Easy Camping Recipes for Families

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When you’re out in the woods trying to relax you really don’t want to stress over meals so we’re sharing our favorite easy camping recipes to getting food on the picnic table faster!

We’ve been campers since the early 1990s.  Over the years we’ve figured out what we like to eat and cook while we’re out in the woods or on the road.  It doesn’t have to be junk food and it doesn’t need to be gourmet.  Something in the middle is more our style.  

Plus when you have kids you’d like for them to eat too without the arguing!

Easy Breakfasts

Shake and Pour pancakes

These are SO easy.  All you need to do is add water.  Be sure you have a spatula, a non stick skillet, and some butter, syrup, or jelly to top them off.  

Shake and Pour Pancakes
Pancake breakfast

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillets

These are super easy too.  Just add eggs (or not) and cook them in a skillet.  They are very filling and flavorful! You’ll find them in the frozen section of your local grocery store.  

Jimmy Dean Skillets breakfast

Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy

When it is cold outside this is the absolute best meal ever!  You will need access to hot water, but that’s it.  Simply add your hot water to the bag, mix some, seal it back and let it sit for a few minutes.  The result is a delicious, hot, gooey, and filling tummy of biscuits and gravy.  The kids will finish one bag between the two of them so make sure you order at least two for a family of four.  

Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy

Single serving breakfast cereals

These were especially useful when the kids were both younger and not as willing to eat eggs.  They can also be used for snacks on the trail or road with toddlers and preschoolers.  They obviously aren’t the healthiest options out there and aren’t something we normally have at home, but it’s okay with us for the kids to have them occasionally when we are out camping.  Everything in moderation right? 

Cereal Assortment Pack

Eggs and bacon or sausage

Simple and easy and good for you.  Grab some eggs and either bacon or sausage and throw them in the skillet.  Filling and delicious! Bonus: add a tortilla and you’ve got breakfast tacos.  

Bacon for breakfast 

Fast Lunches

When we’re camping we usually want to do something quickly for lunch.  We don’t want to spend too much time on it because we have more things we want to go see and do while the sun is up! 

A salad 

Whoa!  I know I just started with a salad?  Salads are actually pretty easy to throw together in a short amount of time.  You can add whatever ingredients you prefer to your salad and the younger kids’ salads may end up looking more like finger foods, but that’s okay!  

Kale Salad

PBJ

Always a classic.  A good combo of protein and sugars.  Don’t believe me?  Look here. We aren’t big bread eaters around our house, but we all have fallen for Dave’s Killer Bread Powerseed!  Yes, my kids will eat it and love it!  (Warning: you may end up with seeds on your shirt. It’s okay.  They’re still good to eat.  LOL) We grab ours at our local Kroger’s or Walmart.  

PBJ sandwiches

Meat and cheese sandwich 

Grab the turkey, ham, or whatever meat and a cheese you like.  We like to mix it up with Swiss, Colby jack, Havarti, and pepper jack.  Add some mustard and Dave’s Killer Bread Powerseed and keep on moving!  

Dave’s Killer Bread Powerseed

Hot dogs

Always a classic picnic style lunch, but it does require pulling out the grill or skillet to warm up the dogs and it requires storing the toppings, such as cheese, mustard, ketchup, and relish, in a cooler.  

Hot Dogs

Sit down to Dinner

When dinner time rolls around we are usually ready to sit down and relax for a bit.  Not always, but usually.  We tend to spend more time and effort on cooking dinner. 

Pasta

Pick your favorite pasta and throw it into a pot of boiling water.  The kids especially like pasta nights.  You can use your traditional sauce in a jar or grab some Italian flavored tomatoes in a can to use as your topping.  The hardest part of pasta for dinner is waiting for the water to boil.  

Sausage and Vegetables

This is always one of our favorites because it can be so filling to your tummy.  Use your favorite brand of precooked sausage and slice them up or leave it in links.  Purchase easy to chop and saute vegetables such as bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and mushrooms.  (You could also buy a frozen pack of the bell peppers and onions for another time saving step.) Throw them into a skillet with some olive oil and cook thoroughly.  Add seasonings to taste.  

Sausage and Vegetables for dinner

3 Bean Chili

Grab a deep skillet or deep pot. Add a can each of black beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, sliced carrots, and fire roasted tomatoes.   Cook until warm through.

3 Bean chili over Sweet Potatoes

Beef and Veggie Chili

In a deep skillet brown 1-2 pounds of ground beef. Add 2 cans of fire roasted or chili ready tomatoes. In a separate skillet cooked chopped zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and onions.    Put saute veggies on the bottom of your bowl, top with ground beef tomato mix, and add shredded cheese to the top!  

Southwest Chicken

Grill some chicken tenders in a skillet.  After cooked through, add a can of black beans, a can of corn, and a bag of frozen chopped onions and bell peppers.  You can top this with shredded cheese or sour cream/Greek yogurt for some creaminess. It looks a bit messy, but it’s warm and tummy filling!


What are your family’s favorite easy camping recipes?  Let me know! We’re always up to trying new recipes! 

Happy camping!

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