Whether you are staying in a trailer, glamping or roughing it in a tent, preparing for a weekend away is a lot of work. Coming up with what you will be eating shouldn’t be another added stress; here are 12 easy camping meal ideas.
Yearly, we go camping for a weekend in a oTentik in a National Park, which makes it slightly easier on packing but we still need to bring along all our cooking gear. We packed a Coleman stove and also cooked on the campfire using cast iron frying pans and aluminium foil and pans for some of our meals.
Top 3 Nutrition Tips for Camping
1) Pack Ready To Eat Fruits & Vegetables
We pre-chopped fruits and veggies to keep in mason jars in our cooler. We also packed some applesauce pouches, apples, banana, and pears for easy and convenient fruit options that require little prep. This made it easy to balance the meals with fruit and veggies, and less cutting and chopping while camping.
2) Pack nutritious granola bars, trail mix, energy bites or muffins for quick snacks
You and your little ones will likely be on the go, and you will need some nourishing snacks between meals. If you have extra prep time before the trip, whip up your favourite energy bites or muffins, if not there are plenty of nourishing options to purchase like trail mixes or granola bars.
3) Meal plan so that you pack what you need for nourishing and easy meals.
There are a ton of easy meal ideas (that can also be fun) to cook while camping. Knowing exactly what you are having can make it easier for packing while also allowing you to prep little bits of the recipes ahead of time if time allows.
I will share with you some of our go-to meal ideas for camping.
12 Camping Meal Ideas
Breakfast Camping Ideas
Breakfast ideas should be balanced to help fuel your day.
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats can be made before your camping trip, or the night before. Fill mason jars with oats, milk of choice, chia or flax and berries. Here are some recipes and tips for making your overnight oats.
Muffin Tin Egg & Ham Cups
These can be made over the fire with aluminum muffin tins, or in an oven if you have access. Line each muffin cup with a slice of deli ham . Crack an egg on top of the ham slice. Cover with aluminum foil tightly and bake over a hot bed of coals or low-flaming campfire turning often until the egg is cooked through for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Scrambled Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches or Wraps
Scramble eggs and place in a sliced croissant or tortilla with cheese. Serve with fruit on the side.
French Toast & Berries
French toast can be made on a frying pan, or you can try making a french toast bake to cook over the campfire in a dutch oven.
Lunch Camping Ideas
Keep lunch simple so that you can pack it on-the-go so you don’t miss out on any fun activities.
Sandwiches & Veggies
Quinoa Salads
Pasta Salads
Snack Plates with cheese, veggies, dips, crackers or pita
Supper Camping Ideas
Black Bean & Beef Nachos or Quesadillas with Avocado & Veggies
You can use your choice of canned black beans or ground beef, you can cook the ground beef ahead of time if time allows. Then in an aluminum pan, place your nachos, cheese, protein and veggies of choice. Cover with aluminum pan and bake over the campfire with low flames until cheese is melted. You can also do the same with tortillas and fold them in half. Serve with avocado and salsa.
BBQ Steak, Potato & Garden Veggies or Bagged Salads
Enjoy grilling your steak on a pan or bbq, and enjoy with grilled potato and bagged salad or steamed veggies.
One Pot Shrimp Pesto Pasta
Boil pasta, and drain. Mix in precooked shrimp, chopped cherry tomato and pesto and warm.
Sausage & Potato Foil BBQ Packages
Tear off a large 18 inch piece of aluminum foil. In the centre add chopped sausage, chopped potato, and your choice of veggies like peppers, onion, corn, green beans. Drizzle olive oil over top and your choice of spices. Fold up the package by bringing up the sides of the aluminum until a package forms. Cook foil packs in the hot coals of a campfire until the veggies are tender, around 20-30 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.
Remember you don’t need to feel guilty about including some camping favourites, enjoy your S’mores. No one food will make or break your nutrition goals, staying nourished and satisfied is key.
What are your favourite camping meals? Let us know in the comments below.
You can also check out more family friendly recipes here