Welcome to Fresh Off the Grid

My mom and I were talking at lunch one day about upcoming camping trips we were each planning. I was going on a road trip through California and Oregon with Michael in our #hatchbackcamper, and my parents were going to go camping in Central California. We started talking about our respective meal strategies and my mom says, “Your father tore this camping recipe out of a magazine and thinks it would be great for our trip!” I glanced at the sheet she handed me; a gorgeous saffron colored seafood paella. Then she mentioned, that in addition to prep time at home, the meal would take and hour and a half to cook at camp. (!!!) I’m sorry, but that is a huge chunk of time to be spent cooking over the campfire instead of exploring and being free to wander in whatever beautiful place I find myself in this weekend.

The more I researched “camping recipes” the more I found a common theme to many of the recipes I found on Pinterest, blogs, and the usual magazine suspects:

-prep time at home (I want to spend the time leading up to my trip researching cool activities and hikes, not precooking my meals)

-extensive time spent cooking in camp (I want more time to play!)

-elaborate cooler set ups (no doubt involving multiple bags of ice)

-more dishes than I use while cooking at home (I think we can all agree doing the dishes is annoying, no matter the setting)

-or, as is the case of many things in life, just not my particular taste

I have been an avid home cook since college, learning about and teaching myself new cooking techniques, reading food blogs with my morning coffee and cookbooks as bedtime stories, always coming up with healthy and delicious meals to enjoy with friends and loved ones. I wanted to find a happy place between how I cook & eat at home, and low hassle meals that can be enjoyed while camping, backpacking, or out on the road.

Fresh Off the Grid was born to house my growing collection of recipes for satisfying food to enjoy at the end of a long day of adventuring. I aim to minimize prep work, coolers, dishes, and time spent tied to the stove. Most of the meals you will find here use no more than two pots or pans, minimal (or no!) cooler systems, and will take you 30 minutes from start to plate.

So, grab your spork and knife and dig in!

(A tribute to my mother, Queen of Puns, who inspired me to begin this site in the first place.)