Camping Meal Prep

We like to go on at least one significant road trip in the Spring or Summer, then we sprinkle in several shorter trips throughout the year. These road trips last anywhere from 1-2 weeks and consist of us camping here and there along a predesignated area of the U. S. This leaves us ample, opportunity to change our route as we go and have a more relaxed adventure. Sometimes we stumble on unexpected beauty, amazing opportunities or what we really want, which is waaaay off-road adventures in a beautiful setting, all alone.

Camping Meal Prep is awesome for making delicious, low stress meals out in the middle of nowhere!!

I have nothing against paid campsites or other areas where people like to camp or gather together, I just prefer to be in a place where we hear and see nothing but nature. This often means we have traveled a great distance on dirt roads, made our way across streams, through mud, over large rocks or fallen trees to get to the “it” spot.

While I like to take a laissez-faire approach as to where we lay our head, I am a planner and big on Camping Meal Prep. This means, I typically have a list for each meal we will be making on our journey. I strategically, prep, pack and plan out what we are cooking and on what night. When I pack our food items, the things I need first, are on top or in the front. I know exactly where to find the food I will be cooking and what I’ll need for set up. So, if we roll into camp late or after dark and everyone is hungry and tired, I can easily whip up something for dinner with minimal effort.

Generally, a day or two before we leave for our trip, Camping Meal Prep will be in high gear. I will have made the menu, including snacks and treats and shopped for the items we need and started prepping what I can. This time of year, it is chilly at night, so I know the first night into camp, depending on how far we pushed ourselves to go, we will be tired and cold. I like to make a pot of hearty soup ahead of time. I store that in a large container and all I have to do is pour that into a pot and reheat it. I will have pre-buttered rolls and placed them in foil, so I just throw that foil package on the fire and it will be warmed up just about the same time the soup is hot.

In order to feel relaxed and enjoy my adventure in the outdoors, I rely on Camping Meal Prep to stay organized.

As I said, I like to prep as much ahead of time as I can, because I never know what type of environment we will find ourselves in. I make seasoned hamburger patties ahead of time and put foil or waxed paper between them, then seal in a Ziplock bag. I parboil potatoes for dishes or buy hash browns we will be eating for breakfasts and dinners. I place steaks and shrimp in a bag, add marinade, seal and toss in the cooler. I butter garlic bread or rolls, and wrap in foil. I slice tomatoes, pickles and onions for our burgers and I cut up or chop vegetables I know I will be adding to the Dutch Oven later in the week.

For the most organized Camping Meal Prep, I often pack items needed for a specific dish altogether, already prepped and measured, in one labeled bigger bag or Tupperware container. Then, I can pull that one container out of the cooler and know everything I need for that meal is ready to go and I just need to cook it. I would prefer to spend an hour or two before we leave, at home, in the comfort of my kitchen, taking care of these things, rather than taking time from the fun I’m having while out on my adventure, camping.

Obviously, none of this is rocket science, but a little planning and preparation will go a long way in reducing your stress when you get out in the wilderness and have limited time or resources. We like to go as remote as possible and it would be very easy to eat the most basic food items, but if I can make really good food, in a really amazing environment, I will and I do! See ya friends!

We rely on Camping Meal Prep to stay organized and eat well, what is your trick to a relaxed camping adventure?