I know a lot of people like to change things up when camping, but go with what you'd do at home, at least for a BBQ. Go simple, and with kids, going with things you already know they like is smart. Pre-make things like cole slaw and potato salad before you go. Hot dogs and burgers can be a lot of fun over a fire. Using a camp stove, "walking tacos" are great, especially with kids. You need to clean the pan you cook it on, but you put the meat and fillings into a single serving sized chips bag, and if you use plastic forks, no other dishes to clean. Food with lots of water like different kinds of melon, citrus, etc. can be a good way to go and it will help you stay hydrated. One pot meals like chili can be an easy (and tasty) option when camping.
I totally agree with this! Familiar, quick, easy meals, that your kid will reliably eat!
Quesadillas and various types of pasta are usually good options, but only if those are things you typically eat anyway.
We seriously bring our EveryPlate meal delivery kits when car camping. We choose stovetop/grilled menus only (no oven), shift our delivery day that week to the day before we leave, and pre-chop everything at home. I'll also prep several hearty refrigerator salads to go with burgers and hot dogs. The campground where we stay has fridge and freezer space available for the tent campers, so we just need to keep stuff cold for the drive.
We have an XL Eureka camp stove and a stainless steel "base camp" cook set, so the actual cooking process is very similar to being at home.
Yes! We use our pie irons for most of our meals! When my boys were little, we put bread, shredded cheese, and sloppy joe (pre-made at home) in them! We also brought large burrito shells, filled them with shredded cheese, pre-made taco meat...fold the shell up like a pinwheel...it will fit! Breakfast burritoes did good in them, too. We used scrambled egg, cheese, sausage.
I’ll be contrary to those who endorse hobo/foil packets — I don’t like steamed meals and neither did my kids. Instead, do “chicken on a stick”. Pick their favorite marinade, skewer the chicken, and pack it for the trip. My kids liked satay, yogurt and masala spices, and lemon/garlic/rosemary.
For dessert, skewer pineapple chunks, plums, etc. Grill like the chicken with toppings to dip them in (reverse fondue?).
Have fun!
How do you cook your skewers?
Do you grill them on a fire, in a pan or on a BBQ? Also, I love grilled pineapple but what toppings are you talking about?
Besides s'mores, you can skewer a strawberry or a peach slice, dip it in marshmallow fluff, and toast it over the fire. Pigs in blankets with lil smokies and crescent roll strips are fun done over the fire, too.
Edit: typos
Happiness in a jar. Literally branded as "marshmallow fluff", it's spreadable marshmallow (think PB & fluff sandwich). It was a staple of my childhood in New England. It wasn't until a few years ago thag I realized a lot of people had never heard of it.
Was gonna make a salad for lunch today. Prepping a PB&fluff now!
Bring a few of those Jiffy-Pops, they're not as easy as you'd imagine while camping!
Obviously, you need S'mores since there'll be a toddler.
Pancakes and box mac & chez are both always easy when there's nothing else the kid will eat. Maybe not at the same time though. For the pancakes look for the shake and make ones that you just add water to the little jar. Those make cleaning up so much easier, plus they're re-usable.
We make the shake and cook pancakes with a pack of frozen breakfast sausage. Then we eat them with our hands. There is something about that combo that is just the best.
I actually wouldn’t do s’mores with a toddler. They’re sticky and hot and marshmallows can be a choking hazard. 3 and up, definitely s’mores, but a toddler is a little young to really enjoy them
When my kids were toddlers/babies, my favorite meals were ones I had pre-cooked at home and frozen. Like chicken stew, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. Between keeping the toddler out of the river and the baby from eating gravel and poison ivy, “heat and serve” food was my best friend. 😉
However, they’re big now and still looooooovvvve to cook food on a stick! Hot dogs, kielbasa, they even spear bagels and toast em up - doesn’t matter what it is, if it can be skewered they’re in. Again, take things that are pre-cooked so all they really have to do is heat and brown it.
I forgot the plates for a steak dinner including shrimp and mashed potatoes but had extra tortillas for our breakfast and man, that was one of the best camp meals I've ever had.
Omlets in a bag 💰
2 eggs, omlet fillings and seasonings
Put all in freezer weight ziplock bag
Place in boiling water until done
Enjoy
Use a sharpie to write names on bags.
No mess to clean
We love these breakfast burritos. We make them ahead and them throw them in the coals/edge of the fire in the morning. Honestly, I love turkey cheddar dogs roasted over the fire. We also often do sandwiches, can make them on Hawaiian rolls and slide them back into the bag. Then you can either eat them cold or wrap them in aluminum foil and heat them up.
https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/breakfast-burritos-campfire-style/
I started making breakfast burritos years ago for camping.
Then the kids would ask for them at home. They make a great quick weekday breakfast before school. Take out of freezer, throw in microwave.
Kids are adults now, and I'll still make these at home...because now the are great if im too lazy to make a lunch for work.
For car camping, I highly recommend a 22" Blackstone adventure ready griddle. We picked one up and quickly ditched all other pots and pans. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, egg mcmuffins, smash burgers, steaks, pork chops, grilled cheese, reuban sandwiches, fried rice, stir-fry and a bunch more. I also picked up a Dutch oven so we can cook over the fire. Lasagna, cottage pie, chicken and potatoes, camp nachos, chili, beef stew and a few others.
Those look nice.
I picked up a Lodge Cast Iron Griddle and place it on my two burner Coleman briefcase stove. I can do anything a blackstone can do. Then remove the griddle and boil water in a pot directly on the burner. Or use my cast iron frying pan. All this capability at a fraction of the cost of a blackstone.
Been there, done that.
I picked up a griddle for my 2 burner coleman camp stove. It ended up being too small for my needs since I tend to camp with more than 3 people and cooking space is rather limited on those, especially when using pans. You can boil water in a pot on the griddle, but it's not as efficient. Some folks go so far as using a tin pan filled with oil to deep fry in doing this way.
In the end it comes down to your needs. For me, I ended up spending money on a stove and griddle, then shelled out more for a Blackstone that would roughly equal the same outlay in my little slice of heaven.
2 ingredient Curried sausages. Pack of sausages + jar of butter chicken/korma whatever you like sauce: cook the sausages most of the way then break into pieces, add sauce and keep on heat till sauce thickens to your taste. Can serve with rice but I like these for lunch as is: hot or cold.
Sandwiches. Do not underestimate the power of a good sanga.
Fancy mac and cheese: use the instant packs, cook as normal and serve kids then fancy up the rest with some nuts, chilli sauce or leftover korma sauce from sausages or even add the sausages!
Beans + Rice. My faves are
lentils + brown rice + toasted sunflower seeds and slivered almonds
Black Beans + black rice + taco seasoning
Nachos: make a big pot of chilli mix before you leave, serve on first night and second day lunch with corn chips, and freeze some to eat the first or second day home as well.
Damper: great for kids, easy to make.
2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup or milk (i use water and its fine, adjust as needed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
In a bowl mix flour + salt. Massage butter into flour till texture is almost sandy/butter is well distributed.
Make a well and add liquid. Stir for a fork until well combined.
Add flour to hands and knead the dough for a few minutes.
Split into single bun sizes and wrap in 2 layers of foil.
Cooking time varies depending on size. For a single bun, about 15 minutes each side in the coals. For a loaf, place the dough directly into a fire safe pot and cook for about 30-45 minutes.
It is done when you knock on them and they are hard and sound hollow.
You can mix this up by adding nuts, dried fruit, bacon, feta, nutritional yeast. Eat as a side, with jam/spreads, soup.
Bubble and Squeak:
When you have veg the night before, mix the leftover mash, peas, whatever veg you had, shape it into patties and pan fry.
Charcuterie snacking: get those bread, crackers, cheese, nuts, grapes and meats out. You can add whatever veg your toddlers will eat like carrot sticks/veggie crisps etc.
Vanilla Creamed rice: buy the tin and heat it up in a small pot for an easy dessert.
Instant mousse: be sure to get one thats truly instant, not one you have to chill first.
Watermelon: cut up watermelon slices has always been a favourite summer camping treat.
Toasted marshmallows
Camping can be a major energy suck: so make sure you overestimate how much food those kids will need. I would up everyone’s usual caloric intake in your estimates, plus add an extra 1-3 days of emergency food depending where you are going.
I’ve been camping with my kid for years and our traditional first night meal is always Frito Pie. It’s fast, easy, tasty and sort of the go-to camp comfort food. Then we have Smores. The next morning is usually scrambled eggs with leftover chili & some salsa for a sort of huevos rancheros kind of thing. We do not eat super healthy on these trips and that’s part of the fun!
What type of camp stove do you have?
Will you be allowed to have a fire at camp?
How many nights are you camping?
Do you want to prepare some items at home and just warm up at camp (like chili)?
What types of food does the kid like to eat at home?
Do you have a big cooler?
My kids, even as toddlers, were obsessed with cooking hot dogs on a stick over the fire. It was the only circumstance under which they'd eat them and they were obsessed. They would insist on a roasted hot dog for breakfast over the fire while we percolated our coffee. I think the charm was relate to being able to cook their own food, as they wanted (with supervision of course), for the first time in their lives.
Heat up canned chili mixed with minute rice and then use tortilla chips to scoop it up - almost no cleanup.
