Let’s face it.  Although vegetarianism is growing in popularity, it’s still a meat eater’s world.

That’s why my first “rule to live by” as a vegetarian is…. be prepared.  How you prepare depends on the situation.  When you’ve been invited to a three-day camping event with nearly 20 of hubby’s immediate and extended family members who will be cooking omnivore meals exclusively, there’s no question that some advance thought is needed.

So how did I prepare for this trip?  First, since this is the infamous pig roast event, I took the liberty of e-mailing the campground to find out as much information as I could about the roast.  According to the reply I received, the roasting of the pig–supposedly in an enclosed barbeque–will begin at midnight.  Dinner will be about 4 p.m. the following day.  The campground reports that most people never see the full pig, noting that they are aware that kids, and some adults, might be squimish about the sight.

With an idea of what to expect regarding the pig roast, my next order of business was food.  Although this is a family campout and most people will take turns cooking the meals for everyone, I am the only vegetarian of the bunch… which means, I can’t expect anyone to cook meatless meals.  That’s why I make sure to take along enough food for the duration of the event/trip.  Often, I am able to eat a side dish here and there, but I always plan like I won’t have any other food to eat aside from what I bring.

In the photo above, you’ll see I’m taking some Tasty Bite meals, which are awesome and true lifesavers in this type of situation.  They are perfect for camping because you can drop the foil pouch in a pot of boiling water for several minutes and voila! Dinner is ready!  I’ve been using the Tasty Bite meals at the family campouts for the past few years.  I wouldn’t think of camping without them.  I was a bit bummed that my local grocery store only had three varieties in stock tonight.  It appears they no longer carry my favs, which are the chickpea and potato based dishes.  I’ll have to look around at some other local shops or order online at the company’s well-stocked Web store.

Similar to Tasty Bite are the Kitchens of India meals.  My local store didn’t have a wide selection of this brand either–Grr!–but I managed to get enough meals to last me for three days.  A new item I spied was the Gourmet on the Go meals by St. Dalfour, which are canned mini meals that don’t need refrigeration.  The packaging says it’s a product of France, but they appear to have a U.S. Web site.  Sometimes canned items scare me, but I bought the three vegetarian varieties to give them a try!

Also, I’ll be taking along a few veggie burgers–which will allow me to blend right in with the family if they cook hamburgers–and an array of snack items including Zone bars, trail mix, rosemary and olive oil Triscuits (omg, I love these!) and granola for breakfast.  This is probably waaaaay more food than I’ll need in three days, but I’d rather have extra and bring it home than find myself without a veggie meal while on the road.  Like I said, my motto is “be prepared.”  I feel I’m ready for this event!