Prepping before heading out

[theSmiths2003]

I hate being a slave to the kitchen when camping (it's my vacation too) so I plan out a menu and prep/cook as much as possible ahead of time. I started this when we were tent camping and continued after we moved up to a pop up, this will be our first season in our new TT. Does anyone else do this?

Here's a sample of my meal plan.

Breakfast:
The Dh likes a a hot breakfast and is not a fan of cereal, so that easy option is out .
Egg casserole, French toast & bacon
I portion out the casserole and French toast then freeze (they can be done the week before). All of these warm up wonderfully wrapped in foil on the BBQ or of course now with the TT the oven.

Lunch:
I always take stuff for PB&J's but we don't usually eat lunch (too much snacking goes on).

Dinner:
Usually a meat and a veggie...meat is marinated and veggies are prepped.
Most of our big trips we camp with a large group and potluck at least one night, so I make a casserole ahead of time in an aluminum pan and freeze it and warm it up on the BBQ.

Snacks:
Homemade bar cookies and brownies
Crackers, cheese, salami
Veggie tray supplies
Pretzels
Nuts
Fruit

I use my FoodSaver to package stuff up smaller so I don't have to open as much and keeps things fresher...plus it's water tight if you put stuff in an ice chest.

Sure I spend a bit more time getting ready but once there pretty much all my work is done and I can relax!

[KMP44]

We (well mostly DW) do the same thing. Plan everything out for meals, then she preps everything ahead and checks it off as it gets packed. Cooking in a pop-up pretty much requires it. With the new TT, we cut back on the prep some, since we could stock the pantry and keep all the basics in the kitchen, like at home.

Still plan the menu in detail ahead to do the grocery shopping so we have everything when we leave. Cooking nice dinners is one of our favorite parts of camping, but it goes from enjoyable to frustrating if you don't have the stuff you need.

[Lloydg]

My DW likes to prepare extra food during our regular meals and then freeze some to take with us camping. A couple of my favorites are chili and lasagna. Thaw and heat and those two meals are usually better tasting the 2nd time around. We did this when we used to boat on Lake Erie too. Our boat had only an ice box, so these type of meals served as ice in addition to a meal. We used to freeze a gallon of mild too. A great block of ice to keep everything cook for a few days.

[ependydad]

We don't do much of this. We're lucky enough to be out for week+ at a time often times, so I don't think it's really that practical (or I'm just looking at it wrong ). For our weekend trips, we generally stick with things that aren't much work - burgers, hot dogs, chicken and microwave veggies.

It's a good idea, though!

[Kaadk]

Since we do a lot of our camping cross border, this wouldn't work for us. Too many restrictions bringing food into a different country, so we usually hit a grocery store on route.

Sounds like a great idea though. I'm getting tired of the burger/hot dog dinners we usually end up with.

[Ole Buzzard]

Food saver one of the greatest kitchen/ cooking gadgets of all time. When i cook I always double or triple the recipe and freeze in 2 serving packets. Great for camping or just sitting around the house.

[gbpacker]

We also pre-planed meals when we camped short periods or weekends. However, since we have retired we travel for six to eight weeks. Therefore, we pack a pantry of basics, freeze some meats and a few days of produces with no planned menu. Shop as required during the trip.

To minimize time cooking, we also use a slow cooker which we start in the morning.

[mjones12]

Camping is very food-centric for us. Lots of good ideas here, but we're a little different. My wife loves to spend time cooking, so not much pre-manufacturing here. Although I eat VERY well, the tradeoff is the space taken up by all the spices and condiments associated with different types of cooking: Mediterranean, Asian, etc. And all the kitchen gadgets. And all the wine, for which I am quite willing to designate storage space.

We camp with other friends who are the same way. So someone is always hosting with great cooking. We all also enjoy going out to great restaurants. Doesn't matter if it's a fine dining establishment or a hole-in-the wall barbecue joint. As long as they have good food.

In fact, restaurants are usually the "attractions" near the campgrounds we choose. So we end up sort of alternating between eating out and eating in.

Any other camping "foodies" out there?

[Radio]

We don't plan that far ahead.

But I do have a large plastic jar with a screw on lid and into that go all the premeasured dry ingredients for dutch oven peach cobbler. The recipe is taped to the side of the jar. Add peaches, milk and a stick of butter, bingo!

Saves dragging sugar, flour and all that in seperate containers, usually bags, which make a mess.

We can plan that much, anyway!

[dkb74]

I also like to plan ahead. Working full-time and being a mom of three, the LAST thing I want to do while camping is spend my time being domestic instead of relaxing. We eat well balanced meals at home all the time. Camping is a chance to be a bit naughty. While I do enjoy cooking a good meal, anything I can do to make it easier is best.

Breakfasts:
I'll pre-cook bacon so all I have to do is warm it on the frying pan before cooking some eggs.
Pre-cut fruit, bagels, pop tarts, to-go cereal cups are always on hand for the kids.

Lunches:
Usually easy stuff like sandwiches or cheese & summer sausage.

Dinners:
Often my husband likes to cook dinner while camping since I do most of the home cooking. But we still try to make it as simple as we can. Easy stuff like burgers or dogs. We'll use the crock pot or electric griddle a lot. Seasoned meats will be seasoned at home and packaged in ziploc bags.

And we always have snacks easily available - chips & dip, trail mix, granola bars.


When he and I camp alone, our menus look much different. Less time spent chasing kids means more time to spend on a meal.

[YoungKopernik]

Oh ya we prep: fruit is easily cleaned and put in to zip-locs(watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple…), veggies( broccoli, cauliflower, corn, even prosciutto wrapped asparagus) can all be cleaned, seasoned and put in zip-locs. A few meat marinades: thin pork chops(jerk and lemon-pepper), chicken….. super fast and easy. I always try and do a bigger something: clam chowder, chili, lentils, pezole…..and it should give us two meals(not in a row) and maybe a snack/lunch
I work super hard at home so our camping can be as nice/easy as possible checking all the campers systems, stocking the camper, truck, all the toys(bikes, kayaks, fishing, hiking, cameras,…) getting the kids to pack what they’ll need . It’s nice to get out of town and on to our adventure and slow down.
We are usually gone for 5 to 40 days and while you cannot prep for the entire time, it sure is nice to have those first few days taken care of with healthy meals we all love. Breakfast are easy and quick(omelets, pancake, French toast, fruit….) lunches don’t always happen but I love to cook nice and healty-ish dinner meal we can all slow down together with.
Its special to me/us to get out into the middle of beautiful no-where and still eat very well.
Planning and pre keeps us going nonstop, even when we don’t know where we’ll land next.
John

[Agewon]

I just forward this to my DW. Simple plans like this are overlooked (I know we did) and will add valuable relaxation time. Thanks for the great tip!!

[Hudlow]

Food Savers (vacuum packers) are wonderful things. Mine has become indispensable.

[Pitstop88]

A couple times we decided to "keep it simple" and had bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. Loved it! No dishes to wash, no cooking, quick and easy. The only problem was when we took a walk around the campground and most of the other campers were frying bacon on the fire. Mmmmm! Who can resist? For a quick and filling supper, we heat up some Chunky soup and pour it over a plate of instant rice.

[jwedell]

We bring the set it and forget it rotisserie with us when we have electric. Then pick up the meat locally. When that thing is running (outside of course) everyone at the campground stands around with a knife and fork. We use the BBQ for grilled vegetables.

[Fifth Wheel Joy]

We go all out and have steak baked potatoes stuffed mushrooms on the grill crab legs homemade tacos steak fajitas we go camping it's go big or go home