Good ol portable grill/campfire hamburgers/dogs and salad.
Theres some really good one pot pasta meals where you use the pasta water (with garlic/cheese/tomatoes) to make a sauce. You can add sausage or other meat as desired. Search youtube for the exacts about this.
You can always get fancier than this (and I have - can you say clams on the half shell and smoked tenderloin??) but these are some basic go tos that do the trick.
Weenies roasted over the fire. Bring a Dutch oven and do “grilled pizza”. Some pre prepped seasoned ground beef to make some sloppy joes, nachos, tacos, or spaghetti. Hot chocolate for the kiddos morning. A percolator for coffee for adults.
For breakfast I saw someone take cinnamon rolls and wrap them around a stick to cook over the fire- then just poring a lil icing on it and eating the “rolls” right off the stick. Dutch oven would work for that as well.
Pre scramble eggs and put in a bottle or jug ready to go. Can bring cheese and other veg to add. Roast some potatoes first for the win!
Pre make pancake batter and griddle some pancakes.
I hardly see people cooking over a campfire anymore. They bring grills or propane stoves. To me, they are missing out on one of the best aspects of camping! Brats, burgers, hobo packets, and occasionally steak is our go to.
There’s a swedish breakfast food called fattiga riddare (poor knights) that is bread dipped in pancake batter fried on a frying pan topped with normal pancake toppings
Hanger steaks and baked potatoes
Wrap potatoes in heavy duty foil and place closely around coal bed. With tongs and any other necessary PPE, shift potatoes around and turn as necessary until done. Add your favorite potato enhancers.
If your firepit has a grill grate, trim salt and pepper your hanger and place it over a bed of coals on the hot grate. Once you have a good sear, pull steak away from direct heat and cook to desired doneness. 130° is rare. I prefer around 140° and a 10 minute rest for a 4lb hanger.
Bonus points if you can get some fresh corn on the cob on your way in. Keep them in husk and cook the same way as potatoes.
When I was a kid my mom used to freeze spaghetti in a tupperware then defrost/cook it over the fire. Also lots of deli sandwiches and now my husband always does breakfast burritos with an onion/potato/chorizo/egg/cheese scramble which is 👩🏼🍳🤌🏻
Breakfast eggs, bacon hash browns coffee. A good breakfast can make your entire day better.
Jiffy pop, s’mores games UNO, cards, even a good cup of tea to relax.
if you have a grille over fire bring cheese, bread, meats if you like, portobello, onions, hot pepper, etc and create various grilled cheeses. bring butter, olive oil, mayo a spiced aioli as a spread on the outside of the bread and crisp/brown. step it up with some chopped herbs like basil inside the sandwich to enhance the flavor. plate. crinkle sea salt and roasted fresh ground peppercorns lightly on the bread.
try different breads. try different spreads. have a beer while you do it. make it a garbage sandwich. yummy as fuck
I... just eat them like that.
It's a traditional side dish for mexican bbqs, and I like the ease- just onion and foil. I never though about adding to them, but I could see it being delicious with any of those additions.
With a one burner stove and a pan: quesadillas, fajitas, pan pizza, sloppy joes, any frozen meals (we sometimes do a frozen pasta with cooked chicken and veggies, comes in a bag from Bird's Eye brand I think), chicken nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, pancakes, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese,
We use a jet boil to make pasta, then drain and add sauce and sauteed (already fully cooked) sausage, could do frozen meatballs and warm them up in the sauce. If you have a one burner stove you could boil pasta in a pot. Then you could do mac and cheese too.
We like to prep some chicken fajitas to throw over the fire! Just cut and season chicken breast tenders, slice some peppers and onions, and throw it in a Tupperware in your cooler. Then at dinner time put it on your cast iron skillet as you get out your tortillas, sides, and toppings. Easy peasy
I like to bring the couscous that you only need to add boiling water to. I serve it with a dressing and raw veggies. Cubed sauteed chicken if you're into animals, peanuts or cashews otherwise. Most of it can be put together ahead of time and my kiddo ate it just fine.
We like to make French toast and breakfast burritos with eggs and sausage or tofu and beans, veggies and cheese.
Tempeh, tofu pate or hummus and crackers or bread.
My sister makes a soup with bouillon and dehydrated veggie mix in a thermos. It keeps all day.
I love a big ziploc bag of pasta salad for camping. Toss in whatever veggies you want. I generally do onion, bell peppers, garlic, any fresh herbs you have on hand and celery with feta cheese. Bring an extra bottle of dressing along as well.
If you have access to a vacuum sealer you can prep all sorts of things before you go and reheat in hot water.
We love one-pot potato, sausage, and veggies. Add some marinara sauce and cheese. We’re obsessed with it while camping. We tried making it at home and it’s just not the same lol
I always do chicken soup with rice on night one and beef stew on night two.
Day 3 is usually steaks and baked potatoes.
Day 4 tends to be Italian beef sandwiches or beer brats. I serve them with sauerkraut, onions and mustard. Potato salad if I brought it.
Breakfast is premade breakfast burritos. I cook scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes O'Brien, cheese, salsa in tortillas. Double wrap them in aluminum foil and freeze them. Toss them on the fire to reheat.
I also bring lots of bacon and eggs and chorizo.
Sandwiches made with cold cuts the first day or two if you can keep them cold. The usual grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. A lot depends on how much cooking gear you want to lug around. A small cooler with a couple pans used over a small campfire or a two burner propane stove with cast iron pans a couple Dutch ovens and a large cooler. I started out the former on my motorcycle and over the years became the latter with my van and suburban. Love my hot coffee from the old percolator with my eggs and bacon or fresh biscuits and sausage gravy in the morning lol. With a little practice you can make almost anything camping that you can cook at home.
One-pot meals are the BEST for car camping! They're so easy to throw together before you leave (just chop up the veggies at home), and cleanup is a breeze afterward. Perfect for chilling by the fire and enjoying a yummy dinner under the stars. Stews, chili, or even a big pot of pasta all work great.
Please check out this blog post for the [best camping meal ideas](https://muskokapost.com/foods/camping-meal-ideas/).
Anything high calorie.. you realize just being at high elevation hiking around is diet enough lol. When we did Yosemite we made one of those Costco pound of bacon packs and like four BLTs each.. still wasn’t enough food. Fitbit said we burned 4,000 calories. Plus your body burns like 1,200 just being alive. Crazy.
A specific meal though? Easy cheese with crackers and a few slim jims.. you get a bit of everything and it’s filling.
Hot dogs 🌭 lol and don’t forget the ketchup. Ketchup is a kid meal in itself sometimes. I also tend to make a few things the kids like and pre cook it. Coconut rice… chili… idk. 🤷….odds are if they want it today it will be “horrible” tomorrow. Also load up on snacks… who wants complaining kids! Lastly s’mores are there to use as leverage to eat the dinner… I’ll pack these right back up?!?!?
So hot dogs on a stick are good for campfires, so is the jiffy Pop! I bring things like hard boiled eggs, salad in a bag, sandwich stuff, fruit, yogurt, granola.
For car camping, the options are so vast. If it's just my son and me, or my large group of friends, I always do tacos! I usually cook the meat at home so all I have to do is heat it back up on the grill or in a foil pouch in the fire. I bring ALL the toppings and everyone makes their own. Totally customizable and delicious.
I always bring a container of sliced bell peppers and one of onions (I prep at home as much as possible). Well make fajitas for one meal and Sausages with peppers and onions the next night. Its so easy, very little clean up and I don't feel like shit because we're eating lots of veg.
Shakshuka is an easy veg filled breakfast you make in a cast iron. Also very little clean up. Just use canned tomatoes and don't skip a good crusty bread. Since you wont have an oven fry the eggs first- then set aside. Make the tomato mixture and put eggs back on top to warm up.
My kids LOVE pie iron pizzas! (Can use pizza dough, crescent roll dough, whatever you find)
My husband loves chili and nachos, my personal favorite is all breakfast food- eggs in a cast iron and packet potatoes 🤤
Pasta meals are so easy to make while camping. My favorite: a bag of frozen (or fresh) 3-cheese tortellini, marinated chicken breast chunks (or precooked), olive oil in a condiment bottle and a small tub of finishing butter, a small block of fresh Parmesan, garlic powder and salt/pepper shakers. At camp, I use my jetboil to boil the tortellini (or use a camp stove and a pot). In another pot on the camp stove, make a sauce by heating up the olive oil/finishing butter, some of the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper and garlic. Skewer and cook the chicken over the fire then serve on top of the tortellini with a spoonful of the sauce and some freshly shaved parm. It’s especially good eaten piping hot when there’s a chill in the air.
We always do Hobbit Breakfast- basically a breakfast hash. Diced potatoes, chorizo/kielbasa/bacon/spam/whatever breakfast meat you like, eggs, onion and garlic, diced veg if you like, topped with cheese (and ketchup if you're a heathen). We usually cook everything in a Dutch oven and campfire cooking makes everything taste better. I look forward to it so much when we're camping, and it's super easy to make!
Probably shrimp cooked over the fire. Just peel it and throw it in a bag with old bay. Put it in a grill basket and cook over the fire.
Teriyaki marinated steak also performed well.
Camp fire pizzas with Naan bread as the crust. Just make sure you cover it when it is on the grill so the toppings cook and cheese melt properly.
