Food is a big consideration for any type of summer festival. Do you bring everything but the kitchen sink and slave away over your camp stove every day, or rely on food vendors to keep you fueled and your wallet lighter? The key to eating healthy and easy at festivals is planning ahead and being creative. Make full meals, or at least prepare all the ingredients before leaving home. Choose sustenance that is filling and packed with nutrients so all you have to do is rapid-fire prep, eat, and get back to enjoying the people, music, and beautiful outdoors around you.
Smoothie Breakfast: Just because you can’t bring the Vitamix to the festival doesn’t mean smoothies have to be sacrificed, too. Pre-make your favorite recipes, pour into big Tupperware drinking jugs, and freeze. The smoothies will help to cool everything in the cooler, plus they quickly thaw when you’re ready. We recommend recipes without perishable ingredients. Make It: Blend and freeze spinach, strawberry, banana, mango, and coconut water; add nut butter or pre-soaked nuts to boost protein.
Stacked Salad Lunch: There are no real rules when it comes to salads, but this recipe’s brilliance lies in its strategy of layering ingredients. We’d suggest making this in a Mason jar, but glass is a big no-no at most festivals. Instead, use a plastic Mason jar tumbler or any plastic Tupperware that is taller than it is wide. Add something starchy and/or protein-rich, and make a dressing from olive oil, lemon juice, and minced garlic. Make It: From bottom to top, layer dressing, diced broccoli/cauliflower, pre-baked sweet potato or squash, peppers, carrots, radish, grape tomatoes, and on top greens like baby kale, spinach, and arugula; top with pumpkin seeds.
Quinoa Burrito Dinner: With healthy and nutrient-packed ingredients, a burrito can feel like salvation for your festival-ragged self. Again, the key here is to pre-make the ingredients at home, then pre-roll the burritos and wrap them in tin foil so you can throw them on the fire to heat. Make It: Jalapeno quinoa, shredded chicken, black beans (as dry as possible so the juices don’t make the tortilla soggy), and shredded cheese; roll in a tortilla. Use a separate container to bring along avocado (don’t slice until you’re ready to use) and handmade salsa fresca — diced tomato, onions, cilantro, serrano pepper (for extra heat), and lime juice.
Date Granola Bar Snack: Some people say water is life, others say snacks are. Either way, festival life certainly requires large doses of both. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks like trail mix, dried fruit, kale chips, and rice cakes (we love tamari seaweed cakes topped with avocado and turmeric). Instead of buying sugary granola bars wrapped in plastic and then in a box, make your own. This recipe is a breeze, requiring only five ingredients and freezing to set. Make It: Blend 1 cup pitted dates; put in bowl with 1 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1 cup chopped almonds. Warm 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup nut butter in saucepan. Mix with oats, dates, and nuts until combined. Pour into 8×8 pan lined with wax paper, pack down to flatten top, then freeze for 20 minutes. Cut into bar sizes and store in Tupperware.
Sun Tea Cheers: Why spend time boiling hot water to make tea when the sun will do it for you? Sun tea will steep at the campsite while you’re enjoying the afternoon’s music and will greet you when you return. Make It: Fill container with water and teabags of choice — 1 teabag per 1 cup water. We recommend ginger peach green tea with lemon zest (helps your body absorb the tea’s antioxidants). Cover and put in direct sun for four hours at most. Remove teabags and drink immediately or put on ice.
