By Cheri Sicard
Planning a camping trip should be fun, not stressful! In today’s video near the bottom of this article, Amanda of Amanda Outdoors simplifies camping meal prep and cooking, so you can spend more time enjoying the outdoors.
Amanda says successful camping trips start with a solid plan, especially when it comes to food. Planning ahead can save time, reduce stress, and ensure everyone eats well.
The master plan
Start with a high-level view of the trip. Think about how many days you will be camping and what meals you’ll need for each day. For example, a plan might look like this:
• Day 1: Breakfast at home
• Day 2: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
• Day 3: Breakfast, lunch
This simple overview helps keep things organized. Now fill in the blanks. Here’s a simple meal plan for a weekend camping trip:
• Breakfast: Yogurt and granola with berries, or eggs and pancakes
• Lunch: Chicken Caesar wraps
• Dinner (Night 1): Pesto pasta with chicken sausage
• Dinner (Night 2): Beef and veggie stir-fry
• Snacks: Trail mix, yogurt, fruit
The “To Prep at Home” list
Prepping food at home is key to saving time and staying organized at the campsite. Look through the meal plan and identify what can be done in advance. Adjust the amount of prep based on the length of the trip and personal preferences. Store-bought ingredients can save time. Organizing ingredients before starting helps streamline the prep process.
Amanda’s “To Prep At Home” list example
• Make granola.
• Make trail mix.
• Make Caesar dressing (optional—store-bought is fine!).
• Marinate beef for stir-fry.
• Clean and cut veggies for stir-fry and wraps.
Watch the video as Amanda implements this camping meal prep plan and the recipes it makes, and pick up camping meal prep tips.
Do you have a favorite dish or recipe you like to prep in advance when on a camping or RV trip? Be sure to share it in the comments below.
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RVDT2654
Make a meal plan, prep what you can at home…This isn’t rocket science and is probably the way 99% of campers handle meal planning.
We leave a largish TT in the south and migrate N<>S, semi-annually in a small TT. During the 4-6 weeks before we go, we deliberately make larger meals and freeze half the entree. Our TT freezer has the entree and smaller ‘steamer’ packs of vegies. We have single serving cups of rice/potato/ or mac&cheese in the frig. Add-an-egg breakfast cups. The goal is 300-350 miles a day. Park with unhitching with AC power for the night. Fairly healthy breakfast & dinners from the microwave with minimal prep or dish washing. We usually pick up a deli sandwich on the road for lunch.
Thank you for summarizing the video, Cheri! DW makes a large pasta salad that we eat for lunches, sometimes dinners. Ahead of our departure for the 49th state, DW made 3 large lasagnas (~20 servings) and a couple of large pots of chili. It all was portioned into double servings for each meal and frozen. We bought an additional freezer that fits in a storage bay to contain what the refrigerator’s freezer could not. Have a great day and safe travels!
PS. Reached Dawson City today. 🙂