Over the years I have figured out how to keep food simple at the campground. This is pretty easy to do when I am solo camping. A breakfast smoothie, lunch on the go, some kind of protein on the grill for dinner with a bagged salad, and I am all set.
When I have three generations for the weekend food seems to be the central theme. I had forgotten how often two-year-olds eat and the labor that goes into meal prep when there are so many people, food preferences, and conflicting mealtimes. I have developed a few things that are helpful, though, and hopefully these tips keep everyone coming back to the campground for family fun!
The first epiphany that I had is that with two children under two it is not always easy for my daughter in law to get to the grocery store, pack up the kids and the food, and get to the campground. Since I am shopping anyway, I ask her for her list and pick up what she needs. When I check out at the grocery store, I ring up the two orders separately and tack their receipt to the refrigerator. They Venmo me for all their special request foods and everyone is happy. I usually get to the campground first, so this gives me time to clean and cut up the fruit and snacks and have everything in the fridge ready to go. My goal is that everyone relaxes and has fun so this is something I can easily take off the plates of busy parents.
When there’s a crowd all in one RV, breakfast should be flexible. Weekends are for sleeping in, coffee at your own pace, and eating what you want, when you want. I prefer breakfast choices that are self-serve so there’s no pressure to “get it while it’s hot.” Some of my favorites are:
- Overnight oats that can be pulled from the fridge and topped with fruit, nuts, or granola.
- Premade, frozen sausage and egg wraps that just need to be reheated for a hot breakfast. You can make a batch of these ahead of time, individually wrap them in foil and then reheat in a skillet or remove from the foil and microwave. They are so good with salsa and sour cream.
- French toast (made ahead). There are about sixteen slices of white bread in a loaf of country style white bread, and I make it all at once during the week and freeze them with sheets of parchment paper between them. They can be microwaved for 30 seconds and enjoyed without all the dirty dishes.
When it’s lunch time I focus on portable food. Dinner is normally at our site, but lunch could be at the pool, on a hike, or at the beach which is just twenty minutes away. My family loves Hawaiian bread sandwiches that are great make ahead lunches that pack well and are a crowd pleaser. Check them out here.
They can be customized, too, by making half the loaf lunch meat and the other half a vegan option. I also use the outdoor RV fridge for ready to eat snacks. Fruit, string cheese and yogurts are stocked and ready to go.
For dinner I like to keep it simple with a grilled protein, a hearty salad, and a great bread rather than heating up the RV by cooking a pasta or rice. For proteins, I make it easy by buying a cooked chicken and shredding it while it is still hot and storing it in a zip lock bag until I want to use it. add it to a salad, throw it on the griddle with Tex-Mex seasonings for taco night, or toss it in a bowl with fresh shucked corn, grape tomatoes, and avocados for a light summer meal. I also like to keep a good supply of precooked bratwurst on hand. To remove the worry of undercooking meat, add the sausages to a pot of boiling water and turn off the heat. Let them sit in the hot water for an hour and then store in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Crisp them up on the grill and serve them on rolls or chopped on a plate with fresh summer tomatoes, burrata cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
When it comes to salads, the mega box of mixed spring leaves goes a long way. You can add many different combinations of toppings to produce something for every palate. A good trick is to curate the toppings for different salads in individual serving containers from the salad bar at the grocery store. Pile a carton with boiled eggs, corn, bacon, avocado, and tomatoes for a Cobb salad without all the dicing and slicing. Grab another carton and fill it with pecans, strawberries, feta cheese, and some added spinach leaves for a whole different taste. Individually crafting toppings saves time and money because you are not buying entire bags when you just need a few ounces. The whole salad is ready to go-- just add the dressing!
Whenever the stars align, and the family can gather at the campground, the most important ingredient for dinner is patience. Spills will happen, but an outdoor wash station makes cleaning up easy and gets you to the smores faster!
Simple breakfast ideas
- Overnight oats with nuts and fruit.
- Egg and bacon wraps with salsa (make ahead and freeze).
- Mini muffins with yogurt and granola are a great self-serve.
Quick and easy lunches
- Veggie wraps in rice paper with dipping sauce (buy pre-shredded carrots and coleslaw to make it simple).
- Make a big, chopped veggie or pasta salad ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for self-serving.
- Shrimp poached in lemon peels and salt. Serve chilled with watermelon.
Summer dinners that everyone loves
- Sliders on the griddle served on Hawaiian rolls with bacon relish and farm stand tomatoes.
- Sandwich night – grilled ciabatta bread, pesto mayo, prosciutto slices, and fresh mozzarella with balsamic glaze. Serve with kettle chips and cold ginger beer.
- Grilled pork chops and summer peaches. Pound out the pork chops before grilling and serve with a grilled peaches topped with crumbled feta cheese.
