Forbidden Fruit

[Stosh]

Okay another survey.....

 

Now that I'm retired, I have way too much free time. 

 

What foods are forbidden in your troops?

 

We don't allow:

 

Pop Tarts

Hot dogs

 

 

 

[LeCastor]

Stosh, I think this is the start of the "Guide to Good Eating" 

 

Just to be clear, did your PL ban these awful foods or was it the SM?  

 

As far as I know, my Troop does not have any banned substances list for camp meals.  There are things I won't eat, though...And your items are on that list.

[mattman578]

any thing that grows like a fruit or vegtables

[Stosh]

I don't make rules for the boys, but under the disguise of Safety First, health and nourishment, we can make off hand comments.

 

When the subject of hot dogs came up, the boys got a great suggestion from the SM to go and visit the Oscar Mayer plant and see how those things (and I use that term loosely) were made. I went there once and told the boys all about it.  Been to the SPAM plant in Austin MN and Dubuque Packing Plant, too.

 

We had a long discussion once on whether Pop Tarts were even food.

 

We did discuss along with that how to make fruit rollups from scratch, how to make beef jerky and they had never had Mountain Man before. 

 

After a while the conversation of certain foods just doesn't come up any more and the boys are off looking for new things to try.

 

In actuality, No, there are no forbidden foods in my troop unless the boys come up with it.  I don't eat with the boys so it makes no never mind to me, but they do remain curious about what I am making because it's always better than what they are having. 

Edited April 8, 2015 by Stosh

[Stosh]

any thing that grows like a fruit or vegtables

 

Seriously?  My boys are always wanting a stir-fry!  I'm thinking about getting patrol Wok's to go with the Dutch ovens.

[DuctTape]

No banned foods. But like Stosh, when the boys see and hear what the Old Gray Wolf Patrol (SM & ASMs) are eating, they try to emulate. Also, like in the extra food thread, menu planning for amount is important as is nutrition because it is the fuel for our bodies. When they zonk out after an hour due to their food choices, thisbecomes part of the after trip reflection. "Too bad the patrol was too tired to visit/do xxy, I wonder what could have given everyone more energy?"

[Gone]

Before I arrived we had pop tarts, hot dogs and a whole slew of things that were "cooked" for meals.

 

Rather than ban foods we laid down challenges and awards for best meals. Over time this got the guys away from the lousy food and heading towards better food. This last camp out patrols actually opted for more one-pot meals and DO meals. One patrol actually asked for a new menu plan because they saw they had too many "easy" meals" and wanted to start again. 

[DuctTape]

For those patrols who like hot dogs... moving to other sausage types is an easy step. Another idea is using hot dogs as the meat in one-pot meals.

 

Recipes (amounts adjusted to number of mouths)

 

"Hot Dog Stew I"

macaroni

hot dogs

bell pepper

onion

spaghetti sauce

 

"Hot Dog Stew II"

Hot dogs

onions

bell peppers

kidney beans

tomatoes

chili powder

 

"Hot Dog Stew III"

Hot dogs

rice-a-roni

peas

onion

 

"Hot Dog Stew IV"

hot dogs

sliced apples

cabbage

salt&pepper

[DuctTape]

I have a whole bunch more in my notes if anyone wants them, but the idea is pretty simple. Hot dogs, some grain, some sauce, some veg.

[Stosh]

Every one of those recipes could be adapted to ring sausages, brats, ham, SPAM, polish sausage, kielbasa or Andouille   ,... but Noooo, you have to go with the pig-lips tube steak as the entrée meat....  Are those dishes served over a bed of Raman noodles with Pop Tarts for dessert?

 

Seriously, though.  Aren't there cheaper cuts of meat other than highly processed hot dogs as the filler meat on those recopies?  What are hot dogs selling for per pound these days.  I don't have any idea.

[Stosh]

for another treat

 

Use the red cabbage and mix with chunky applesauce for something a bit sweeter in taste.  Better yet pork loin roast, carrots, onions with red cabbage and applesauce dumped on top in the Dutch Oven.  Could even toss in the potatoes if you wanted.  Wouldn't hurt.  At least with the pork loin you know you are getting center cut pork chop meat and not lips and tails.

[DuctTape]

Stosh you are exactly right about using a better meat. In fact, most of those started as a recipe which used something different but changed to hot dogs as a first step in the progression for younger palates.

 

In my adult backpacking circle, I am sometimes called "the sausage king" because I almost always have some type of good german sausage as a base for my dinner.

[scoutergipper]

We have a Scout with a serious peanut allergy, so they're out.

 

I don't "ban" anything else, but efforts to claim Pop Tarts or Energy Bars are a "meal" are met with pretty stern disapproval should the subject come up.  I encourage the kids to cook at least one thing for every meal.

 

We had a couple of newer Scouts bring canned soup and 2-liter pops to a camp that included a 3-mile hike to the campsite.  Once.

[LeCastor]

I've been very impressed with the menus our Patrols come up with. However, I notice that some meals get repeated: Mountain Man DO breakfast, ground beef tacos, French toast. I don't mind this but I do encourage the Scouts to build on what they've done and tweak the recipes. This is kind of like Mozart's award system but without a specific award...just bragging rights for whose French toast was better, etc.

 

Stosh, I'm glad to say I've never seen Pop Tarts on an outing. I can remember my Scoutmaster telling my Patrol that Sunny D was NOT orange juice, though.

[Stosh]

We have a template of menu items that the boys have broken down into ingredients, amounts, and costs.  Once they do this, all they have to do is pull the sheet from the loose leaf and take it to the store.  When it comes to the new boys working on their menu prep for advancement, we have them bring in their favorite recipe from home and they break it down into ingredients, amounts and then they shop for it to get credit for meal planning.  This new sheet then goes into the loose leaf along with all the other recopies.  They continually get new food choices and the boys generally get at least one meal they like to eat.

 

As a rule of thumb, any recipe that calls for a 9" X 13" pan can be split in half and done in a #12 Dutch oven.  I don't know if it would all fit into one deep #12 or not.  Maybe the middle wouldn't get cooked very well.