It was previous 8 pm, about 30 levels, and I’d pushed over 4 hours to get to camp. The very first thing I did was arrange our camp chairs and we curled up by the fireplace pit to get heat. Subsequent: we needed to cook dinner. One thing simple, minimal effort, but sizzling and filling to maintain us heat. We settled on a bag of frozen stir fry we had stashed in our cooler. Prepping meals prematurely, whether or not it’s frozen items or pantry staples, is basically price it should you camp typically.
Plans, routes, and campground bookings can change, so being ready earlier than you head out actually goes a great distance with regards to cooking meals. Right here, we’ll share three easy but epic (and simple!) meal concepts which can be good for whipping up — irrespective of the place and what time you arrive at camp.
Easy But Scrumptious: Frozen Stir Fried Rice
Non-obligatory: add a protein (crumbled burger patties or tofu)
Photograph: Mary Murphy
This can be a meal I may practically cook dinner with my eyes closed, and requires no prep and virtually no work to organize at camp. (Nice if you end up attending to camp late or cooking in the dead of night!) You’ll want a bag of frozen stir fry rice, and you may at all times complement with different veggies you may need in your cooler to make the flavour your personal. Get your pan sizzling, add some oil, and stir fry in response to directions on medium-high.
I actually love the frozen rice from Dealer Joe’s, however there are many different ones out there. Frozen carrots and onions work nice for this meal. I additionally love including edamame if you wish to go the Asian route and add a soy or teriyaki sauce. Attempt to avoid mushrooms, leafy greens, or different veggies that maintain loads of water — you need every thing to cook dinner evenly.
Staple for Anyplace: Grilled Cheese and Soup
Non-obligatory: add a variety like pesto to your sandwich earlier than melting on the cheese!
All you want is to purchase your favourite cheese on the best way to camp (should you haven’t already packed any). This meal works nice in a pinch, for last-minute journeys, or in case your plans for tenting or lodging immediately change. I’ve made this a number of occasions on East to West cross-country street journeys. Pantry staples like canned soup, croutons or crackers, and a hearty loaf of bread spherical out this meal.
This meal is a superb one to have on the menu as a result of grilled cheeses are additionally simple to make anyplace — on campground grills, one-burner camp stoves, and in small areas. (As soon as, I rented out a sub-100-foot tiny home in winter, and this was one in every of my favourite meals to make after an extended day outdoors snowshoeing or snowboarding.) The recipe is adaptable relying on what you’re within the temper for too — and bear in mind, it doesn’t need to be tomato soup! Strive a hearty black bean soup, or a creamy potato. Lastly, toasted or flavored crackers are one in every of my favourite methods to high it off.
Crowd & Household Favourite: Kitchen Sink Kebabs
Non-obligatory: mess around with completely different seasonings. One among my go-tos is garlic, cracked black pepper, and recent lime. Oil and balsamic can be a simple one. You should buy a premade dressing, or combine up your personal and retailer it in a leakproof container for journey.

Photograph: Mary Murphy
All you want is 10-20 minutes to organize this at dwelling, and will probably be successful once you get to your last vacation spot. Simply slice or chop into related measurement items no matter veggies you may have at dwelling: squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and extra. You too can add meat that cooks simply on a grill, like hen and even pre-cooked sausages. Simply make sure that each fixing is roughly the identical measurement and thickness. Pat dry, salt all of the toppings, assemble on skewers, and put in a tupperware for transport. Retailer in your cooler. If you get to camp, all you need to do is gentle the grill or range, and roast these for a couple of minutes either side, turning as they cook dinner. You possibly can add further marinade, butter, or sauces as they grill, and serve alongside dips or sauces of selection (ranch, BBQ, guacamole, and so forth.). I extremely advocate warming up some pita breads to go together with these. This meal comes collectively so shortly and is a superb choice when you want to cook dinner for lots of people, too.
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