Easy Food To Bring Camping

How To Use This Camping Food List

Go through the list and take off the items you know you will never use.

There’s no point packing tinned oysters if no one in your family will eat them!

Add your own essential items.

Maybe you crave pickled carrots when you go camping. Maybe you sprinkle wheat germ on your breakfast cereal. Maybe your child won’t eat oatmeal without brown sugar. Put it all on the list!

Use the list every time you go car camping.

I like to pile all of the food on the dining room table. I check it off the list as I pack it into a sturdy, washable food tub. We use a 14 gallon Rubbermaid tub.

For backpacking, of course, you’ll pack much more lightly. Calculate exactly what you will eat on each day, and pack only those items. Here are some backpacking food ideas.

Pack every item on the list, even if it’s not on your meal plan.

It’s always handy to have extra food in case the unexpected happens:

• You extend your trip.

• It rains on the night you’d planned to cook over the campfire.

• You just don’t feel like spaghetti on the night you’d planned to eat spaghetti.

You can never have too much food on a camping trip – especially when you are camping with children!

Bring any extra food home with you. Leave the non-perishables in your food box for next time.

Planning On Cooking Then Bring A Camping Stove

The Coleman Butane Instastart Stove is my recommended option as far as camping stoves are concerned. The reason why is because of how affordable it is. At just $20, it wont break the bank. If you have things on your camping food list that require heating, then a portable camping stove might be a good investment. To use it, simply insert the butane cylinder, turn on, and cook like you normally would on a regular stove. Note, if your camping trip is going to be longer than a few days, youll want to stock up on several butane cylinders.

Frozen Black Beans And Chicken In Corn Salsa

Frozen meal such as the black beans and corn salsa chicken can be an ideal camping food to take with you. It can be mixed to be a ready-to-go recipe which you can make ahead of time in a slow cooker and freeze after. You can quickly toss it into the cooler when you go camping and heat it up for your camping meal.

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Instant Mac & Cheese And Cup Noodles

During your time in college, hopefully you were able to develop some creative cooking skills. In the case of camping, you can use your dorm knowledge to make instant mac and cheese, Cup Noodles, or anything that only requires hot water.

Planning the menu for camping can be a challenge because you want to be able to cook certain foods, but there’s only so much that you can cook. Its okay to go simple, relive the college days, and embrace the simplicity of instant food.

#SpoonTip: If you feel like adding seasoning to your food, bring spices with you to add a bit of flavor.

Dont Ever Stress About Camping Meals Again

Weve compiled 60 easy camping food ideas to take away the stress of creating a camping meal plan, all the way from breakfast to dessert.

Yup – 10 easy camping breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 camping dinner ideas with 10 easy side dishes, plus 10 snack ideas and 10 camping dessert options. Weve got you covered!

And to make our list of easy camping food, the food or dish had to be portable, require little prep or be able to be prepped ahead at home, be simple to cook or reheat using a camping stove or fire, and use minimal dishes while at camp.

And be sure to print our free camping meal plan template along with a printable version of these 60 meal ideas at the bottom of the post!

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If You Like To Play All Day Then No

Nope, were not talking about cold cereal and boring sandwiches. You can have no-cook camping meals that are tasty, healthy and fun to eat. Heres a list of camp food ideas you can make without a stoveor campfire!

Tips for Your Camp Kitchen

The key to cooking less while camping is to plan and prepare ahead of time. I like to have camp kitchen stocked with all of the ingredients, tools and storage that I need.

• Use large reusable silicone storage bags to label meals by days or store cold salads flat.
• Mason jars make it easy to fill up with quick, grab-and-go salads or breakfast and can be a space saver, too.
• I use collapsible silicone bowls and cups that take up less space and decrease trash.

Make Ahead Spinach Dip

This versatile dip can be enjoyed as a snack with chips/bread or an appetizer before dinner. Either way, it’s so easy to make ahead and can be transported to camp in foil packets. Credit to Outdoor Connection for this tasty recipe.

Great for: Snacking on before dinner.Sharing with a small group.Make-ahead prep time: 10 minutes .Serves: 6

• Additional items bacon, green onions, garlic, mozzarella etc.

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together and store in the fridge for 4-6 hours so ingredients can combine.
• Prepare your tinfoil and layer the spinach dip down the middle. Fold over to create a packet and add more layers of foil to prevent burning. Store in the cooler.
• At camp, place the foils near the hot coals for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Use-by: Thawed spinach lasts about 4 days so it is recommended to eat this dip within that time.

