Planning out what you are going to eat while camping is very important.  You don’t want to get to your destination only to find out you’re missing a crucial food element.  For some reason, camping makes everyone extra hungry, too.  I think it’s all the fresh air, biking, hiking, and exploring that goes along with camping.  When we camp, I like to have meals that require as few dishes as possible and are easy and fun to prepare.  Our camp cooking supplies kept us going for a 3-week camping trip we did several years ago and most all of the items were purchased second-hand.

Meal Planning for Campers

• Easy!  An easy to prepare meal the first night you arrive is my biggest tip and this is the one time I purchase canned beans.  I like Bush’s vegetarian baked beans.  They’re warm in no time on a camp stove and not bad cold.  (I only mention this because while camping in California last year, we didn’t realize you needed a permit to have a fire so we couldn’t warm them and had to eat them cold!)
• Fun!  Fun to cook foods are always a hit.  Grilled shish-kabobs, hot dogs cooked over a fire with a stick you’ve whittled yourself, popcorn and s’mores are always requested when we plan our meals for camping.
• Fish!  Catch your supper – well, at least fish for it.  While my anglers always try to catch dinner, good intentions don’t fill empty stomachs and so I plan for back-up meals.  A can of tuna or a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a good fill-in when “slaying the fish” doesn’t produce desired results.
• Re-stock!  As soon as we return from a camping trip, I re-stock our supplies immediately.  I haven’t always done this upon returning from a trip.  I used to think I could remember to do these things but really, who am I kidding?  (Internet Girl has a lot on her mind!)  Just re-stock before you put everything away and you won’t be cursing when the matches are missing.

Here’s a fun video filmed last summer with Fusion NW showing our camp cooking supplies and my camp meal planner.  Yes, I keep it in a page protector.

My planner that I use for camping is available as a PDF here. Camping Meal Plan

Go Gingham related links:

Camp cooking supplies are here and why I like camping (but don’t love it)
Travel tips for a trip or stay-cation around the Northwest
Travel packing in a little suitcase and a chart
You can see all of my TV appearances here