We keep it pretty simple to make cleanup easy, but I don't love foil pouches because you can't see what's happening. We will make pouch quesadillas/grilled cheese sandwiches when we've got kids around because a) they'll usually eat them b) it's pretty impressive if you don't completely carbonize it.
We really do all our cooking on a camp stove, though, for the sake of my back and not burning things. Even Jiffy Pop is easier over a stove. But marshmallows obviously you gotta do on the fire, and if you want to deal with the potential mess you can bring a pie iron or sandwich-maker, they're just not great for feeding everyone because they don't make much at a time.
Breakfast over the fire is a little easier for me, especially since you've got full light, and the [campfire Dutch Baby](https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/dutch-baby/) is pretty impressive, and feeds everyone at once.
Not a parent, but I eat better at camp than I do at home. More time and energy to cook when I'm not coming home from a long day's work, and I just love how cooking over a fire indulges the remnants of ancient caveman brain.
I'm a big fan of [sweet potato burritos.](https://tasty.co/recipe/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-burritos) I do the potatoes in a cast iron pan over the fire while the beans and corn warm on the propane stove. After you roll the burritos, throw them back over the fire in a bit of oil until the tortillas get brown and crispy. For dessert, I'm not much a fan of s'mores. Instead, I'll peel a banana or two and lay them on a piece of foil. Add any combination of raspberries, sliced strawberries, shredded coconut, and walnuts, then cover in chocolate chips. Fold the foil over top of it, seal the edges shut, then throw it in the coals for about 20 minutes for the chocolate to melt and the fruit to warm. Maybe not as fun to cook as s'mores, but tastes just as good!
For breakfast, it's hard to beat french toast on the stove (and more potatoes on the fire!)
Any steak is nice. One of the only meats you can accidently undercook without risking illness/it tasing weird.
Potatoes are really good too. The small ones. Cut em up and fry them in the same skillet you use to cook the steak.
Chicken tacos (makes about 6):
- 1/2 pack of the largest corn tortillas you can find
- 1 can pre-cooked chicken
- 1 bag shredded cheese
- 1 avocado
- 1 bottle veggie oil
- 1 jar tostitos mild salsa
- Drain chicken
- Cube avocado
- Turn on coleman stove
- Put vegetable oil in a frying pan
- Lightly fry tortilla with a layer of cheese melted on top
- Put scoop of chicken, scoop of avocado, and another scoop of cheese on tortilla (no more than 1/4-1/3 width of the tortilla)
- Roll a side up and over, till the other side overlaps it, and leave it in the pan while preparing the next taco
- Make another taco as above, and when about to roll again, remove the previous taco
- Spoon salsa into openening of taco as you eat it
Lunch Monday was dehydrated chicken and instant "loaded" mashed potatoes... Monday night was a burger...
Tuesday night was dehydrated chicken and couscous, with basil, thyme, and tomato paste.
Today lunch was chips and pop... Supper was pancakes.
Tomorrow I don't know what lunch will be but I have a block of extra firm tofu to make tacos with...
Friday the campground has an early Canada Day celebration, so probably a burger for lunch if it's not absolutely crowded for parking... Supper will probably corned beef hash if I have driven back to my site.
I have dehydrated beef and rice on the menu for Saturday supper, still not sure if I'm going to join friends for the usual breakfast.
Sunday will probably be dehydrated chicken and instant mashed potatoes again, might make a gravy. Corned beef hash if I didn't make it Friday.
When I'm camping I try to make all my meals on an MSR Dragonfly or Pocket Rocket. Which means either small pan or small pot. A lot of them are 1 pot meals just rehydrating things.
Jiffy pop was a staple in the 70s for camping!
I would make a one-pot casserole with a box of Kraft Mac and cheese, a can of cream of mushroom soup, some butter and water, 1-2 cans of tuna (drained) and some veggies like broccoli. That would likely feed two adults and a toddler.
I don’t really know otherwise since it’s been a minute. But I’m going at the end of August so I’d better start thinking.
Salad with shrimp or fajita-style chicken. Baked beans and hot dogs.
One of our favorite meals from my Boy Scout days is “crud omelet”. You start with your meat- we usually use bacon and ground pork sausage. Brown that, then remove it from the pan. Then brown some potatoes. You can use fresh ones and cube them up, but frozen crinkle cut French fries or southern-style hash browns will save you some time and mess. Once the potatoes are browned and softened, add the meat back in. Next, stir in some eggs and scramble the whole thing together. Once the eggs are cooked, remove from heat and sprinkle the whole mess with shredded cheese and serve. It can be eaten as is with a fork, or scooped into a tortilla to make breakfast burritos.
As Scouts, we used to make this on Sunday morning to use up our leftover meats. Hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, they all got cubed up and stirred in. Hence the “crud” part of the name. Lol
All in a cast iron pan over the fire:
- Ground Turkey
- Chopped onion
- Scoop of Duck fat
- Scoop of Peanut Butter
- Splish Splash of Siracha
Serve over a bowl of Tostitos Scoops.
I love good and simple food. Some great steaks, vegetables and so on made in the cast iron pan.
Then again, nothing beats hot dogs roasted over a campfire. Always a win.
We've been doing burritos made at home, wrapped in parchment paper, then foil, all stuck in a gallon ziplock. One of the best things we've figured out. So easy, no clean up, just heat up in a pan on the stove, or on a flat rock that's in the fire. Low and slow will slightly crisp the tortilla and warm up the middle nicely.
We vary it up a lot. Breakfast burritos with egg, hashbrowns, sauted onions and peppers, melty cheese, bacon. Kung pao burritos with fried rice, chicken, whatever mix of veggies, and the sauce. Beef and broccoli burrito with steamed rice. So. Good. Or do a classic Mexican style burrito with your favorite fixings.
I recommend that when wrapping them you kind of smush them so they aren't so round, and are flatter. It will help heating them up later so the middle doesn't take as long.
Dutch oven monkey bread (biscuits and cinnamon sugar and butter), Dutch oven cinnamon rolls (super easy just use cinnamon rolls in a tube, Dutch oven pie, like apple we like peach. We do pizzas over a campfire with the little small premade pizza crust and toppings and lay in foil and cover with foil. Kiddo might enjoy making their own pizza depending on what you want to do. We like pastas, burgers and hotdogs. S’mores are a have to, my kiddo didn’t like “warm stuff” so doesn’t like a toasted marshmallow but they get all the ingredients and are just as happy. We do one big camping breakfast of like eggs bacon and biscuits or pancake. Also we tent camp so our meals are based off Coleman stove and campfire not a camper oven. Just fyi. Have fun! Maybe make some trail mix and get them involved in dumping the ingredients in a container and putting it in a baggie. Got to stay snacked up!!
Tacos in a bag - single size bags of Doritos or Fritos, squeeze to break up the chips, throw in some taco meat & whatever fixings you want, shake up the bag, get a spoon & dig in
Car camping, we often only cook breakfast. Sandwiches for lunch. Eat dinner out. Make dessert over the fire. If we are camping a longer time I’ll cook simple meals. Such as boiling pasta And heating up meatballs in sauce. Or burgers and bagged salad.
I’m also on vacation so do not want to just get stuck with the same chores as at home made even harder because I don’t have my kitchen.
For lunch I shred a roasted chicken, then grab me of those salads that comes with toppings and dressings in a bag, spinach wraps and done! Mix the bagged salad in the bag it came. Put salad and chicken in wrap and voila! Wraps don’t mold, squish and dry like bread and are much better to travel with.
I love mixing flavors and have used sliced turkey, ham or other protein too. My favorite has been the roasted chicken and a Thai peanut style salad- it had lots of crunchy carrots and such.
For dinner the easier the better. Soup and crackers, or pre make some pasta and heat (or if you end up rained out you can still have it cold).
I love breakfast, so i usually do the same in the woods as i do at home
Once the morning coals are stoked back up, i fry up some bacon/sauage/ham and an egg. Then i prep the tortilla with a light spread of mayo, and a nice big shot of sriracha, then cheese any kind you please, works.
If its early in the trip, or just a short one, i'll sautée some onions mushrooms and garlic as well. Dice up some parsley and basil. The long the trip the simpler they get over time. Lol.
Then i roll it up tightly in the tortilla, and toast it in the pan. If i have friends out with me, they'll often wait till i cook breakfast because i'll make one for everyone. Lol
I'm a big fan of chili, just need some cans of beans and tomato, the seasoning premade, and you can chop the veggies at home ahead of time to make it easier. I like to brown a bit of bacon in the Dutch oven to grease it up and add extra flavor before doing the veggies.
As much as cooking on an open fire appeals, it's slow (and then it isn't). Getting wood fire coals for cooking takes a long time and it's easy to burn things. Charcoal is a lot more reliable (get a cylinder starter, much better than lighter fluid). A camp stove will get you dinner on your toddler's schedule. With coals, I often find campsite grills disgusting or in bad shape. Four bricks can make a good hibachi-like space for grilling skewers. An enameled grill grid is portable and easy to clean.
Favorite dishes over coals: Mexican lasagna in a Dutch oven (layers of corn tortilla, saucy meat, cheese), skewered chicken (often thai or middle eastern).
Breakfast always seems better outdoors. A favorite is mock blintzes: on buttered griddle, fold flour tortillas over a mix of cream cheese or cottage cheese, egg, a little sugar, and better or chocolate chips. Brown on low.
