One of the best parts about camping is sitting around the campfire, talking and enjoying a meal together. Whether you're an experienced cook or find yourself missing your microwave while in the outdoors, packing the right food can help everyone have a good time and make sure no one goes to bed hungry.
Easy-to-prepare Food
If you don't like cooking at home, there's always the drive-through. While that can be an option if you're camping close to an area with restaurants, many people prefer to make their own food while camping. Hobo dinners are an easy way to put together a meal at home and have it ready within no time after starting your campfire. Put your favorite cut of meat, such as a steak, chicken breast or hamburger patty, on a large sheet of tin foil. Cut up some vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms, and pile them on your meat. Top it off with a slab of butter to keep everything moist while cooking; add a dash of salt and pepper, and wrap the whole thing in the tin foil and stash it in the cooler. Once the fire is ready at camp, place the foil dinner in with the hot coals and let it cook between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. If that's too much work, there's always the classic hot dog on a stick, one of the easiest ways to prepare dinner while camping.
Dutch Oven Dinners
If you're bringing along your whole brood, a casserole or similar hot dish might hit the spot. Use a dutch oven to prepare foods like casseroles, lasagna or even a dessert for the whole family, such as peach or cherry cobbler. You can even use the dutch oven to prepare stews, chili or hot soup for a cold camping night. Bring along all the ingredients you need, and keep them cold in a cooler before preparing the food at camp.
Snacks
Whether you're spending your days hiking, chopping wood for the fire or swimming at the lake, you're bound to get hungry in between meals. Granola is one of the classic camping snacks, and also makes a great breakfast cereal or a topping for yogurt. Beef jerky is another camping classic you can enjoy during the day. Dehydrate some fruit, such as bananas, apples, or even fruit puree as part of your camping preparations for a sweet snack. You can also find freeze dried or dehydrated food in the grocery store.
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