Camping food

hamstermann
hamstermann Posts: 58 Member
edited December 1 in Recipes
I have a family campout coming up next month and need ideas for meals, please. I'll be surrounded by really tempting junk food and home made treats and need ideas for food my picky eaters won't snub, but that will fill me up too. Does anyone have suggestions?

Replies

  • OldHobo
    OldHobo Posts: 647 Member
    edited May 2016
    What kind of camping? Would you and your family be interested in chuckwagon or cowboy campfire cooking? The kind, for instance, with a campfire 3 legged cast iron dutch oven with the flat top lid to put coals on top of? If so there are tons of ideas, books, tv shows, websites and youtube channels devoted to the topic.
    We did a lot of this 30 some odd years ago and they're pleasant memories for me and the kids. Even the one who said it was corny at the time.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    You could just have fun and not worry about it. Get back to logging when you are home.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    For snacks, I keep plenty of fresh veggies and fruit around to nibble on. For the grill, I make sure we have salmon burgers, chicken breasts, lean pork chops and lower calorie chicken sausages in addition to the usual brats, steaks, hot dogs and burgers. And I've learned to make veggies on the grill and now even the kids love them. Get a grill basket or skewers and try squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, corn or anything else that looks yummy. Baste with a bit of olive oil and season with garlic, salt and pepper. You'd be surprised what kids will eat if you put it on a stick.
  • Toronto6fan
    Toronto6fan Posts: 461 Member
    When we car camp I make chili ahead of time for the first night and just heat it up. I also marinate a flank steak to do over the fire. Burgers and shrimp also easy to do.
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    Pro-tip: everything majority of things taste good while you're camping, so have fun with it. Besides, you're not necessarily sitting down all day watching TV, so staying at a deficit is fairly easy.

    I bring the fridge when I go camping, but it's mainly lots of steak, hamburger, hot dogs.

    Corn on the cobs, bakers potatoes -- those are both easy to wrap in tin foil and throw in the coals. Also, you can saute some broccoli in a skillet with just butter and seasonings and cut the corn off the cob into the mixture. That's always really good.

    I also pre-make about 2 boxes of those suddenly pasta salads; they keep well in the cooler and you can just dig in without warming anything up.
  • lizzylovestocook
    lizzylovestocook Posts: 30 Member
    edited May 2016
    If you use Pinterest at all there are tons of great ideas for camping food on there . We usually have our grandkids with us and kids love anything on a stick so I use wooden skewers ( soak in water first ) I load up chicken and all sorts of veggies and we BBQ them the kids love them . Also foil packs with chicken or salmon etc and veggies . I got these ideas from Pinterest and we've made them many times .
    http://camping.about.com/od/recipes/tp/kidsfavoritecampfoods.htm
  • 1Nana2many
    1Nana2many Posts: 172 Member
    We like to do foil dinners where everyone gets to put in their own choices in their individual packets. Be sure to have a black marker to keep track of whose each is. Make some mini muffin sized brownies to take along as a snack. Fewer calories, but you still get a snack. Make some pop corn and keep it in a paper bag to snack on. Prepare veggies you can steam in a foil packet with a couple ice cubes so you're not just eating meats for meals. Cut up cantaloupe, water melon...have a fruit bowl to snack a little on. Measure out some 100 calorie snacks in baggies to take with you so there is always something you would enjoy. We've been known to make calzones in the ditch oven...if you use frozen dinner rolls and low fat string cheese with turkey pepperoni, the calories might not be too bad. We always have a Mexican food night with our kids. Just some thoughts.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited May 2016
    Depends I guess on what you're going to do while camping.