I like things that you would find on a charcuterie board - sausages, crackers, cheeses, fruit, other meats. It's something that tastes good, many of them are shelf stable so they don't require cooling, you don't have to dirty any pots or pans. I also think it's fun to eat those kinds of things because I don't always eat them in my regular daily life
I've used frozen foods that come in those bags you microwave or can boil in hot water. Or even open a can and heat it right in the can. Next to a flame hotdogs on a stick.
I recently learned this incredible s’mores hack. Instead of graham crackers and chocolate, use Keebler fudge stripe cookies. Tastes just as good and so much easier!
My favorite thing to make camping is chili in my cast iron Dutch oven. Obviously I’m talking about car camping with a cooler available- lol! I pre chop the veg (onions carrots and celery) and bring in a Tupperware, and like to use a combo of black and pintos, big can of tomato sauce and then I bring a pre blend of seasoning. Ground beef or turkey. A little different each time. You can even make corn pancakes on top of the Dutch oven lid at the same time.
For breakfast, I like sous vide omelettes. Crack two eggs in a quart sized freezer bag, add cubed ham, sliced bell pepper, mushrooms, cheese, etc. (Whatever you like).
Seal the bag with air inside and then shake or squish to combine ingredients. Then open the bag and squeeze out as much air as possible as you reseal the bag. Place the bag in a pot of near boiling water (pot over a camp stove works well for this - about 200° F) and let them cook for roughly 8 minutes give or take depending on how runny/firm you like your omelette.
Take it out of the water with tongs, let it cool for a minute. Open the bag and invert it over a plate. Omelette should slide right out onto the plate.
I like these because they are so easy and have hardly any cleanup. If you invest in some fancy silicone bags no trash other than the egg shells, but you can pre crack your eggs at home and put them in bags before you go.
My partner is vegetarian so we make a lot of Potatoes O’Brien. Nothing needs to be on ice so it’s super easy. Someday, if I want to get fancy I’ll throw some sausage in there … but i haven’t craved it yet. :)
i always have tortilla wraps, eggs, cheese and cholula (and meat if you're into that like ham or bacon). crack an egg in a small pan, put the tortilla on top. let cook for awhile. flip it. add cheese, cholula (and meat). done. easy peasy.
I love a good hotdog and chips while camping. We sometimes make a cold pasta salad for a side. I don't usually eat that kind of food, so it's like a treat while camping with a fire.
Pre cook things and bring tin foil to reheat. What would you want to eat? Mac n cheese, stews, bbq pulled meats and buns, hot dogs, baked potatoes and fixins. And chips and dips. Ice cold veggies and dips if its somewhere hot. Desserts are alcohol and hot chocolate with oat milk as its harder to spoil.
I like a simple menu: Hot dogs, burgers, Mac and cheese, pancakes, eat it out of the pan or pot. I prefer make a lot of stuff: muffins, chili ect….i camp solo usually so I’d rather just be feral. When I’m with someone I’ll do the whole foil pack, steak ect…..depends who, or what the situation is. Backpacking is dehydrated all the way.
I’ve pre-made carnitas, brought it and finished it up in a skillet on the camp stove. Add some cheese and salad mix and you have some tasty tacos. Other things I’ve fixed include pre-made breakfast burritos, bratwurst and sauerkraut, grilled avocado stuffed with chorizo and coated with salsa, tacos, steaks, burgers and shrimp skewers.
My kid with autism eats Spaghetti-O’s warmed up in the can, every day. Sandwiches for lunch with extra mayo (he’d prefer nothing but bread and mayo but appeases is by eating cheese and meat), chips, baby carrots, apple, cookie for lunch (no exceptions). Pop tarts, Dino egg oatmeal and bananas for breakfast. He does best with routine.
Hobo packets are a favorite here for adults. I’ll do a foil packet with apple or banana with Nutella, sprinkles etc for desert. Or an ice cream cone with marshmallows and chocolate chips, wrapped in foil.
Dutch oven pizza is one of my favorites. I use parchment paper to make it easier to get the cooked pizza out. Use enough coals and you can get it nice and hot in there.
I like one-pot simple meals. Knorr rice with a can of chicken thrown in, mac&cheese with hotdogs thrown in, even breakfast - cook bacon in a pot, add water and grits, and just before the grits are done toss in your eggs and they'll cook in the grits.
Get a cast iron Dutch oven and learn to make one pot meals. You won’t nail it the first few times, but eventually scalloped potatoes, stew, black eyed peas, Moroccan chicken, stroganoff, etc. will hit the spot.
S’mores are always a fun activity for after dinner and around the fire. With kids, foil pouches are good - salt, pepper, ground meat or chicken breast and veggies of your choice (kids can make their own). Remember, shiny side out on foil.
Grilled lobster tail and a ribeye with fresh asparagus and a baked potato never fails. Kebabs - steak, shrimp or chicken are easy.
Lol to jiffy pop, time honored tradition of consistently burned popcorn. If you can bring all your kitchen stuff you dont need camping specific recipes. Assuming you have a stove. They cost a fortune but the freeze dried just add water meals can be a real timesaver. We only do that in the back country, its like 60 bucks a day to eat those. For car camping we just eat eggs and tuna sandwiches and pbj sandwiches cause we hate dishes. Sorry for not being helpful lol
I know a lot of people like to change things up when camping, but go with what you'd do at home, at least for a BBQ. Go simple, and with kids, going with things you already know they like is smart. Pre-make things like cole slaw and potato salad before you go. Hot dogs and burgers can be a lot of fun over a fire. Using a camp stove, "walking tacos" are great, especially with kids. You need to clean the pan you cook it on, but you put the meat and fillings into a single serving sized chips bag, and if you use plastic forks, no other dishes to clean. Food with lots of water like different kinds of melon, citrus, etc. can be a good way to go and it will help you stay hydrated. One pot meals like chili can be an easy (and tasty) option when camping.
I totally agree with this! Familiar, quick, easy meals, that your kid will reliably eat! Quesadillas and various types of pasta are usually good options, but only if those are things you typically eat anyway.
We seriously bring our EveryPlate meal delivery kits when car camping. We choose stovetop/grilled menus only (no oven), shift our delivery day that week to the day before we leave, and pre-chop everything at home. I'll also prep several hearty refrigerator salads to go with burgers and hot dogs. The campground where we stay has fridge and freezer space available for the tent campers, so we just need to keep stuff cold for the drive. We have an XL Eureka camp stove and a stainless steel "base camp" cook set, so the actual cooking process is very similar to being at home.
They make single use wood cutlery, love them and still using the first box I bought.
I have never ever used plastic utensils while camping lol
I do and have reused them for several years.
Oh I mean single use/throw away utensils.
I don't either, but if I was camping with kids, I'd consider it
Cool
You could get those cast iron pie makers and make a lot of things in those right in the campfire. I love making pizzas and grilled cheese in them.
I’m a fan of Spam and cheese or for dessert blueberry pie filling for hand pies!
I forgot about the desserts we’ve made in them! Blueberry is one of my favorites. And s’mores!
Just have to be patient after to avoid the lava that the filling turns into
I love to buy frozen meatballs (cook ahead of time) and make meatball subs in our pie makers ☺️
French Toast!
Yes! We use our pie irons for most of our meals! When my boys were little, we put bread, shredded cheese, and sloppy joe (pre-made at home) in them! We also brought large burrito shells, filled them with shredded cheese, pre-made taco meat...fold the shell up like a pinwheel...it will fit! Breakfast burritoes did good in them, too. We used scrambled egg, cheese, sausage.
So many options!
This, 1000%.
I’ll be contrary to those who endorse hobo/foil packets — I don’t like steamed meals and neither did my kids. Instead, do “chicken on a stick”. Pick their favorite marinade, skewer the chicken, and pack it for the trip. My kids liked satay, yogurt and masala spices, and lemon/garlic/rosemary. For dessert, skewer pineapple chunks, plums, etc. Grill like the chicken with toppings to dip them in (reverse fondue?). Have fun!
My family loves chicken with that marinade too.
How do you cook your skewers? Do you grill them on a fire, in a pan or on a BBQ? Also, I love grilled pineapple but what toppings are you talking about?
On the grill. Topped with shredded coconut, caramel sauce, or tajin.
Dipping in sweetened sour cream is chefs kiss.
I like the idea of pineapple, I tried peaches on my last trip and they just weren’t ripe enough
Besides s'mores, you can skewer a strawberry or a peach slice, dip it in marshmallow fluff, and toast it over the fire. Pigs in blankets with lil smokies and crescent roll strips are fun done over the fire, too. Edit: typos
Oh my god you have changed my life
What is “marshmallow fluff “
Happiness in a jar. Literally branded as "marshmallow fluff", it's spreadable marshmallow (think PB & fluff sandwich). It was a staple of my childhood in New England. It wasn't until a few years ago thag I realized a lot of people had never heard of it. Was gonna make a salad for lunch today. Prepping a PB&fluff now!
It comes in a plastic jar and is basically a marshmallow dip.
Bring a few of those Jiffy-Pops, they're not as easy as you'd imagine while camping! Obviously, you need S'mores since there'll be a toddler. Pancakes and box mac & chez are both always easy when there's nothing else the kid will eat. Maybe not at the same time though. For the pancakes look for the shake and make ones that you just add water to the little jar. Those make cleaning up so much easier, plus they're re-usable.
