Let’s be honest, food is one of the best things about almost every event or activity. Trips, parties, sport games, movie dates (actually, any date). And, of course, camping is not the exception. There’s just something about eating outdoors surrounded by nature, that makes everything taste even better!
However, the one thing that is not so fun about food, is its preparation… am I right? Especially when camping, you don’t always have all the facilities and comfort that you may have available in your own kitchen at home. Normally, you have limited space to bring along only the absolute cooking basics, so you just have to make the most out of it, with what you do have.
For this reason, we have come up with this super easy 5-step guide for camping meals preparation that will save you time, effort and even some coins all together! While still letting you enjoy tasty meals around the campfire.
Meal Prepping like a pro
1. Do some digging and plan ahead your camping meals
There are thousands of delicious recipes online that can easily adapt to camping conditions. You can find inspiration on different blogs (we have some camping recipes ourselves if you’d like to check them out), also Pinterest, or good old Google.The most important thing when researching for new dishes to enjoy in your camping trip is to make sure that you don’t need tons of equipment to prepare them or that it can be replaced with camping alternatives such as foil and a grill, a dutch oven or a campfire, of course.
There are options for literally everyone, it doesn’t matter if you are vegetarian, protein-lover, the biggest sweet fan, or if you are travelling with kids. Camping is suited for everyone and so do are the meals you can make there. Some favorites are rustic campfire pizza, foil-cooked nachos or delicious vegan pancakes, just to mention a few. Eggs, burgers and potatoes (in any of their forms) are also some camping classics you just can’t go wrong with.
Try to choose dishes with ingredients you can mix up to create a varied menu for each day of your trip, that way you won’t have to worry about getting bored of eating the same over and over again.
2. Write down your camping meals and start cooking at home
There are also some resources online for this step, like menu templates to help you organize your meals better. Write down all your breakfasts, lunches, dinners and even snacks and drinks.
That way it will be much easier for you to know exactly what to buy at the supermarket and also will help you pack so you don’t forget anything as you embark on your journey! Remember to be as detailed as possible in order not to end up eating dry cereal, unsalted-eggs or even worst, coffee grounds instead of your morning latte.
Another good tip is to start some of the cooking at home, such as slicing tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. Pre-cook bacon, sausages and marinate the meat, wash all fruits, etc. This will save you some time of meal prep so you can focus on doing much more fun activities with your camping crew, rather than just cooking all day long.
3. Freeze whatever can be frozen
If you’re going on a longer trip and you’re bringing a cooler with you, then this is a great idea. Freezing your meals will extend the life of perishable foods like meat and dairy. Use dry ice for a longer effect than traditional ice, and enjoy the benefits of having a cool storage for your beers as well!
4. Pack your basic cooking utensils
There are some things that regardless of what you decide to prepare and eat, you most definitely will need. A pot, a pan, a knife and some other basic kitchen utensils are a great example. You will also thank yourself if you pack a can opener, some matches, a kettle, and enough aluminium foil (We have a whole blog post about kitchen utensils for camping you can read here Camping Kitchen: basic equipment and essential ingredients ).
5. Bring along your camping meals cheatsheet
Whether one of your family members wants to know ‘what’s for dinner?’ or you just can’t seem to remember when were you supposed to eat what, we are 100% sure that bringing your meal plan along to your camping trip as a cheat-sheet will help you save tons of time (and mental breakdowns) when you’re going through your cooler in the middle of your relaxing vacation looking for ‘you don’t know exactly what, but you know you have it somewhere’. In general, it’s just a great way to keep things organized and make sure everyone follows the plan and you don’t end up eating plain bread the last day.
Alright! so we have reached the end of our Camping Meals preparation guide, with these easy steps you’re ready to plan and prepare your camping meals like a pro! and for once you’ll be spending more time doing whatever you WANT to do, and not what you HAVE to do.
Now that you’re ready to go, you are only left to decide where do yout want to spend your super relaxing, cooking-free camping vacation? For some inspiration you can check out our Destinations section. You’ll definitely find something suited for you. Happy camping… and happy eating!