    If you're going on long hikes for a lot of the day, junk food is actually perfect - you need sodium, sugar, fats, calories, and palatability, and junk food is basically the holy grail :smiley:

    If you're mainly spending time in camp socializing, meats, particularly leaner cuts, are quite filling for their calories. And barbecue is basically the camp tradition.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Chicken, shrimp, potatoes and corn on the cob.
    Watermelon for desert
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited May 2016
    For breakfasts, we love the omelets in a bag. Use zip loc freezer bags. crack 2 eggs into the bag. Seal and mix well. Open bag and add diced veggies, ham, cheese, bacon, whatever you love in your omelet. Squeeze out all the air you can and seal. You can do quite a few at a time. Place in boiling water and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
  • hamstermann
    hamstermann Posts: 58 Member
    So many great ideas! Thanks everyone!
    JenHuedy wrote: »
    For snacks, I keep plenty of fresh veggies and fruit around to nibble on. For the grill, I make sure we have salmon burgers, chicken breasts, lean pork chops and lower calorie chicken sausages in addition to the usual brats, steaks, hot dogs and burgers. And I've learned to make veggies on the grill and now even the kids love them. Get a grill basket or skewers and try squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, corn or anything else that looks yummy. Baste with a bit of olive oil and season with garlic, salt and pepper. You'd be surprised what kids will eat if you put it on a stick.

    What's a grill basket? I don't think I've ever heard of one of those.
    rankinsect wrote: »
    Depends I guess on what you're going to do while camping.

    If you're going on long hikes for a lot of the day, junk food is actually perfect - you need sodium, sugar, fats, calories, and palatability, and junk food is basically the holy grail :smiley:

    If you're mainly spending time in camp socializing, meats, particularly leaner cuts, are quite filling for their calories. And barbecue is basically the camp tradition.

    Camping with my family is mostly sitting around playing card and board games while socializing and grazing on whatever junk food has been brought up. So yeah, not a lot of hiking.

    I love the idea of the melon bowls - maybe I can do that and baby carrots and celery for snacks and make sugarfree drink mixes (the kind where 1 cups is 5 cals) for drinks.
    snowflake930 wrote: »
    For breakfasts, we love the omelets in a bag. Use zip loc freezer bags. crack 2 eggs into the bag. Seal and mix well. Open bag and add diced veggies, ham, cheese, bacon, whatever you love in your omelet. Squeeze out all the air you can and seal. You can do quite a few at a time. Place in boiling water and cook for about 12-15 minutes.

    What a creative idea! that sounds fun. Do you worry about chemicals from the bag leeching into the food as you boil it? is it easy to get the omelette out of the bag, or does it stick to it and you just kind of scrape out what you can?
  • OatmealBowl
    OatmealBowl Posts: 82 Member
    Turkey 3 bean chili. Freeze flat in ziploc before trip. Fits great in the cooler. Great served on baked potatoes.

    Fish and veggies in foil packets.

    Snacks: crudites, granola and nuts.
  • LazyButHealthy
    LazyButHealthy Posts: 257 Member
    hamstermann wrote: »
    I have a family campout coming up next month and need ideas for meals, please. I'll be surrounded by really tempting junk food and home made treats and need ideas for food my picky eaters won't snub, but that will fill me up too. Does anyone have suggestions?

    Firstly, I would say increase your allocation a little during camping.
    Long walks, hikes, the cold - all have an impact on your appetite, so plan for bites thorughout the day at a slight higher rate.

    When we go camping we tend to have lazy breakfasts, but you can plan ahead through pre-logging and shopping.
    - cook your own bacon rolls
    - individual packs of cereals
    - fruits and yoghurts

    For lunches - Again have your shopping done and a good cool box for storage. Make salads, sandwiches with things like smoked salmon, veg, chicken. Snacks like hummus and vegetables (pre-measured). Ensure you have a good water supply while out walking.

    Dinner: we cook on a travel gas stove, and through trial and error I've found that the best way for me is supermarket packed kits and set meals. Things that are easy-logging, filling, and sit in the cooler.
    Uncle Ben boil in the bag rice; chunky soups; curries; jars.

    Not necessarily what I tend to have at home, but if it's not simple and fast to prepare when you return from a long walk, then you're more likely to go fast food or to the local pub for a massive feed!
  • rock_tex
    rock_tex Posts: 1 Member
    I am going camping next month and when we go we do grilled bacon and sausages with toast.
  • Nobletoy
    Nobletoy Posts: 1 Member
    Omelets in a bag are super easy. No worries about the plastic and they slide right out of the bag in the shape of an omelet! Just don't put too many bags in the water at a time- depending upon the size of the pot with water.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I camp a lot during the summer and I eat very much like I would eat at home...grill up some kind of meat, poultry, or fish and serve with some veg and maybe a nice potato that was baked in the fire pit. Almost always grill burgers and do some corn on the cob one night.