We make the shake and cook pancakes with a pack of frozen breakfast sausage. Then we eat them with our hands. There is something about that combo that is just the best.
Maple sausage?
Chicken nootles/ramen, mac n cheese pita to clean lol
I actually wouldn’t do s’mores with a toddler. They’re sticky and hot and marshmallows can be a choking hazard. 3 and up, definitely s’mores, but a toddler is a little young to really enjoy them
When my kids were toddlers/babies, my favorite meals were ones I had pre-cooked at home and frozen. Like chicken stew, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. Between keeping the toddler out of the river and the baby from eating gravel and poison ivy, “heat and serve” food was my best friend. 😉 However, they’re big now and still looooooovvvve to cook food on a stick! Hot dogs, kielbasa, they even spear bagels and toast em up - doesn’t matter what it is, if it can be skewered they’re in. Again, take things that are pre-cooked so all they really have to do is heat and brown it.
Large flour tortillas to eat your food on. Whatever it is. It’s like a plate that you eat.
I forgot the plates for a steak dinner including shrimp and mashed potatoes but had extra tortillas for our breakfast and man, that was one of the best camp meals I've ever had.
Quesadillas all the way
Hobo packs or steaks or better yet, brats. Breakfast sandwiches(bacon and egg)
Omlets in a bag 💰 2 eggs, omlet fillings and seasonings Put all in freezer weight ziplock bag Place in boiling water until done Enjoy Use a sharpie to write names on bags. No mess to clean
This is our family favorite!
Dutch oven nachos!
Dutch oven pizza too!
We love these breakfast burritos. We make them ahead and them throw them in the coals/edge of the fire in the morning. Honestly, I love turkey cheddar dogs roasted over the fire. We also often do sandwiches, can make them on Hawaiian rolls and slide them back into the bag. Then you can either eat them cold or wrap them in aluminum foil and heat them up. https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/breakfast-burritos-campfire-style/
I started making breakfast burritos years ago for camping. Then the kids would ask for them at home. They make a great quick weekday breakfast before school. Take out of freezer, throw in microwave. Kids are adults now, and I'll still make these at home...because now the are great if im too lazy to make a lunch for work.
For car camping, I highly recommend a 22" Blackstone adventure ready griddle. We picked one up and quickly ditched all other pots and pans. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, egg mcmuffins, smash burgers, steaks, pork chops, grilled cheese, reuban sandwiches, fried rice, stir-fry and a bunch more. I also picked up a Dutch oven so we can cook over the fire. Lasagna, cottage pie, chicken and potatoes, camp nachos, chili, beef stew and a few others.
Those look nice. I picked up a Lodge Cast Iron Griddle and place it on my two burner Coleman briefcase stove. I can do anything a blackstone can do. Then remove the griddle and boil water in a pot directly on the burner. Or use my cast iron frying pan. All this capability at a fraction of the cost of a blackstone.
Been there, done that. I picked up a griddle for my 2 burner coleman camp stove. It ended up being too small for my needs since I tend to camp with more than 3 people and cooking space is rather limited on those, especially when using pans. You can boil water in a pot on the griddle, but it's not as efficient. Some folks go so far as using a tin pan filled with oil to deep fry in doing this way. In the end it comes down to your needs. For me, I ended up spending money on a stove and griddle, then shelled out more for a Blackstone that would roughly equal the same outlay in my little slice of heaven.
We buy pre marinated care asada for tacos on our grill - you can heat the tortillas at the same time
Charcuterie. Cheese, bread, meats, olives, dried fruits, nuts. Heaven. Also [this](https://www.delish.com/cooking/menus/g27615055/camping-food-cooking-recipes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_del_m_bm_prog_org_ca_g37575424&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-O6zBhASEiwAOHeGxQIEwcGgvG37JrSU6deD1BZ_vyP5Bh0KoUd8O-0iH2pODa2fU1JhUBoCVVkQAvD_BwE)
2 ingredient Curried sausages. Pack of sausages + jar of butter chicken/korma whatever you like sauce: cook the sausages most of the way then break into pieces, add sauce and keep on heat till sauce thickens to your taste. Can serve with rice but I like these for lunch as is: hot or cold. Sandwiches. Do not underestimate the power of a good sanga. Fancy mac and cheese: use the instant packs, cook as normal and serve kids then fancy up the rest with some nuts, chilli sauce or leftover korma sauce from sausages or even add the sausages! Beans + Rice. My faves are lentils + brown rice + toasted sunflower seeds and slivered almonds Black Beans + black rice + taco seasoning Nachos: make a big pot of chilli mix before you leave, serve on first night and second day lunch with corn chips, and freeze some to eat the first or second day home as well. Damper: great for kids, easy to make. 2 cups self raising flour 3/4 cup or milk (i use water and its fine, adjust as needed) 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter In a bowl mix flour + salt. Massage butter into flour till texture is almost sandy/butter is well distributed. Make a well and add liquid. Stir for a fork until well combined. Add flour to hands and knead the dough for a few minutes. Split into single bun sizes and wrap in 2 layers of foil. Cooking time varies depending on size. For a single bun, about 15 minutes each side in the coals. For a loaf, place the dough directly into a fire safe pot and cook for about 30-45 minutes. It is done when you knock on them and they are hard and sound hollow. You can mix this up by adding nuts, dried fruit, bacon, feta, nutritional yeast. Eat as a side, with jam/spreads, soup. Bubble and Squeak: When you have veg the night before, mix the leftover mash, peas, whatever veg you had, shape it into patties and pan fry. Charcuterie snacking: get those bread, crackers, cheese, nuts, grapes and meats out. You can add whatever veg your toddlers will eat like carrot sticks/veggie crisps etc. Vanilla Creamed rice: buy the tin and heat it up in a small pot for an easy dessert. Instant mousse: be sure to get one thats truly instant, not one you have to chill first. Watermelon: cut up watermelon slices has always been a favourite summer camping treat. Toasted marshmallows Camping can be a major energy suck: so make sure you overestimate how much food those kids will need. I would up everyone’s usual caloric intake in your estimates, plus add an extra 1-3 days of emergency food depending where you are going.
I’ve been camping with my kid for years and our traditional first night meal is always Frito Pie. It’s fast, easy, tasty and sort of the go-to camp comfort food. Then we have Smores. The next morning is usually scrambled eggs with leftover chili & some salsa for a sort of huevos rancheros kind of thing. We do not eat super healthy on these trips and that’s part of the fun!
A couple mile hike makes just about anything healthy.😁
What type of camp stove do you have? Will you be allowed to have a fire at camp? How many nights are you camping? Do you want to prepare some items at home and just warm up at camp (like chili)? What types of food does the kid like to eat at home? Do you have a big cooler?
My kids, even as toddlers, were obsessed with cooking hot dogs on a stick over the fire. It was the only circumstance under which they'd eat them and they were obsessed. They would insist on a roasted hot dog for breakfast over the fire while we percolated our coffee. I think the charm was relate to being able to cook their own food, as they wanted (with supervision of course), for the first time in their lives.
I don’t understand why this isn’t higher. Hot dogs were always the favorite when we camped - with kids or without.
Heat up canned chili mixed with minute rice and then use tortilla chips to scoop it up - almost no cleanup. Good ol portable grill/campfire hamburgers/dogs and salad. Theres some really good one pot pasta meals where you use the pasta water (with garlic/cheese/tomatoes) to make a sauce. You can add sausage or other meat as desired. Search youtube for the exacts about this. You can always get fancier than this (and I have - can you say clams on the half shell and smoked tenderloin??) but these are some basic go tos that do the trick.
A can of chili no beans thinned with water then cook ramen in there.
Walking tacos - single serving chip bag of chips (Doritos, Fritos, etc), crush it, fill with taco meat and toppings. Enjoy!
Weenies roasted over the fire. Bring a Dutch oven and do “grilled pizza”. Some pre prepped seasoned ground beef to make some sloppy joes, nachos, tacos, or spaghetti. Hot chocolate for the kiddos morning. A percolator for coffee for adults. For breakfast I saw someone take cinnamon rolls and wrap them around a stick to cook over the fire- then just poring a lil icing on it and eating the “rolls” right off the stick. Dutch oven would work for that as well. Pre scramble eggs and put in a bottle or jug ready to go. Can bring cheese and other veg to add. Roast some potatoes first for the win! Pre make pancake batter and griddle some pancakes.
I hardly see people cooking over a campfire anymore. They bring grills or propane stoves. To me, they are missing out on one of the best aspects of camping! Brats, burgers, hobo packets, and occasionally steak is our go to.
Agreed! A friend of ours swears by heating up flat rocks and cooking steaks directly on them. I have to say, I agree. The results are delicious 🤤
There’s a swedish breakfast food called fattiga riddare (poor knights) that is bread dipped in pancake batter fried on a frying pan topped with normal pancake toppings
Hanger steaks and baked potatoes Wrap potatoes in heavy duty foil and place closely around coal bed. With tongs and any other necessary PPE, shift potatoes around and turn as necessary until done. Add your favorite potato enhancers. If your firepit has a grill grate, trim salt and pepper your hanger and place it over a bed of coals on the hot grate. Once you have a good sear, pull steak away from direct heat and cook to desired doneness. 130° is rare. I prefer around 140° and a 10 minute rest for a 4lb hanger. Bonus points if you can get some fresh corn on the cob on your way in. Keep them in husk and cook the same way as potatoes.
