Successful Camping and Easy Rice Salad

OK.  So.  I would say that I am sort of a camper.  We make a tradition of going every summer at the end of the school year to give us all time to breathe after the hustle and bustle of June (a month that I am positive is out to kill me).  I say I am "sort of" a camper because in the absence of my two boys and husband I couldn't say for sure whether or not I would necessarily choose a tent for my ideal getaway, however, I am currently loving this family time. 

Our Canoe and Rest Spot along the Ausable River

As with any "vacation", there is a certain amount of preparation that goes into planning for a few overnights in the woods but if you are anything like me (and may the good Lord help you if you are) then you will want to be prepared for anything and everything including a violent chipmunk attack on your camp...hello large metal pot and big spoon in the sleeping tent - for making noise of course, did you think we were going to catch it for breakfast?  People do that, you know. 

Speaking of breakfast, what goes into our cooler is always a challenge for me as I have young children who are still developing their palates (aka are super fussy making me want to cry in a corner sometimes) and we have limited space and only a block of ice to keep everything nice and fresh.  This year I grilled some great bone-in organic chicken breasts before we left and therefore had some tasty meat for buns and sandwiches and to add to the cold salads I prepped in advance, too.  Other than roasting some potatoes in foil over the fire and reheating some of the chicken for my oldest ("I just like it that way, Mom"), we didn't have to cook anything for the 3 days we were gone.  It made this year way easier than previous and we had more time to canoe, hike, swim and run from terrifying wild butterflies (just kidding, well - sort of).  Among some clean eating snack bars I made, a ridiculously large supply of local summer strawberries and raspberries, some nuts and granola, I made two cold salads that were awesome.  One macaroni and one rice.  The rice salad is great and I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It's very simple and is easy to change up with whatever fresh local produce is available to you any time of year.

Note:  This is not my husband trying to take a peak at what we are having for dinner tonight, however I AM being watched...

Cook your rice.

Pour on your dressing...mmmmmm!

Ooooohhh....Ahhhh!

Prep your veggies.

Make a smiley face.

Collect the peas you dropped on the floor.

I have nothing to say......

Oh ya!!!!!!!

The Recipe:

• 2 cups Organic Brown Rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar (I usually use 1/2 white and 1/2 balsamic, or whatever vinegar really floats my boat that particular day)
• 1/3 cup sugar (white if you like, I have used coconut sugar too and it was yummy, also I use a little less than the 1/3 cup and prefer it this way)
• salt to taste
• lots of fresh ground Black Pepper (achoo!!!)
• 1/2 cup fine chopped Red Onion
• 1/2 cup fine chopped Bell Pepper (red, yellow or orange)
• 1/2 cup fine chopped Celery
• 1 English Cucumber, fine chopped
• 1/4 cup fine chopped Radish
• 1/2 cup fresh peas
• 1/2 cup fine chopped, fresh caught forest chipmunk - JUST KIDDING, I was wondering if you were paying attention...
• *you can omit any of the vegetables or add your own combinations - I have used tomatoes and basil, kalamata olives and feta cheese, shredded carrots with toasted slivered almonds, diced chicken and asparagus, almost anything really,  I don't think you can go wrong here.

1. Cook rice according to package directions. 
2. While rice is cooking, combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Once the rice is cooked, add the dressing mixture to the hot rice and set aside to cool.
4. Prepare vegetables and add to cooled mixture.
5. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
6. Serve in a pretty bowl...or an ugly bowl.  It doesn't matter much because this salad speaks for itself!  Enjoy!!

As for the camping, we avoided the poison ivy, we hiked a two kilometer trail (with a 5 and 7 year old, and for once didn't have to give a piggy-back ride), made sandcastles and drip castles, rescued two girls whose canoe dumped on them, told spooky stories around our campfire, chased a rather large raccoon off our site at 2:27am and had an awesome time!  On the home front, the laundry's been done, the sleeping bags and tents put away for another year and the sand has been vacuumed from the car.  Life is good!!!

Sincerely,

Me.  :)