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Shrimp Boil Foil Packs

The Spruce / Victoria Heydt

Wrap up a great family day with a celebratory, shrimp boil. All you need to make this classic, low-country boil are a handful of ingredients, aluminum foil, and a campfire or gas burner. It’s easy to make, fun to eat, and loaded with plenty of down-home flavor. Serve it with bottled cocktail sauce, or go wild with a generous drizzle of melted butter.

Dont Forget Utensils And Cooking Ware

Aside from food, there are various other things youll want to bring with you on your camping trip. Think about how bad it would be to have canned food with no can opener or cereal with no spoon. These things happen more often than you think, so pay attention. Heres what to bring:

• Plates
• Wooden Spoon
• Ziploc Baggies

When putting together your camping food list, know that the metal pot actually serves a dual survival purpose. In the event that you get lost, you can use a metal pot to collect and boil water. This is just something to think about when planning your camping trip. Also, if you think that youre going to have leftovers, bring Tupperware.

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Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken Tenders

The Spruce / Rachel Riesgraf

These easy chicken tenders are marinated in Caesar salad dressing, and then they’re grilled to perfection. Serve the chicken breasts whole or slice into strips for an easy salad topper along with any extra dressing. Marinate the chicken in advance, so you can pop it onto the grill for quick cooking at dinnertime.

Make Ahead Camping Skewers

Whether you prefer meat, vegetables or a mix of everything, the possibilities are endless when it comes to prepping your camping skewers. Simply assemble at home and wrap in foil before popping on the campfire to cook. Its as easy as that!

Great for: Kids they can make their own skewers and cook on the campfire.Campers preparing a barbecue.Make-ahead prep time: 15 minutes .Serves: As many as you need.

Here are just a few examples of food combinations for your skewers:

• Vegetables
• Chicken
• Sausage
• Lamb
• Meatballs
• Shrimp
• Salmon

You can then have a number of different marinades, making this a highly versatile recipe. Heres a tequila, lime and cilantro one from Food Network to give your skewers a kick .

Ingredients:

• Pinch of ground black pepper

Method:

• To marinate your meat add the above ingredients to a large zip-lock bag followed by the chicken. Allow to marinate for 2 hours.
• Wrap your skewers in foil and refrigerate. Place on the grill over the campfire on a high heat until cooked through.

Use-by: Store raw chicken in the cooler and cook within 1-2 days. Uncooked beef, lamb and pork will keep for 3-5 days in the cooler. Vegetables can last up to a week.Top tip: Put cherry tomatoes on the ends of your skewers as a stopper to prevent other ingredients falling off.

Take a look at this blog post by Yummy Healthy Easy for 15 skewer ideas you can try.

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Taco Mac And Cheese Recipe

Taco mac and cheese is one of my favourite meals for lunch and make-ahead camping meals that you can prepare with a few simple kitchen staples. With ground turkey, a simple homemade spice blend, veggies, and reduced-fat milk and cheeses make this recipe so tasty and delicious. This dish takes only 30 minutes to make at home, if you have leftover taco meat recipes you can use them in this recipe. This creamy, spicy and satisfying meal is perfect for holiday lunch or weeknight dinners.

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Closing Out Your Campsite

At the tail end of your trip, you are going to be glad that you chose these easy and virtually mess-free options for your campsite.

Whether its cooking in foil over a campfire or cooking in your kitchen before you venture out, there are tons of delicious and sustainable options for camping and other outdoor adventures.

Enjoy making these tasty recipes at your campsite, relaxing knowing that clean-up and cook time will be minimal for your and your guests. You are getting away for a reason, so dont let the hustle and bustle of life follow you into the peace and quiet that you deserve. Preparing easy and hassle-free meals is just one big way for you to do that.

Happy camping!

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Lemon Pepper Salmon With Zucchini

Make it seafood night. Photo from Pixabay

If youre camping near salmon fishing grounds, make the most of your catch with a few simple ingredients. Cook in a cast iron skillet covered with foil, either in your oven or on the stove.

Cooking while camping can be difficult, but with an abundant stash of recipes and ingredients, you can enjoy your favorite home-cooked meals on the road.

The Best Beverage For Your Camping Trip

Once all your meals have been prepared and established for the trip, you have to start thinking of which beverages you want to pair with all your yummy camp meals. Much like the food you prepare, you want your drinks to match the ease and convenience that your meals do.

The easy choice for this is Ohza! Here at Ohza, we pride ourselves on being the top choice for convenience, deliciousness, and ease. When you are out in the woods or high in the mountains, you dont want to worry about carrying bottles and glasses and all the elements that go along with creating your own mixed drinks. We take care of all of that hassle for you by combining everything you love about cocktails and canning it for you so you can enjoy it anywhere at any moment.

