Below are the meals our family frequently eats while road-tripping and/or camping. Some meals need a grill, so those would be eaten while camping or picnicking where there is a one available.
For meals with meat, I would either pre-cook the meat at home (especially ground meat) and freeze it in freezer/microwave-safe containers or use canned/packaged meat.
Many of the “dinner” meals involve canned and packaged food which can be fixed with just a microwave. Sometimes, if eating in the hotel room, we would get TV dinners in the frozen section of the grocery store – the kids loved picking out their meals.
While these meals with prepacked/canned food are not my food of choice when at home, they work when we were on-the-go and make our trips more affordable. Maybe you have some ideas of your own – if so, please share with me through the Contact page!
Travel / Camping Food
BREAKFAST
❖ Yogurt with Granola
❖ Dry cereal & milk PLUS fruit, muffins
❖ Instant Oatmeal deluxe with powdered milk, cinnamon, sugar, dried fruit, nuts
❖ Bagels & cream cheese PLUS fruit, yogurt
❖ BREAKFAST TACOS: eggs, sausage/ham, shredded potatoes, tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa
*serve with fruit, muffins, coffee, juice/milk
LUNCH
❖ Peanut Butter & Jelly/Nutella Sandwiches PLUS fruit/vege, yogurt
❖ Tuna with crackers or bread PLUS pickles, carrot sticks
❖ Sandwiches/Pitas/Roll-ups: hearty bread or tortillas or crackers, lunchmeat, deli cheese, honey mustard, salad dressings, lettuce, tomato, avocado PLUS chips?, carrot sticks, fruit
❖ Frito Pie (fritos, chili, cheese) PLUS cut-up veges
❖ Bean burritos (black beans, petit diced tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, cheese)
DINNER
❖ MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat) — Found in camping section of stores or online. These were generally not eaten on regular basis. They were carried as backup and when other meal options were not available.
❖ PASTA DINNER: Packaged rice or Knorr Pasta, can chicken/cooked ham/salami, can vege
❖ TUNA/CHICKEN HELPER: 2 cans tuna/chicken, 2 tuna/chicken helper packs PLUS can vege & bread
❖ ONE-POT STEW: cooked ground or stew meat with can corn, green beans, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, stew seasoning mix PLUS bread
❖ CHILI CON CARNE: ground meat, chili seasoning, can corn, can beans, can tomatoes, cheese PLUS Fritos/corn chips, raw veges/salad, corn bread?
❖ GRILLED BURGERS: meat, seasonings, buns, mayo, mustard, ketchup, steak sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions PLUS chips?, watermelon
❖ GRILLED HOTDOGS: hot dogs, buns, mayo, mustard, ketchup, hotdog sauce, shredded cheese, pickle relish PLUS chips?, raw veggies, watermelon
❖ FOIL PACKETS: hamburger patties or chicken breasts (cut up and marinate chicken in Italian dressing), seasoning//onion soup mix, few drops of oil (on chicken), gravy mix, baby carrots, green beans, diced potato PLUS salad, and bread
DESSERTS
❖ Smores: graham squares, chocolate, marshmallows
❖ Cookies
DRINKS:
❖ Water !!
❖ Juice
❖ Gatorade (especially if hot outside)
❖ Hot cocoa (especially if cold outside)
❖ Drink mixes
❖ Coffee
❖ Tea
SNACKS:
❖ Peanut butter & cracker sticks
❖ Cheese sticks and crackers
❖ Tortilla roll-ups with PB & cinnamon
❖ Granola bars, cereal bars, energy bars
❖ Trail mix / Mixed nuts / Dried fruit
❖ Peanut butter balls (peanut butter, honey, dry milk, cinnamon)*
❖ Beef Jerky
❖ Fig Newtons
❖ FRUIT !
Peanut Butter Balls:
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon wheat germ (optional)
Mix all ingredients together. Form into 1″ balls.
Refrigerate to make PB balls less gooey, if desired.