Super Simple Camping Food Ideas

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Super Simple Camping Food

I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to purchase a van and turn it into a camper so our family can travel the US and enjoy the beautiful sites this country has to offer. I absolutely love traveling in our campervan and making memories for myself and my children. We have completed a couple month long camping trips and multiple small trips and have found foods to make that are super easy, take little preparation, and do not cost a lot.

As we travel I have had to be creative with our food options since I only have a camping stove for cooking food and a mini fridge available to store small amounts food that need to be kept cold.

I am providing you a list of items we eat while we are camping. These items are simple and easy to make with only a few ingredients and basic cooking supplies. Most items are precooked so I don’t have to use large amounts of water to boil to cook noodles or rice. We prepare most of our meals in our camper as we travel instead of going out to eat to save money. We have really enjoyed the foods we have made and have found them to be delicious.

Our kitchen setup

Here is our kitchen that we use when we are cooking our meals. My camp stove sits right on top of the counter for easy preparation. Below the sink is where I store our food, water tanks and extra paper towels.

List of cookware needed for food preparation

Here is a list of cookware and utensils needed for a beginner camping trip. This is what we have and use while we are camping. All of these items you can find in your kitchen as they are everyday items.

• pot holders

• kitchen knives

• serving spoon

• Rachael Ray non stick pan with lid

• colander

• can opener

• campfire stove and propane bottles

• kitchen gas lighter

• roasting forks

• cutting board

• campfire toaster which can be used on the Coleman campfire stove

• kettle to boil water on campfire stove

• serving bowl

• IKEA bag sealing clips

• food storage containers

• other -salt and pepper and other spices

• other -plates, bowls, silverware, paper towels

• Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap and dish scrubber

Breakfast

• Kodiak Cakes oatmeal packets

• Kodiak Cakes pancake mix & Sausages

• Bread or bagels to toast, precooked bacon, fried egg

• Kind Granola bars

• Precooked sausage & scrambled eggs

• Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, pears, cherries)

• Greek yogurt with fresh berries and granola

• Chobani drinkable yogurt

• Bolthouse Farms smoothie

Lunch

• Precooked Sausage, sliced & precooked rice packet(can add canned tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans)

• Charcuterie board: Summer sausage, cheese cubes, crackers, dried fruit, cucumbers, peanut butter & apples, black olives, jerky

• Salad (radishes, boiled eggs, shredded Parmesan cheese) Trader Joes dressing

• Fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges)

• Sandwiches (Hawaiian rolls with turkey and cheese, condiment of your choice)

  • Chips, fruit, carrot sticks

• Taco salad

  • Precooked hamburger, beans, cheese, lettuce, diced tomato

• Tortilla shell. Spread refried beans and cheese on half of shell, fold over and eat

• Lunch meat roll ups. Lay 3 slices of lunch meat overlapping on counter, add sliced peppers, sliced banana peppers, cheese and Italian dressing. Roll up and eat.

• Salad: Shredded lettuce, diced avocado, sliced lunch meat, diced tomato, black olives, cheese chunks and dressing of your choice

Visit Farmers Markets for fresh produce

Farmer’s markets are a fun place to visit during our travels. These events can be full of food trucks, fresh produce, crafts, jewelry, live music and so much more. Most are pet friendly.

We were able to visit the Sarasota’s Famers Market in Sarasota, Florida and purchase butter lettuce and radishes to complete our salad. Open: Every Saturday (rain or shine) from 7am to 1pm. Address: N Lemon Ave, Sarasota, Florida

I also enjoy going to Trader Joe’s where you can purchase many different organic products that offer a unique variety without the price of name brand labels. They strive to price their products at a low price making it convenient for any shopper. The staff are always so friendly and helpful and you will enjoy browsing their isles for a new spice, produce or unique black bean chips. You can see the Romane Caesar Dressing to go on top of our salad that we purchased here. I definitely recommend you find a Trader Joe’s near you to shop for healthier groceries.

Dinner

• Precooked Sausage & precooked rice packets(can add canned tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans, fresh cilantro, corn or any other vegetables you desire) mixed together in pan with melted butter and cooked until hot

• Precooked Chicken sausage & precooked quinoa and rice packets mixed together in pan with melted butter and cooked until hot

• Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken, precooked rice packets, chopped broccoli. Cooked in pan with melted butter until hot

• Precooked Barilla pasta, precooked sausages, spaghetti sauce. Cooked in pan with butter until hot.

• Hot dogs. Warmed up in pan.

  • chips, fresh veggies, cottage cheese

• Trader Joes frozen rice and peppers & precooked sausage. Cooked in pan with butter until hot.

• Precooked tortellini, ravioli or gnocchi with spaghetti sauce. Cooked in butter in pan until hot.

• Premade pizza crust and toppings (pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese). Cook in skillet on camp stove with lid on until hot in the middle and cheese is melted. Rotate pan while cooking to prevent hot spots. The below pizza crust was purchased at Wal-Mart and this pizza was really good.

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I purchased this camp stove at a thrift store, brand new in the box, for $7. It has worked great!! Small propane bottles are required which are cheapest at Walmart. The price has increased to $5.27 a bottle. We only needed one bottle for a months trip but I brought two just in case.

Snacks & Drinks

• Black olives

• Chex mix

• Pretzels

• Fig Newtons

• Goldfish crackers

• nut mixture

• apples and peanut butter

• crackers and cheese

• Yogurt covered raisons

• Knock off Starbucks drink

  • Tazo Passion Tea & Simply lemonade (mix together as desired (1/4 - 1/2 Tazo and the rest lemonade)

• Marshmallows for grilling by the campfire. Smash marshmallows in between two Fudge Stripes cookies from the Dollar Tree, so yummy.

• Don’t forget a water bottle or tumbler to refill with water as you travel. I often get ice at a gas station from the fountains. Some places will charge you a minimal fee for the ice while other stations will give it to you for free.

S’mores on the campfire

Our version of S’mores. Marshmallows from Aldi’s and Fudge striped cookies from Aldi’s or the Dollar Tree. Way cheaper than buying Hershey Chocolate Bars and still so good!

I am still experimenting with our food selection. I want to find quick convenient meals that will feed us on the road and are mostly healthy. I wouldn’t normally buy precooked foods but I didn’t want to take the time or extra equipment in our van to cook a meal from scratch. Our space is limited so I didn’t want to travel with to many extra cooking supplies. This may not be the healthiest list but it is what works for us. Our water supply is limited too so I needed precooked pastas and rice for that reason as well.

You can purchase many of the cooking items at thrift stores or borrow from family or use what you have in your home already. These camping food items are quick and easy and don’t require preplanning except maybe the browned hamburger if you can’t find that in the store.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Enjoy your journey,

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