Before every camping trip, I will spend a few minutes browsing camping recipes, finding something new to try and add to our ‘camping meal plan’, but for the most part – we usually stick to the recipes we know, and love.
This year, we’ve been given the chance to kick our cooking up a notch, with Go RV, as we explore some of the most popular camping destinations in Alberta, in an RV – a fun foray from our usual ‘tenting it’ camping lifestyle.
Here are some of our expert camping tips to make meal planning in the campground, simple.
Plan it out | Before we leave on a trip, we’ll make a meal spreadsheet. It includes every meal we’re going to eat at the campground. We take into account the number of breakfast, lunch and dinners that we’re going to create, and use this ‘meal plan’ to create a list of ingredients. This meal plan double as a shopping list and guide for when you’re at the campground. Using the refrigerator and freezer in the RV has made planning much easier – bringing leftover ingredients home for the next camping trip is a convenient feature of RV Camping.
Tip: Check your fridge and freezer – we usually cross at least a few ingredients off of our list using this method.
Stock up on the Basics | Chocolate bars for S’mores, Jiffy pop, juice boxes, nuts and other snack or pantry items – stock up on these items and organize them into plastic containers, to store in your trailer through the season. This makes the pre-grocery shopping camping trips easier – especially if you’re heading out every weekend. Not only will you have less to shop for, but you can buy these ‘camping basics’ on sale. Plus, you’ll avoid the Thursday night rushed shopping trip or the last stop before you head out of town to grab those basics.
Tip: Use the shoe box sized plastic containers for easy (and compact) cupboard organizing.
Go Convenient | At your local grocery store, you can often find foods that are pre-prepared, taking the prep work out of camping. Some of our favourite ways to do this are vegetables for side dishes that are not only pre-cut and seasoned, but that are served in containers that you can cook right over the fire (we find a selection like this at our local Sobeys store).
It takes the prep work out of camping, and allows you to get dinner ready in minutes, giving you more time to head out on your next camping adventure.
Tip: The convenience doesn’t have to stop at breakfast, one of my favourite products for camping are individual oatmeal cups. They’re an easy breakfast or a nice way to warm up before bed.
Develop ‘go-to’ Recipes | Using the same ‘tried and true’ go to recipes, mixing them up even a little, makes grocery shopping easier. Some of the recipes that we use over and over include:
- Breakfast sandwiches
- Stuffed grilled cheese
- Campfire spinach dip
- Mac and cheese
- Apple Cinnamon Foil Packs
- Perogie Casserole
- Jambalaya Foil Pack
Tip: Don’t forget the leftovers! Making perogies for dinner? (one if our easy staple camping foods), make extra and stash them away in a Ziploc bag to go with breakfast the next day!
Involve the Kids | Get the kids involved in the cooking. Including the kids in browsing recipes they would like to try, shop for the ingredients and even build the campfire, helps to develop an interest not only in camping, but in cooking while you’re at the campground.
This feature is a part of a series that we’re working on to encourage families to get outside. We’ve teamed up with Go RV to explore four campgrounds in Alberta. To make it easier for your family to get out there and discover a new Alberta campground, Go RV is giving one reader the chance to win a week long RV rental to see what the RV Experience is all about.
This post has been brought to you by a collaboration between FrugalEdmontonMama.com and Go Rv. All opinions are my own.
