How to Plan a Family Camping Menu

Far from stop lights and shopping malls, camping is a welcome break from daily life. But what's the best way to plan for all those meals when the kitchen is a campfire and the nearest grocery store is dozens of miles away? 

If you're the Executive Chef of your family's new outdoor dining room, pull out your pen and paper or open a new doc on your desktop. Planning your family camping menu is as easy as five simple steps.

Step 1: Create Your Menu

First, take a look at what you might cook during a regular week at home, and then identify the dishes that could be made into simple camping meals. This way, you know you're pleasing everyone without putting too much stress on yourself. These Easy One Pot Meals are a great place to start.

After you've selected your meals, don't forget the snacks. Between hiking, swimming and kayaking, your family will need to fuel up a few times during the day. We have plenty of All-Time Favorite Camping Snack Ideas to inspire you, and when in doubt, it's easy to Create a Custom Trail Mix your family will love.

Step 2: Make a Shopping List

Being Executive Chef of the camping trip requires some creativity. You'll need a streamlined list, and you only want to pack exactly what you need. This requires an out-of-the-box mindset.

For example: What protein is the most versatile for your family? Ground turkey can be used in a variety of dinners, and leftovers can also be added to breakfast scrambles. Peanut butter is another multi-tasking ingredient. It's ideal for sandwiches, and also as a dip for celery and on toast in the morning. It also doesn't require refrigeration, giving peanut butter the edge over other perishable spreads.

Consider each of the items on your shopping list in terms of versatility and storage needs.

Step 3: Pack the Right Gear

A mouthwatering menu is useless without the right gear. While most campsites will come with a fire pit and maybe a grate, the rest of your needs are up to you. Keep versatility in mind for this step, as well, and leave any bulky or highly-specialized gear at home (we're looking at you, spiralizer).

Some important items to consider are:

• Dutch Oven
• Cast Iron Skillet
• Spatula
• Kitchen Knife
• Wooden Spoon
• Mixing Bowl
• Oven Mitt and Dish Towels
• Camping/Tabletop Stove
• Portable Grill
• Grill Brush
• Reusable or Disposable Plates and Cups
• Reusable or Disposable Cutlery
• Zip-top Bags

Step 4: Prep as Much as Possible

 A great Executive Chef always preps ahead. Once you pull into camp, vacation mode sets in and chopping onions doesn't look so fun. Prepping as much as possible in advance means more fun and less work at the campsite.

Here are some items that are ideal to prep ahead:

• Clean, peel and chop veggies
• Portion meat for recipes in zip-top bags
• Measure seasonings for recipes in small jars or bags $PageBreak$

Step 5: Stay Organized

Lastly, all great chefs know the value of an organized kitchen. With an outdoor cooking space, it's even more important for you to make sure there's a place for everything (and everything stays in its place). 

Organization starts with packing. Some best practices include:

• Make your lists, and check them twice.
• Label your coolers: This makes it easier to grab food, drinks and snacks quickly.
• Label your boxes and bags: Labeling containers as "cookware," "plates, cups and silverware," etc., will help locate items when you arrive and ensure that family members know where to replace items after clean-up.
• Group all kitchen items together in the car: This makes it easier to double-check that you haven't forgotten anything before you head out.

Being Executive Chef of your family's camping trip requires a little work now to enjoy a relaxing trip later. With the right planning, prepping and packing you'll have a perfect family camping menu. For more information and tips, check out our Beginner's Guide to Family Camping.

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