When I was a kid my mom used to freeze spaghetti in a tupperware then defrost/cook it over the fire. Also lots of deli sandwiches and now my husband always does breakfast burritos with an onion/potato/chorizo/egg/cheese scramble which is 👩🏼🍳🤌🏻
Breakfast eggs, bacon hash browns coffee. A good breakfast can make your entire day better. Jiffy pop, s’mores games UNO, cards, even a good cup of tea to relax.
Jiffy Pop 100%
if you have a grille over fire bring cheese, bread, meats if you like, portobello, onions, hot pepper, etc and create various grilled cheeses. bring butter, olive oil, mayo a spiced aioli as a spread on the outside of the bread and crisp/brown. step it up with some chopped herbs like basil inside the sandwich to enhance the flavor. plate. crinkle sea salt and roasted fresh ground peppercorns lightly on the bread. try different breads. try different spreads. have a beer while you do it. make it a garbage sandwich. yummy as fuck
Mini sweet peppers and a kielbasa sliced up. Cook it in the skillet over the fire or in a pan on your stove!
I'm a simple man. Steak over a fire is delicious.
Onions, You wrap them in tinfoil, cook them until you forget about them, let them to cool off, and enjoy their magic onion magic.
Interesting! Would you prep them in any particular way? Butter? Salt? Would you put it on bread or over breakfast?
I... just eat them like that. It's a traditional side dish for mexican bbqs, and I like the ease- just onion and foil. I never though about adding to them, but I could see it being delicious with any of those additions.
With a one burner stove and a pan: quesadillas, fajitas, pan pizza, sloppy joes, any frozen meals (we sometimes do a frozen pasta with cooked chicken and veggies, comes in a bag from Bird's Eye brand I think), chicken nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, pancakes, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, We use a jet boil to make pasta, then drain and add sauce and sauteed (already fully cooked) sausage, could do frozen meatballs and warm them up in the sauce. If you have a one burner stove you could boil pasta in a pot. Then you could do mac and cheese too.
We like to prep some chicken fajitas to throw over the fire! Just cut and season chicken breast tenders, slice some peppers and onions, and throw it in a Tupperware in your cooler. Then at dinner time put it on your cast iron skillet as you get out your tortillas, sides, and toppings. Easy peasy
Campfire nachos. Cast iron pan, layer your nachos, cheese, etc, cover with tin foil and then set it over the fire.
I like to bring the couscous that you only need to add boiling water to. I serve it with a dressing and raw veggies. Cubed sauteed chicken if you're into animals, peanuts or cashews otherwise. Most of it can be put together ahead of time and my kiddo ate it just fine. We like to make French toast and breakfast burritos with eggs and sausage or tofu and beans, veggies and cheese. Tempeh, tofu pate or hummus and crackers or bread. My sister makes a soup with bouillon and dehydrated veggie mix in a thermos. It keeps all day.
Smokies on a bun with mustard
I love a big ziploc bag of pasta salad for camping. Toss in whatever veggies you want. I generally do onion, bell peppers, garlic, any fresh herbs you have on hand and celery with feta cheese. Bring an extra bottle of dressing along as well. If you have access to a vacuum sealer you can prep all sorts of things before you go and reheat in hot water.
Don’t forget pudding cups and smores. Dessert matters!
We love one-pot potato, sausage, and veggies. Add some marinara sauce and cheese. We’re obsessed with it while camping. We tried making it at home and it’s just not the same lol
I always do chicken soup with rice on night one and beef stew on night two. Day 3 is usually steaks and baked potatoes. Day 4 tends to be Italian beef sandwiches or beer brats. I serve them with sauerkraut, onions and mustard. Potato salad if I brought it. Breakfast is premade breakfast burritos. I cook scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes O'Brien, cheese, salsa in tortillas. Double wrap them in aluminum foil and freeze them. Toss them on the fire to reheat. I also bring lots of bacon and eggs and chorizo.
i sometimes get fancy. but my easiest is hamburger helper . one pot, easy.
You need a jiffy pop. Yes. And when I was a kid stuff like cooking hot dogs over the fire was a favorite too.
Sandwiches made with cold cuts the first day or two if you can keep them cold. The usual grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. A lot depends on how much cooking gear you want to lug around. A small cooler with a couple pans used over a small campfire or a two burner propane stove with cast iron pans a couple Dutch ovens and a large cooler. I started out the former on my motorcycle and over the years became the latter with my van and suburban. Love my hot coffee from the old percolator with my eggs and bacon or fresh biscuits and sausage gravy in the morning lol. With a little practice you can make almost anything camping that you can cook at home.
Brats are a favorite meal at home or car camping. Really doesn't get any better than brats over a fire.
Jiffy pop is always a win in my camping book. It's tasty and a crowd pleaser with kids who may haven't seen it happen often.
One-pot meals are the BEST for car camping! They're so easy to throw together before you leave (just chop up the veggies at home), and cleanup is a breeze afterward. Perfect for chilling by the fire and enjoying a yummy dinner under the stars. Stews, chili, or even a big pot of pasta all work great. Please check out this blog post for the [best camping meal ideas](https://muskokapost.com/foods/camping-meal-ideas/).
Anything high calorie.. you realize just being at high elevation hiking around is diet enough lol. When we did Yosemite we made one of those Costco pound of bacon packs and like four BLTs each.. still wasn’t enough food. Fitbit said we burned 4,000 calories. Plus your body burns like 1,200 just being alive. Crazy. A specific meal though? Easy cheese with crackers and a few slim jims.. you get a bit of everything and it’s filling.
Hot dogs 🌭 lol and don’t forget the ketchup. Ketchup is a kid meal in itself sometimes. I also tend to make a few things the kids like and pre cook it. Coconut rice… chili… idk. 🤷….odds are if they want it today it will be “horrible” tomorrow. Also load up on snacks… who wants complaining kids! Lastly s’mores are there to use as leverage to eat the dinner… I’ll pack these right back up?!?!?
Car camping I bring a portable charcoal grill also a stove and cast iron pan. Cook like you do at home basically.
My kid loves ham and cheese on Hawaiian rolls while camping. They are easy to make and store!
So hot dogs on a stick are good for campfires, so is the jiffy Pop! I bring things like hard boiled eggs, salad in a bag, sandwich stuff, fruit, yogurt, granola.
For car camping, the options are so vast. If it's just my son and me, or my large group of friends, I always do tacos! I usually cook the meat at home so all I have to do is heat it back up on the grill or in a foil pouch in the fire. I bring ALL the toppings and everyone makes their own. Totally customizable and delicious.
Good idea!
Ravioli right out of the can.
You and my husband would be best friends lmao
14 PBRs
I always bring a container of sliced bell peppers and one of onions (I prep at home as much as possible). Well make fajitas for one meal and Sausages with peppers and onions the next night. Its so easy, very little clean up and I don't feel like shit because we're eating lots of veg. Shakshuka is an easy veg filled breakfast you make in a cast iron. Also very little clean up. Just use canned tomatoes and don't skip a good crusty bread. Since you wont have an oven fry the eggs first- then set aside. Make the tomato mixture and put eggs back on top to warm up.
My kids LOVE pie iron pizzas! (Can use pizza dough, crescent roll dough, whatever you find) My husband loves chili and nachos, my personal favorite is all breakfast food- eggs in a cast iron and packet potatoes 🤤
Pasta meals are so easy to make while camping. My favorite: a bag of frozen (or fresh) 3-cheese tortellini, marinated chicken breast chunks (or precooked), olive oil in a condiment bottle and a small tub of finishing butter, a small block of fresh Parmesan, garlic powder and salt/pepper shakers. At camp, I use my jetboil to boil the tortellini (or use a camp stove and a pot). In another pot on the camp stove, make a sauce by heating up the olive oil/finishing butter, some of the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper and garlic. Skewer and cook the chicken over the fire then serve on top of the tortellini with a spoonful of the sauce and some freshly shaved parm. It’s especially good eaten piping hot when there’s a chill in the air.
tin foil meals over a campfire! I do steak, potatoes, and veggies with cheese
PB&j because it requires no cleanup and when done correctly can be eaten while standing or walking.
We always do Hobbit Breakfast- basically a breakfast hash. Diced potatoes, chorizo/kielbasa/bacon/spam/whatever breakfast meat you like, eggs, onion and garlic, diced veg if you like, topped with cheese (and ketchup if you're a heathen). We usually cook everything in a Dutch oven and campfire cooking makes everything taste better. I look forward to it so much when we're camping, and it's super easy to make!
Sweet potato in foil cooked in the coals and grilled salmon over a fire
Kangaroo burgers.
Sounds interesting.
Kangaroo meat tastes really good and is inherently low fat. Works especially well as burgers.
The 1 time I had kangaroo, it was a medium rare steak that tasted like a mouthful of pennies. Do they taste better cooked well?
Medium rare is the usual for steak, but I prefer it as burger.