Our mimosas take everything you love about a cocktail and convert it to an easy and mess-free experience.

The best part is that were not just serving you amazing flavors. Our mimosas also have cute, easy packaging thats perfect for on-the-go trips like camping or hiking. No glasses required! The last thing you want to do on a camping trip is worry about glass breaking or cleaning up after enjoying drinks with friends. You can just relax, sip a few drinks, and enjoy being out there in nature.

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What To Bring When Rv Camping

When going camping food prep is one thing that you want to make sure you put some thought into. If you rent an RV you have a few more options because you can more often than not plug the RV in at campsites and possibly have a working fridge or freezer. In other cases where you wont have the luxury of electricity you will want to consider the following food choices:

No Cook Camping Meals

When it comes to what food to take camping, no cooking ideas should be considered. Why? First, you dont have to spend all your time cooking on site. Secondly, they make great back up meals for when you cant start your fire and cook a meal the way you intended.

Want more camp trip planning tips and tricks? I offer 50 easy ideas here.

These are easy to prepare meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. These will give you more time to focus on what really matters: having fun!

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What Are Good Snacks For Camping

For snacks, you can carry bagels, popcorn, peanuts, home-made granola bars, and trail mix. Make a big batch of the granola bars and trail mix before you go for your trip, and you will have something to snack on the entire trip. Use your favorite ingredients to create unique snacks.

For instance, to make granola bars, toast together oats, your choice of dried fruits, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Add honey and bake the mixture in the oven. Once cooled, place them in an airtight container.

Fruits make wonderful snacks too. Try apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, watermelons, and mangoes. If you plan to carry cut fruit, freeze them a day before your departure and pack them in an ice cooler. You can also have your fruits as dessert after meals.

Dont forget to carry instant coffee packets, tea bags, or herbal teas to enable you to make your drink after the evening meal. With these easy to carry packs, you will only add hot water.

How Much Food Should You Take Heres A Math

When putting together a camping food list, theres no exact amount of food you should bring. It depends on a lot of factors- the length of your trip, how much youll be exerting yourself, etc. In general, the more physical activity you do, the more food youll need. So if youre planning on doing a ton of hiking/climbing while on your camping trip, then youll need a lot more food.

But exactly how much is a lot more? Lets take a math-based approach : in order to maintain the same weight, a 165-pound male hiking 8 miles per day would need about 4,000 calories per day. This is a rough estimate, and shouldnt be taken too seriously. After all, you know your body better than anyone else. If youre not planning on doing too much physical activity, then you youll probably need only 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day.

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Pineapple Ham And Cheese Campfire Sandwich

Try these amazing pineapple ham and cheese sandwiches for a hot, sweet, delicious sandwich perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Youll love the combination of juicy Hawaiian flavors as you bite into this sweet and meaty sandwich!

All you have to do is build your sandwich using artisan french rolls, sliced deli ham, sliced cheddar cheese, sliced pineapple, some dijon mustard, and a bit of honey.

Wrap the whole thing up in some heavy-duty aluminum foil and set it on the grill for about 20 minutes, depending on your fires temperature.

Dutch Oven Smores Cereal Bars

We all know its the simple pleasures in life that bring us the most joy. And when youre out on the trail by the campfire, these Dutch oven Smore cereal Bars will positively fill you with that simple joy.

These bars are made with six simple ingredients: salted butter, milk chocolate chips, corn syrup, vanilla extract, marshmallows, and Golden Graham cereal .

Youll cook a few ingredients in your dutch oven before adding in your marshmallows and cereal.

Then you put the mixture in a pan and let it set. If you have leftover marshmallows, sprinkle them over your mixture while its still hot to get a melty, gooey topping.

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Dont Know What To Bring Then Make A Plan

When putting together your camping food list, it helps to have a solid plan in mind. This will help prevent you from bringing too much or too little food. It will also help you bring the right food. Here are some questions to ask yourself when coming up with camping food ideas:

• How long is your trip?
• What is the temperature going to be like?
• How many people are going? Are they bringing their own food?
• Does the food come pre-cooked? If not, do you have the tools to cook it?
• Do you know how to properly dispose of food waste?
• Did you think about things like utensils, plates, or cooking ware?

The length of your trip will play a big role in helping you determine how much food you bring. Obviously, youll need a heck of a lot more food for a 7-day camping trip versus a 2-day camping trip. Also, think about weather. If its exceptionally hot , then the quality of certain foods can become compromised. These are a few great questions to ask yourself when putting together a camping food list.