The best kept secret to a successful camping trip is to plan one-pot lunch ideas. While it takes extra prep work at home, you will be so glad you made the effort. You might even find your fellow campers asking how you made lunch so fast!
Some simple meal ideas are listed below to get you started. You can certainly extend the one-pot plan to include dinners as well. Then read on for some menu planning, shopping and pre-cooking tips that will help make your next camping trip a breeze.
Sample meal ideas
1. Spaghetti and meatballs
This meal can be completely cooked ahead at home! Once cooked, mix the sauce, noodles and meatballs and place in gallon food storage bags. Then all you will have to do at the campsite is pour in the pot and heat thoroughly. Bring pre-made garlic bread to heat up, and some parmesan cheese if desired.
2. Burritos
Pre-wrapped burritos will be a cinch to heat up in a jiffy! Put your favorite filling on the tortillas, roll tightly and wrap individually in foil. Some filing ideas: shredded chicken or ground meat, rice, cheese, salsa. Or try the breakfast burrito, with scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese. Be creative!
3. Shish Kabobs
Assemble at home and wrap in foil for quick cooking at camp. The possibilities are endless, such as cubed chicken or beef, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. You can season with Italian dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, or lemon garlic sauce, whatever flavors your family prefers. These will smell delicious while cooking over the camp stove.
4. Chili and smoked sausage
Simply buy your favorite canned chili and pre-cooked sausage, so all you have to do is pour in the pan and heat through.
Plan the Menu
Start by writing down your meals for each day. For more inspiration, a quick search on the internet will provide many great websites with camping recipes. If you are camping with another family or two, you might want to consider everyone going in together on the meals. Each family could contribute assigned ingredients for each meal. This takes some careful communication, but it makes a fun group experience at meal time.
The shopping trip
Make your list, carefully including all ingredients for each meal. Don’t forget to include the paper plates and plastic utensils if needed. You might want to go shopping with the other people who are going to join you camping.
Meal Prep
The day before your trip, do the pre-cooking and assembling. This will save you time and effort while camping, when conditions are not ideal for cooking.
Have fun creating a menu that works best for you. With a little planning and preparation, you will have your pre-made meals ready to go. You will pleasantly surprised to find your efforts will result in extra free time to relax and enjoy your camping trip.