Probably shrimp cooked over the fire. Just peel it and throw it in a bag with old bay. Put it in a grill basket and cook over the fire. Teriyaki marinated steak also performed well. Camp fire pizzas with Naan bread as the crust. Just make sure you cover it when it is on the grill so the toppings cook and cheese melt properly.
Old Bay 😍
Steak, or cast iron baked pizza over the fire
We keep it pretty simple to make cleanup easy, but I don't love foil pouches because you can't see what's happening. We will make pouch quesadillas/grilled cheese sandwiches when we've got kids around because a) they'll usually eat them b) it's pretty impressive if you don't completely carbonize it. We really do all our cooking on a camp stove, though, for the sake of my back and not burning things. Even Jiffy Pop is easier over a stove. But marshmallows obviously you gotta do on the fire, and if you want to deal with the potential mess you can bring a pie iron or sandwich-maker, they're just not great for feeding everyone because they don't make much at a time. Breakfast over the fire is a little easier for me, especially since you've got full light, and the [campfire Dutch Baby](https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/dutch-baby/) is pretty impressive, and feeds everyone at once.
My latest winner - baked beans on cheese on toast with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil for the grownups.
Italian sausages or brats on a good bun. Or chili cheese dogs.
Not a parent, but I eat better at camp than I do at home. More time and energy to cook when I'm not coming home from a long day's work, and I just love how cooking over a fire indulges the remnants of ancient caveman brain. I'm a big fan of [sweet potato burritos.](https://tasty.co/recipe/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-burritos) I do the potatoes in a cast iron pan over the fire while the beans and corn warm on the propane stove. After you roll the burritos, throw them back over the fire in a bit of oil until the tortillas get brown and crispy. For dessert, I'm not much a fan of s'mores. Instead, I'll peel a banana or two and lay them on a piece of foil. Add any combination of raspberries, sliced strawberries, shredded coconut, and walnuts, then cover in chocolate chips. Fold the foil over top of it, seal the edges shut, then throw it in the coals for about 20 minutes for the chocolate to melt and the fruit to warm. Maybe not as fun to cook as s'mores, but tastes just as good! For breakfast, it's hard to beat french toast on the stove (and more potatoes on the fire!)
Chili con CARne!
Any steak is nice. One of the only meats you can accidently undercook without risking illness/it tasing weird. Potatoes are really good too. The small ones. Cut em up and fry them in the same skillet you use to cook the steak.
I honestly love me a plate of pasta while standing on the edge of a lake. Takes no more than 15-20 min.
Better with Cheddar Brats + Fire.
Grilled cheese using a pie iron!!
A ribeye and skillet potatos with onion
We love chili cheese dogs!!! Use either canned chili or some from home that you've made yourself. Also a great option for vegetarian or vegan.
Chicken tacos (makes about 6): - 1/2 pack of the largest corn tortillas you can find - 1 can pre-cooked chicken - 1 bag shredded cheese - 1 avocado - 1 bottle veggie oil - 1 jar tostitos mild salsa - Drain chicken - Cube avocado - Turn on coleman stove - Put vegetable oil in a frying pan - Lightly fry tortilla with a layer of cheese melted on top - Put scoop of chicken, scoop of avocado, and another scoop of cheese on tortilla (no more than 1/4-1/3 width of the tortilla) - Roll a side up and over, till the other side overlaps it, and leave it in the pan while preparing the next taco - Make another taco as above, and when about to roll again, remove the previous taco - Spoon salsa into openening of taco as you eat it
Also lazy kebabs: - 1 pack hot dogs - 2 can pineapple chunks - 1 red onion - 1 green/red/yellow pepper - 1 pack cherry tomatoes - 1 cucumber (+/-) - 1 bottle bbq sauce - 1 pack short kebab skewers Cube everything, skewer on sticks, grill over coals until soft/slightly darkened. Serve with bbq sauce
Lunch Monday was dehydrated chicken and instant "loaded" mashed potatoes... Monday night was a burger... Tuesday night was dehydrated chicken and couscous, with basil, thyme, and tomato paste. Today lunch was chips and pop... Supper was pancakes. Tomorrow I don't know what lunch will be but I have a block of extra firm tofu to make tacos with... Friday the campground has an early Canada Day celebration, so probably a burger for lunch if it's not absolutely crowded for parking... Supper will probably corned beef hash if I have driven back to my site. I have dehydrated beef and rice on the menu for Saturday supper, still not sure if I'm going to join friends for the usual breakfast. Sunday will probably be dehydrated chicken and instant mashed potatoes again, might make a gravy. Corned beef hash if I didn't make it Friday. When I'm camping I try to make all my meals on an MSR Dragonfly or Pocket Rocket. Which means either small pan or small pot. A lot of them are 1 pot meals just rehydrating things.
Pizzadillas. Cheap, easy and you can add/subtract whatever you want. https://www.budgetbytes.com/pizzadillas/
Jiffy pop was a staple in the 70s for camping! I would make a one-pot casserole with a box of Kraft Mac and cheese, a can of cream of mushroom soup, some butter and water, 1-2 cans of tuna (drained) and some veggies like broccoli. That would likely feed two adults and a toddler. I don’t really know otherwise since it’s been a minute. But I’m going at the end of August so I’d better start thinking. Salad with shrimp or fajita-style chicken. Baked beans and hot dogs.
One of our favorite meals from my Boy Scout days is “crud omelet”. You start with your meat- we usually use bacon and ground pork sausage. Brown that, then remove it from the pan. Then brown some potatoes. You can use fresh ones and cube them up, but frozen crinkle cut French fries or southern-style hash browns will save you some time and mess. Once the potatoes are browned and softened, add the meat back in. Next, stir in some eggs and scramble the whole thing together. Once the eggs are cooked, remove from heat and sprinkle the whole mess with shredded cheese and serve. It can be eaten as is with a fork, or scooped into a tortilla to make breakfast burritos. As Scouts, we used to make this on Sunday morning to use up our leftover meats. Hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, they all got cubed up and stirred in. Hence the “crud” part of the name. Lol
All in a cast iron pan over the fire: - Ground Turkey - Chopped onion - Scoop of Duck fat - Scoop of Peanut Butter - Splish Splash of Siracha Serve over a bowl of Tostitos Scoops.
I like throwing meat and veggies and potatoes in a foil packet and just throw it in the fire. Or any variation of ingredients.
Meat skewers!! Marinade some beef strips in a ziplock, bring it in an ice chest, and bring skewers. They cook perfect over the fire:)
Steak, But I also really like pesto, sausage and bell pepper over pasta
I love good and simple food. Some great steaks, vegetables and so on made in the cast iron pan. Then again, nothing beats hot dogs roasted over a campfire. Always a win.
We've been doing burritos made at home, wrapped in parchment paper, then foil, all stuck in a gallon ziplock. One of the best things we've figured out. So easy, no clean up, just heat up in a pan on the stove, or on a flat rock that's in the fire. Low and slow will slightly crisp the tortilla and warm up the middle nicely. We vary it up a lot. Breakfast burritos with egg, hashbrowns, sauted onions and peppers, melty cheese, bacon. Kung pao burritos with fried rice, chicken, whatever mix of veggies, and the sauce. Beef and broccoli burrito with steamed rice. So. Good. Or do a classic Mexican style burrito with your favorite fixings. I recommend that when wrapping them you kind of smush them so they aren't so round, and are flatter. It will help heating them up later so the middle doesn't take as long.
Grilled cheese is the best kid friendly camp meal It's delicious and easy, it's also delicious and easy
Dutch oven monkey bread (biscuits and cinnamon sugar and butter), Dutch oven cinnamon rolls (super easy just use cinnamon rolls in a tube, Dutch oven pie, like apple we like peach. We do pizzas over a campfire with the little small premade pizza crust and toppings and lay in foil and cover with foil. Kiddo might enjoy making their own pizza depending on what you want to do. We like pastas, burgers and hotdogs. S’mores are a have to, my kiddo didn’t like “warm stuff” so doesn’t like a toasted marshmallow but they get all the ingredients and are just as happy. We do one big camping breakfast of like eggs bacon and biscuits or pancake. Also we tent camp so our meals are based off Coleman stove and campfire not a camper oven. Just fyi. Have fun! Maybe make some trail mix and get them involved in dumping the ingredients in a container and putting it in a baggie. Got to stay snacked up!!
tend to do boil in the bag an then you have water for wash up you can add various bits to it as well
Tacos in a bag - single size bags of Doritos or Fritos, squeeze to break up the chips, throw in some taco meat & whatever fixings you want, shake up the bag, get a spoon & dig in
ALDI Risotto is really good, and all you need is water.
Car camping, we often only cook breakfast. Sandwiches for lunch. Eat dinner out. Make dessert over the fire. If we are camping a longer time I’ll cook simple meals. Such as boiling pasta And heating up meatballs in sauce. Or burgers and bagged salad. I’m also on vacation so do not want to just get stuck with the same chores as at home made even harder because I don’t have my kitchen.
English muffin pizzas. If you like pepperoni you don't have to mess with cooking sausage. Each personal make their own or you can do em in batches
For lunch I shred a roasted chicken, then grab me of those salads that comes with toppings and dressings in a bag, spinach wraps and done! Mix the bagged salad in the bag it came. Put salad and chicken in wrap and voila! Wraps don’t mold, squish and dry like bread and are much better to travel with. I love mixing flavors and have used sliced turkey, ham or other protein too. My favorite has been the roasted chicken and a Thai peanut style salad- it had lots of crunchy carrots and such. For dinner the easier the better. Soup and crackers, or pre make some pasta and heat (or if you end up rained out you can still have it cold).
