Camping with your children does not have to be difficult if you prepare meals ahead of time. These easy on the go recipes will make camping a breeze, and your kids wanting more. There is no better way to make easy camping for kids than with yummy food choices.
It is possible to find easy go-to camping meals for kids. The key is for them to be fun and friendly to even the pickiest of eaters. It should be super easy to make so that even your littlest one can help. These meals should be somewhat healthy and can be easily modified for adults.
Camping will never be the same again once you introduce your children to these quick and easy on-the-go camping meals. Not only are they easy to make, but quick to clean up making them enjoyable for everyone.
Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is often the best meal of the day. When you have a great breakfast, it sets the tone for the rest of your day. There are some great breakfast options, some of which do not require heat that will give your kids a great start to your camping day. However, it does help to do some preparation at home before you leave for the campsite.
Omelets in a Bag
This breakfast idea is easy to modify for each person’s tastes.
At home:
Wash and chop any ingredients that you would like in your omelet. This includes any fresh veggies and cheese. Then, add them to a Ziploc bag. Make one or two bags for each person.
It might make it easier to put the name of the person on the bag, so you know which one belongs to each person.
Morning you leave:
Crack two eggs in each Ziploc bag. You want to get all the air out of the bag and seal it closed.
When ready to eat:
Using your hands, squeeze all the ingredients around in the bag. Then, drop the bag into a pot of boiling water. If you have several bags in the water at one time, you should need to cook them for about 10 minutes.
Be sure to use tongs to remove the bags from the water. Check them to make sure they are finished cooking. Then, put the omelets on a plate and serve.
Pizza for Breakfast
At home:
Cut up any fruit that you or your children may want on top of your pizza. If you have small children, you may want to cut them into small pieces.
When ready to eat:
You want to spread yogurt on pita or naan bread. First, slice the bread like you would pizza. It is easier to slice first, then allow each person to add whatever fruit they would like to their pizza.
Lunch Ideas
Lunch should be quick and easy. Unfortunately, this meal often comes in the middle of doing other things, and your kids may not want to stop what they are doing to eat. The best way to make easy camping for kids is to keep lunch simple.
Cracker Stacks
For this lunch, you are allowing your child to stack yummy food on top of a cracker.
At home:
You want to make sure you wash, clean, and cut any of the veggies or other ingredients to top your crackers. This can include hummus, dip, cheese, meat, and veggies.
When ready to eat:
You can set everything out buffet style and let your kids select what they want to make their cracker stacks.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly
This sandwich is a slight twist on an old favorite.
When ready to eat:
Toast both sides of each piece of bread. Be sure to spread peanut butter on only one slice of bread and heat it more to melt the peanut butter.
Right before you serve the sandwich, add the jelly. If your child likes bananas, you can add them to the sandwich.
Dinner Ideas
The best ideas for dinner are ones that are easy to prepare, do not require a lot of clean up, and can be modified for the adults in the group.
Walking Tacos
This is a great twist on tacos, and you can keep it all in one bag.
At home:
Prepare any meat (beef, chicken, etc.) that you want to add to your tacos. Cut up any vegetables that you want to add. Do not forget the cheese and sour cream, if your children like those.
When ready to eat:
Give everyone their own small bag of corn chips. Open the bag and add all the toppings you want directly into the bag. Then, you eat these tacos right out of the bag for quick and easy clean up.
If you have little ones that may not be able to eat out of the bag, you can dump it all on a plate.
Nachos
Who does not love nachos? The great thing about them is you can tailor them to match the taste of whomever you are feeding.
At home:
Similar to the nachos, you want to prepare any meat (beef, chicken, etc.) that you want to add to your nachos. If you plan to make tacos and nachos, you can double the amount of meat and veggies you are making to cover both meals.
Cut up any vegetables that you want to add. Do not forget the cheese and sour cream, if your children like those.
When ready to eat:
Using a disposable pan (helps to reduce the amount of clean up), you can layer the chips and meat in the pan.
Each person can get a section of nachos for themselves, which allows them to have the exact toppings they want. Once each person creates their own section of nachos, you can top the entire pan of nachos with cheese.
Cover the aluminum pan with foil and heat over the fire or stove for about 5 to 10 minutes to make sure all of the food is heated.
Wrapping It Up
Having a few easy and ready-to-go meals for your kids is key for an enjoyable camping experience. With a little at-home prep before you go, you can be sure your kids will thank you (in their own way).
Plus you may find these meals just right for you. The omelet in a bag is by far my favorite camping breakfast. Easy to make and easy to clean.
