When it comes to camping and cooking, the majority of “camping food” is quite processed (hello, hot dogs and kraft dinner!). In my life and in my core values in nutriFoodie, I strive to make foods more wholesome, flavourful and delicious — even when camping!
That doesn’t mean making it super complicated or removing all indulgence and enjoyment… which you’ll see highlighted below with my awesome hot cocoa (peep meal prep tip #1) and s’mores.
Are you even camping if you skip these?? 😉 (sorry, not sorry)
In this blog, I’ll be sharing with you my top 15 food tips and tricks while camping so that you’ll have nutrient-dense and delicious meals to fuel you up for all your outdoor adventures!
15 Food Tips and Tricks For Camping:
Camping Equipment
- Tin foil is a must! It is so versatile – you can form it into a makeshift funnel, drinking cup, frying pan (if your desperate), and you can even make it into a strainer by poking holes in it! Meat and veggies can also be cooked inside tin foil. I’m telling you, this is one thing you definitely want to bring!
- Pack your cooler with frozen water bottles: once they melt, you can drink them (genius!). Or you can fill large ziplock bags with water, freeze them and lay them flat so you have large but thin ice packs that will fit well in your cooler.
- If there is a fire ban, take a stove or a small portable BBQ. If you can have a fire, bring campfire cooking tools like a broiler, fork and/or toaster.
- Don’t forget:
- a first aid kit, anti-histamine pills or ointments
- soap and hand sanitizers
- paper towel & toilet tissue papers
- extra zip lock bags & trash bags
- matches and a can opener!
REMEMBER – Whatever you bring in, you must pack out. Please be mindful of the environment 🙂
Food Tips & Tricks
- Parboil potatoes at home and bring quick-cooking grains, like quinoa and couscous, to use less propane and white gas. You can even bring pre-cooked rice, rice and lentils. Or, you can make and pack pre-cooked grains in your cooler if you have time (make sure to store pre-cooked grains below 4 degrees Celsius).
- Bring spices! They will make your camping food more flavourful without having to add excess salt and sugar. I went to the dollar store and picked up stackable organizers to create my own camping spice/herb stacker. If you don’t have time to make your own, you can pick up a ready-to-go spice wheel.
I served my Wholly Veggie Beet & Black Bean burger with eggs & sautéed veg. Superb!
3. Avoid the hassle of storing raw meat and making sure your burger is cooked or not.Opt for these Wholly Veggie Patties – vegetarian burgers packed with veggies and legumes. My fave is the beet one. Plus, they only take minutes to cook! (#NotSponsored)4. Pack whole fruits like apples, oranges, and pears. They keep well and don’t bruise as easily as others. If you have time before, cut up fruits (like melons, pineapples, or peaches) and vegetables at home and put them in containers to be stored in the cooler.
5. For a pick-me-up, pack easy snacks likes energy boosting trail mix, granola bars, roasted nuts or soybeans, dried or freeze-dried & dehydrated fruit and veggies.
6. Space is at a premium when you are camping so leave your condiment bottles at home and bring condiment packets instead – they gotta come in handy SOMETIME. This will save you SO much space! This is a good thing to start collecting and stashing up on when you go out to eat.
Meal Prep & Recipes
- Leave hot chocolate powders at the store. For delicious “camp-made” hot cocoa, all you need is a can of evaporated milk (or shelf-stable non-dairy milk), cocoa powder, and any sweetener – mix to taste! I usually do 2 tbsp of cocoa for 1 cup of milk.
- Tacos make for great camping food – they are filling, balanced, delicious and packed with protein and fibre. Pack up a can of low sodium refried beans, whole wheat or corn tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.
- Make soup super satisfying by adding canned pulses. Add two cans of soup and one can of lentils in a pot and voila you have yourself a delicious and high protein meal in no time!
- Same ingredients, two ways: Vegetables, like cucumber and bell peppers, and hummus can be used as a veggie and dip snack and can also be turned into hummus and veggie sandwiches or wraps for lunch!
- If you have time, prepare a bunch of salad jars with a recipe like this Rainbow Pasta & Bean Salad and store in the cooler. I often use these pre-prepared salads for the lunch when we arrive to allow us more time to set-up without getting too antsy doing so on an empty stomach!
Get ready with our recipe guidebook!
I have put together a recipe guideline booklet specifically for camping, enter your email below to get it straight to your inbox!
P.S: It’s more of a guideline than a recipe booklet since it doesn’t feature exact measurements but rather ratios or just ingredients for meal inspiration & preparation planning.