    For breakfast we usually have eggs, potatoes, and either bacon or ham. Lunches are usually sandwiches as we're usually on the go hiking or something.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Pineapples and Peaches are delicious grilled!
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    My husband and I have a few staples that aren't too bad. We have a camp stove and also cook on the fire

    Breakfast:
    Eggs and bacon
    Pancakes - mix dry ingredients at home and put in plastic container, do same with wet ingredients in separate container then mix and cook at camp
    Oatmeal

    Lunch and snacks is sandwiches and fruit

    Dinner:
    Kabobs - marinate meat at home and put in container, then skewer everything and cook over fire
    Hot dogs with canned corn and/or canned beans heated on the fire
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    hamstermann wrote: »
    snowflake930 wrote: »
    For breakfasts, we love the omelets in a bag. Use zip loc freezer bags. crack 2 eggs into the bag. Seal and mix well. Open bag and add diced veggies, ham, cheese, bacon, whatever you love in your omelet. Squeeze out all the air you can and seal. You can do quite a few at a time. Place in boiling water and cook for about 12-15 minutes.

    What a creative idea! that sounds fun. Do you worry about chemicals from the bag leeching into the food as you boil it? is it easy to get the omelette out of the bag, or does it stick to it and you just kind of scrape out what you can?

    It sounds like you are car camping, but for those of us who camp in the backcountry, it is common to make our own little meals using freezer plastic bags. I understand your concern. - The important part to note is to use freezer bags, not snack ziplocs. They are specifically labeled as freezer bags on the package.
  • zillyjilly5888
    zillyjilly5888 Posts: 2 Member
    UGH im having the same struggle for memorial day! and alcohol is a big issue, trying not to drink all the beer that ill be surrounded by!!! HELP!
  • annaweezer229
    annaweezer229 Posts: 40 Member
    We always do campfire banana boats:
    Cut an unpeeled banana lengthwise but not all the way through the peel. Add chocolate chips or chocolate sauce, chopped nuts or peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, etc. Wrap in foil and put on coals for 10 to 15 minutes till its warm/melts the chocolate. Unwrap Foil and eat banana goodness from the peel.

    Also we make campfire Apples:
    Core an apple but don't cut it in half. Fill center with a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, sprinkle generously with cinnamon (you can also add raisens or nuts if you like). Wrap in Foil and put on coals until fork tender. We usually do this the first night and bring along some low fat vanilla ice cream in the cooler and eat it ala mode.

    I have to have sweets when I camp! :)
  • rosecropper
    rosecropper Posts: 340 Member
    Easy to scan & prelog foods. Just have to adjust servings depending on how hungry.
    We try to minimize trash, so mainly wash & reuse containers or that can be thrown in the fire like corn husks & wax paper.
    Yogurt, fruit & oat parfaits in mason jars- make ahead- for easy breakfast the first morning. Then the empty jars are good for reusable drink glasses.
    Grilled flatbread pizzas- use "flat out" style flat breads topped with some pasta sauce & cheese & pizza toppings (precut & ready to add) for individual pizzas.
    Small zucchinis cooked whole on grill or roasted over the fire on skewers- nice for any vegetarians because can serve on a hot dog bun!
    Veggies/crackers with hummus or bean dip- more filling than than most regular dips, less likely to spoil too.
    A container of egg whites travels better than whole eggs- good for omelettes, frittatas, breakfast burritos, etc.
    Couscous- lightweight if backpacking, cooks quickly if conserving stove gas.
    Premade tamales- just have to reheat!
    If boiling water for coffee or tea, I like bring a steam basket to put over the pan. Can steam veggies, buns, tortillas, tamales while heating water for drinks.
    Grilled pineapple slices, peach or apricot halves, bananas roasted in the peel.
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