Food For Camping

Food for camping can sometimes be challenging. I know with 7 boys and 3 girls and a husband, it is hard to fix an easy meal and keep everyone happy.

There are so many different ways to approach camp cooking. Cheap and easy out of the can, freeze-dried efficiency, or caught in the wild cooking. Which one suits you?

Another Way

I want to be able to enjoy my camping time as much as everyone else, so I look for easy preparation meals.

Let me share a few of mine with you.

On Friday nights when we first get to the campground, of course everything is crazy with getting everything ready.

Quick and Easy Menus

We build a fire in the firepit.

While we are getting set up, the fire is burning down enough for us to cook.

After both the set up and the fire are ready, we get out our hotdogs and Spaghettio's. We skew the hotdogs onto undone wire coat hangers and open the cans of Spaghettio's. Open the cans to where the lid is still attached, but can be opened.

Set the cans directly over the fire on the grate. Keep them rotated so they won't burn inside the can. Your meal is good, hot and provides a happy tummy in everyone. That's fun and easy food for camping!

You can eat right out of the can, or pour it into paper bowls. The hotdogs are cooked by each individual person. MOM gets to take a break with them and enjoy the kids having fun. After we are finished eating, into the fire goes the bowls. Easy clean-up.

Always put your cans in the garbage bag. You can't burn them, so don't put them into the fire.

Once everyone has finished eating, use the same wire skewer and roast marshmallows. They are the all time traditional food for camping.

It is not a time consuming meal and is really easy on the budget. You can substitute sausage for the hotdog if desired.

Always supervise children around the fire. It is so easy for them to trip and fall.

Visit our other page on more campfire meals or see the one on more camping recipe ideas.

And of course you need the one about campfire cooking. I have to warn you though, I'm a huge fan of crock pot cooking, so you'll find lots of mention of ideas for that method, too.

And we have tips for setting up a camping kitchen, too.

Use That Handy-Dandy Crockpot!

Another idea we have is to cook baked potatoes in the Crock-Pot.

It is easy and you don't have to stand over them and keep a check on them.

Just put them in and let them cook.

Provide the toppings and let them fix their own.

It is good food and good for you. You can cook baked beans in the Crock Pot also and add hamburgers to the menu.

You can use Spam for a lot of fillers in foods. Adding it to Mac & Cheese in the can is a great meal. Heat the cans over the grate top and serve.

Heat up some potatoes and carrots in the can on the grate and add to canned Roast Beef for a stew meal. Ready in minutes, and yummy.

Let's Bag a Breakfast

Eggs can be cooked in plastic freezer bags for a quick breakfast. Bring a pot of water to a boil over the fire grate, crack the eggs into the zip lock bag. Add whatever you want with them, such as bacon bits, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, Rotel, ham and any other ingredient you like.

Mash the eggs along with all the other things in there and give them a good mixing. Drop the zip lock bag into the boiling water and it will cook it for you.

It takes about 15 - 20 minutes for 2 eggs and toppings. The more you put in the bags, the longer it takes to cook it. One fun thing we did with our grandchildren is to add food coloring in the bags.

They enjoyed a colored breakfast. Even though it looked bad, they were just as delicious. My husband, Ronnie, had green eggs and ham! And you thought they were just in a book!

These can be made up the night before and taken right out of the fridge.

Crescent rolls make a great starter meal with cut up hotdogs or Little Smokies Sausages. Roll up the meat in the roll and place the roll over the grate away from direct fire and rotate until done. Make sure you oil the grate first.