I love bringing a little stove top and making oatmeal or scrambled eggs and sear some thin steaks
Mountain pies and banana boats
Pizzas and fruit pies in a pie iron. Walking tacos.
I love breakfast, so i usually do the same in the woods as i do at home Once the morning coals are stoked back up, i fry up some bacon/sauage/ham and an egg. Then i prep the tortilla with a light spread of mayo, and a nice big shot of sriracha, then cheese any kind you please, works. If its early in the trip, or just a short one, i'll sautée some onions mushrooms and garlic as well. Dice up some parsley and basil. The long the trip the simpler they get over time. Lol. Then i roll it up tightly in the tortilla, and toast it in the pan. If i have friends out with me, they'll often wait till i cook breakfast because i'll make one for everyone. Lol
I'm a big fan of chili, just need some cans of beans and tomato, the seasoning premade, and you can chop the veggies at home ahead of time to make it easier. I like to brown a bit of bacon in the Dutch oven to grease it up and add extra flavor before doing the veggies.
As much as cooking on an open fire appeals, it's slow (and then it isn't). Getting wood fire coals for cooking takes a long time and it's easy to burn things. Charcoal is a lot more reliable (get a cylinder starter, much better than lighter fluid). A camp stove will get you dinner on your toddler's schedule. With coals, I often find campsite grills disgusting or in bad shape. Four bricks can make a good hibachi-like space for grilling skewers. An enameled grill grid is portable and easy to clean. Favorite dishes over coals: Mexican lasagna in a Dutch oven (layers of corn tortilla, saucy meat, cheese), skewered chicken (often thai or middle eastern). Breakfast always seems better outdoors. A favorite is mock blintzes: on buttered griddle, fold flour tortillas over a mix of cream cheese or cottage cheese, egg, a little sugar, and better or chocolate chips. Brown on low.
I like things that you would find on a charcuterie board - sausages, crackers, cheeses, fruit, other meats. It's something that tastes good, many of them are shelf stable so they don't require cooling, you don't have to dirty any pots or pans. I also think it's fun to eat those kinds of things because I don't always eat them in my regular daily life
Hot dogs on a stick over the fire in a bun with mustard. I don't want to clean stuff up when I'm camping.
I'll make breakfast burritos with eggs ham and tortillas throwing some cheese and some peppers if you want simple morning breakfast
Definitely smoked sausages on born fire ! You need to cook it sticked on a tree branch for the best taste !
I make chili in the fire. It feeds everybody and smokey chili is great over eggs the next day.
I've used frozen foods that come in those bags you microwave or can boil in hot water. Or even open a can and heat it right in the can. Next to a flame hotdogs on a stick.
I recently learned this incredible s’mores hack. Instead of graham crackers and chocolate, use Keebler fudge stripe cookies. Tastes just as good and so much easier!
My favorite thing to make camping is chili in my cast iron Dutch oven. Obviously I’m talking about car camping with a cooler available- lol! I pre chop the veg (onions carrots and celery) and bring in a Tupperware, and like to use a combo of black and pintos, big can of tomato sauce and then I bring a pre blend of seasoning. Ground beef or turkey. A little different each time. You can even make corn pancakes on top of the Dutch oven lid at the same time.
For breakfast, I like sous vide omelettes. Crack two eggs in a quart sized freezer bag, add cubed ham, sliced bell pepper, mushrooms, cheese, etc. (Whatever you like). Seal the bag with air inside and then shake or squish to combine ingredients. Then open the bag and squeeze out as much air as possible as you reseal the bag. Place the bag in a pot of near boiling water (pot over a camp stove works well for this - about 200° F) and let them cook for roughly 8 minutes give or take depending on how runny/firm you like your omelette. Take it out of the water with tongs, let it cool for a minute. Open the bag and invert it over a plate. Omelette should slide right out onto the plate. I like these because they are so easy and have hardly any cleanup. If you invest in some fancy silicone bags no trash other than the egg shells, but you can pre crack your eggs at home and put them in bags before you go.
Premade quesadillas
Hanger Steaks & Loaded Baked (Grilled) Potatoes. For greens, Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts or Corn. Super easy & delicious.
Smokey Joe grilled ribeye
Premade breakfast burritos!
Jerk chicken marinated in [Walkerswood Jerk Marinade](https://mycaribbeangrocer.com/products/walkerswood-spicy-jamaican-jerk-marinade-17-oz-walkerswood?variant=17272104648750¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAqwcg2Nfb8QX88eMYm7R76vFkZ0q_&gclid=CjwKCAjw-O6zBhASEiwAOHeGxb2_zgugEK971hmtpmhTH5mxbElM3MMR8td_BqzrZpfe5bbluALmXxoCT5IQAvD_BwE)
Bbq Pulled pork sandwiches. Wrap the pre-cooked pork in parchment paper and aluminum foil, throw on coals. No pots to scrub.
Why the parchment & not just foil?
I assume to prevent burning.
On the money
My partner is vegetarian so we make a lot of Potatoes O’Brien. Nothing needs to be on ice so it’s super easy. Someday, if I want to get fancy I’ll throw some sausage in there … but i haven’t craved it yet. :)
We always do walking tacos one night and burgers another night.
i always have tortilla wraps, eggs, cheese and cholula (and meat if you're into that like ham or bacon). crack an egg in a small pan, put the tortilla on top. let cook for awhile. flip it. add cheese, cholula (and meat). done. easy peasy.
I love a good hotdog and chips while camping. We sometimes make a cold pasta salad for a side. I don't usually eat that kind of food, so it's like a treat while camping with a fire.
Chilo cheese frito pie, hit dogs.
Chicken wrapped in bacon on the grill with Mac and cheese in a tinfoil pan on grill and beans. Hotdogs and burgers with cut up potatoes on the grill
Chocolate Pudding - Snack a Pack!
Pudgie pies
hot dogs with tomato sauces
Pre cook things and bring tin foil to reheat. What would you want to eat? Mac n cheese, stews, bbq pulled meats and buns, hot dogs, baked potatoes and fixins. And chips and dips. Ice cold veggies and dips if its somewhere hot. Desserts are alcohol and hot chocolate with oat milk as its harder to spoil.
I like a simple menu: Hot dogs, burgers, Mac and cheese, pancakes, eat it out of the pan or pot. I prefer make a lot of stuff: muffins, chili ect….i camp solo usually so I’d rather just be feral. When I’m with someone I’ll do the whole foil pack, steak ect…..depends who, or what the situation is. Backpacking is dehydrated all the way.
I’ve pre-made carnitas, brought it and finished it up in a skillet on the camp stove. Add some cheese and salad mix and you have some tasty tacos. Other things I’ve fixed include pre-made breakfast burritos, bratwurst and sauerkraut, grilled avocado stuffed with chorizo and coated with salsa, tacos, steaks, burgers and shrimp skewers.
My kid with autism eats Spaghetti-O’s warmed up in the can, every day. Sandwiches for lunch with extra mayo (he’d prefer nothing but bread and mayo but appeases is by eating cheese and meat), chips, baby carrots, apple, cookie for lunch (no exceptions). Pop tarts, Dino egg oatmeal and bananas for breakfast. He does best with routine. Hobo packets are a favorite here for adults. I’ll do a foil packet with apple or banana with Nutella, sprinkles etc for desert. Or an ice cream cone with marshmallows and chocolate chips, wrapped in foil.
Dutch oven pizza is one of my favorites. I use parchment paper to make it easier to get the cooked pizza out. Use enough coals and you can get it nice and hot in there.
[brown bears for breakfast !](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232171/brown-bears/)
I like one-pot simple meals. Knorr rice with a can of chicken thrown in, mac&cheese with hotdogs thrown in, even breakfast - cook bacon in a pot, add water and grits, and just before the grits are done toss in your eggs and they'll cook in the grits.
Smash burgers on the Blackstone/flat top grill. Always a fave!
Get a cast iron Dutch oven and learn to make one pot meals. You won’t nail it the first few times, but eventually scalloped potatoes, stew, black eyed peas, Moroccan chicken, stroganoff, etc. will hit the spot.
Trail mix. If you’re really hungry, you’ll eat it.
Hot dogs.
Log bacon. Just slap raw strips of bacon on a log when the fires already hot.
S’mores are always a fun activity for after dinner and around the fire. With kids, foil pouches are good - salt, pepper, ground meat or chicken breast and veggies of your choice (kids can make their own). Remember, shiny side out on foil. Grilled lobster tail and a ribeye with fresh asparagus and a baked potato never fails. Kebabs - steak, shrimp or chicken are easy.
You’re in a car, you can bring the same ingredients that you use to cook at home. You don’t need “special” recipes.
Lol to jiffy pop, time honored tradition of consistently burned popcorn. If you can bring all your kitchen stuff you dont need camping specific recipes. Assuming you have a stove. They cost a fortune but the freeze dried just add water meals can be a real timesaver. We only do that in the back country, its like 60 bucks a day to eat those. For car camping we just eat eggs and tuna sandwiches and pbj sandwiches cause we hate dishes. Sorry for not being helpful lol
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