A Rookie Camper’s Guide To Delicious Camping Meal Ideas

Camping is more fun if you’re fortified just right. No camper must go out on a trail up the mountains on a grumbling stomach or low blood sugar, it’s definitely a big no-no, not to mention disastrous to one’s health. So this article will tackle more about great camping meal ideas that you can use not just at camp but anywhere else that requires you to provide hot meals in a jiffy for the whole family. Before you shop for groceries, make sure that you prepare a food cooler for safekeeping of your frozen goods. Chilling meat, poultry, and other fresh ingredients prevents the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms that cause spoilage. Having a cooler handy is ideal if you don’t have a camping fridge to bring to camp. Your cooler will also keep bugs and stray animals from pilfering on your food supply.

Investing on a food dehydrator is a good choice especially if you’ll be feeding a small group of people and you don’t have enough space for say, three food coolers for a week-long camping getaway. A food dehydrator can be used for fruit slices, stew, meat strips, vegetables, chili, spices, even spaghetti sauce. This device is a definite must-have since it reduces the water content of food products without ruining their palatability. Less water content means less weight, therefore less effort on your part. You can save more with a food dehydrator than buying dehydrated food products so it’s definitely a wise choice. Some of the most popular camping meal ideas that kids and adults will love include hotdogs, franks, hamburgers, grilled pork, your choice of sandwiches and easy-to-prepare salads, and if you have a camping oven ready, rolled muffins, casseroles, and pies. Stock up on more carbohydrate-rich foods like rice, pasta, nachos, rolled oats, and whole grain cereals like barley and wheat, and a pack of granola cookies to power you up during those long walks.

Don’t forget to stash hot chocolate ingredients, your favorite coffee varieties, fruit juice, and lots of potable water on your food containers. Marshmallows, chocolate bars and crackers or cookies for making smores are also a must-have if you’re bringing kids along for those bonfires where you tell tall tales and scary stories. You can also bring beer and a little bit of whisky or rum but remember, everything should be taken in moderation. As for protein, try to do away with fish and mussels for a while when you’re camping out in the woods or high up a mountain. They tend to spoil faster than frozen meat products.

Unless you’re getting a fresh catch from a nearby lake george camping, pond, or you’re camping by the sea, try to keep your seafood supply to a minimum. You can bring your trusty camping BBQ and other cool camping gadgets that you use for cooking and storing food. Just because you’re temporarily living outdoors for fun doesn’t mean that you have to eat like you’re a participant of that one reality show where candidates were marooned on an island and left to live by their means.