…hers she calls pizza crackers and are similiar in ingredients but have a few other things added. They are SO good, but I think are more complicated. These sound simple!!
Thanks Denise!
I would love to try these with a slice of flavorful cheese. Mmmm!
These look incredible. I would never think to make crackers like this- but am inspired! I also am so in awe of how perfectly nutritious that lunch is. I have to get my children eating this cleanly- kudos Carrie!
I had forgotten about your coconut cake recipe – I’m glad you linked it! It’ll be a perfect summer dessert. On the cracker recipe, could you dehydrate them in a dehydrator as well? The highest temp on mine is 155F.
A dehydrator is a great alternative. The crackers will probably take a bit longer to dehydrate – maybe about 12 hours.
They turned out delicious! We used Parmesan cheese instead, but other than that substitution followed the recipe exactly. It ended up taking 11 hours in the dehydrator, set at 155F (but we also live in a really dry climate). Thankful for another great snack recipe – thanks for posting!
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes. You are an inspiration, and I am excited to try this out.
Denise
Sorry to hear your little gal has a gluten intolerance. These look like a tasty alternative!
I love the cracker recipe. My only problem with homemade crackers is that they seem to get soft easily, even in airtight containers. Any additional tips?
Sometimes I leave the corner of the dish open so the moisture doesn’t build up inside.
These crackers look so delicious!!
We spent the last 4 years of Boy Scout summer camp doing just what Carrie did. The camp cook sent me the weeks menu and I cooked up replacement meals. It got easier as the years went. Now my Eagle Scout know the drill and is responsible for his meals away from home. Yah, he gets joshed around but after 5 years he takes it like a man. I am glad to know we are not the only ones.
I sent my daughter to 4H camp. Not one parent in her 4H group did. I told her she had to stay two days and if she was miserable I would come get her. I made sure to send her a postcard EVERY DAY. Do you know at this camp if you get mail you have to do something silly in order to get your mail. Boy my daughter was not too happy with me. But, she stayed and has gone every single year. She has some great friends from around the US. My decision to make her go, against all advise, was the best thing for her. She has memories that you cannot even imagine. She could not wait to go every year. Parents, SEND YOUR KIDS to camp. I love how they let you send food. One of the reasons I sent her may have been selfish but I knew she just had to go. My parents would not let me go to camp. My parents would not let me join the girl scouts. I want to make sure my kids can try everything and then pick and chose what they really like to do. (Yes, my kids chose 4H over girl scouts) Love your blog
What a great summer experience! Sounds like the perfect packed meal! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
It looks like you made them amazing food. How lucky they are. You can pack my lunch anytime ;>)
Made these this past weekend and WOW! The hubs and kids and myself are gobbling them up. The flavor is great and I love that I can sneak some vegetables into the kids. I will be making up a triple batch next time, and hope they last longer! A great delicious alternative to the blah rice crackers we have been eating.
Hi,
I’m following the blood type diet and coconut or coconut flour is not suggested for me. Any idea what i could replace it with?
Thanks,
Beth
This recipe doesn’t contain either ingredient so you should be good! I usually replace coconut oil with butter in some recipes (but it doesn’t always work in every recipe) and unfortunately I don’t have a grain free substitution for coconut flour.
This recipe doesn’t contain any coconut flour and would be a great cracker to eat. You can usually substitute the coconut flour with almond flour, but if the recipe calls for all coconut flour, the substitution won’t be 1:1. But, for instance, in my apple cake (just post this week) you could just use all almond flour, but know that the cake will be a bit softer and might not hold up as well. But it will still taste great! Or, for a savory dish, you could use garbanzo bean flour. That’s a nice one!
I made these last night and they are delicious! They didn’t crisp up like I thought they would. They are pretty chewy. Do you have any idea why? Thanks.
If they didn’t crisp up then they didn’t bake long enough in the oven. I’ve had this happen before on more humid days, so I leave them in for an additional hour or until they get crispy.
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