Going Camping! Need cheap meals and essentials

[Leshaface]

So we'll be going camping this weekend with DH's bro and sis in law!

I'm not a 'pro' when it comes to camping, so I need some good cheap meal ideas (there will be 8 of us) only using the fire and the grill that goes over it (sorry don't know the technical term for the grill part )

Even if we could pre-make some things at home, so all we'd have to do is heat it up once we get there, that would work too!

Also, need some cheap supplies like bug spray and scentinela (sp?) candles..can i get these at the dollar store?

Thanks for any tips/advice!

 

[maggieusa]

Hot dogs and Hamburgers and easy add some chips or salad your are set or bring some luch meat for sandwiches

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Love camping!

Our traditional meal is hamburgers and hot dogs. Super easy on the grill. We bring chips and things like watermelon to go with it.

If you have a Sam's club we used to get a pan of barbecue pork it comes in a metal pan and is covered so you can just throw it on the grill. I am sure you can find this elsewhere but that is where I get it.

We do cereal for breakfast, sometimes we bring pre made bacon and a pan to fry eggs on the grill. Also we bring fruit for snacking and breakfast.

We like traditional salads, macaroni, potato, those kinds of things that we make ahead of time and keep in the cooler. Chicken is easy on the grill, as is steak but steak is not really cheap. Baked potatoes are also really easy on the grill.

So basically we do sandwiches for lunch and then an easy grill meal like hot dogs and hamburgers or chicken. You can make just about anything ahead of time and heat it up on the grill. You can make a packet with foil to heat it up or bring pans that you don't mind if they get burned on the bottom. We also like canned beans, we open the can and cook them directly on the grill.

We are not the most creative we like comfort camping foods like those above. I have seen some really great recipes but we just keep it as simple as possible. Last time we camped we had a site with electricity for just a few dollars more and I brought my crock pot and cooked with that. I also brought my griddle and made pancakes. I only do those things on longer trips but for the weekend ones we keep it more simple.

Not sure if you can get bug spray at the dollar store but honestly I have found that is one thing I can't be too cheap on. I love the Avon spray it works really well. We actually have a camping box, its just a rubbermaid box that we keep the staples like napkins, plastic silverware, cooking utensils, tablecloths and the little metal things to hold them down, plenty of flashlights and batteries. Also I love wipes for easy clean up of the kids.

Don't forget the s'mores!

 

[Nandid]

We get alot of our bug spray from and things like that from the dollar store.
Usually can get little first aid kits there too.


We camp alot and here is one of camp dishes we make. We do what we call spam stew. There are usually 6 of us so you can change the recipes if needed.

spam stew two cans of smoked spam chopped
two cans of corn
two cans of diced tomatoes
two cans of diced potatoes
salt and pepper to taste.

just throw it all in a pot set it on the grill and let it get hot. make sure you stir it so it doesn't burn. It's easy to make and pretty inexpensive.

We make pocket stew alot too.

Also try this web site they have alot of good recipes you can make in the that are inexpensive
http://koa.com/recipes/

 

[mom2cookies]

some suggestions,

spaghetti with meat sauce
english muffin pizzas
chicken
beans and franks
soup!
hamburger helper
mac and cheese

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I always pre-cook some chili and pasta salad enough to last a couple meals.

 

[budbeerlady]

You have to make S'mores!!!!!!!

For a quick weekend trip we do hot dogs or brats, maybe burgers and just do sandwiches and chips/ salads for lunch. Very easy on the grill or the kids can roast hot dogs in the fire.

If you are camping with my Mom (who brings everything on God's green earth with us) she plugs in a small electric fry pan by extension cord to the outlet box if you have an electric site. Then she can fry eggs and bacon for breakfast, french toast, its endless and kind of scary.

 

[threecrazykids]

What I do is make up a big ole' batch of taco meat. All I have to do is warm it up when we're camping.

I then buy the smaller bags of either Fritos or Doritos and cut the bag along the longer side. Buy some lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa etc. and do "walking tacos".

Then, for the next lunch or dinner I take all the leftovers and toss them in a huge bowl, add some Catalina dressing and we have a big taco salad.

Super easy, and super yummy!

 

[pixiewings71]

So you don't have a camp stove at all right? We usually take eggs, bacon and bread or muffins for bfast but that's hard to cook over a fire so I would take cereal or muffins instead of the eggs.

We usually take a tri-tip (it's a really good cut of beef) and wrap it in foil and cook it over the fire. I also pre-make roasted potatoes and when we make the tri-tip we wrap the potatoes in foil and re-heat them. They are really good that way.
We also do burgers, dogs and the taco meat as suggested above.

 

[NVDisMom]

Foil packets are awesome for cooking on the camp fire! Some ideas for youut ingredients in foil packet, seal it, and place on the grill. Fire temp will GREATLY effect cooking time!

Crumbled ground meat (turkey or beef)
Bite size pieces of carrots, potatoes and onions
Season to taste (We like s&p, celery seed, red pepper flakes, and garlic)

Equal parts rice, cream of whatever soup, milk
boneless skinless chicken breast tenders (or slice larger ones)
Season to taste

For breakfast:
two slices of bacon or sausage or ham
bite size pieces of potatoes, onions and peppers
scrambled egg mixture over top
top with grated cheese

Cooking things on sticks is fun too

Hot dogs, brawts, and smoked sausages are the obvious ones.
But skewering marinated veggies and meats on long sticks is easy too.
Breakfast sausage wrapped in a single premade piece of biscuit dough is yummy!

We frequently cook larger pieces of meat for dinner and use the left overs for lunch the next day. Pork loins, whole chickens, tri tip roasts...all make good fajitas or sandwiches the next day. We will place the larger piece of meat in a gallon ziploc bag with its seasonings or marinade at home and freeze it. Then pack it into the cooler. By day two its usually thawed to perfection for dinner and has helped keep more easily spoiled things cold

If we camp for three nights our menu will probably look something like this:
Dinner Day 1: Hamburger and potato packets, salad, garlic bread
Breakfast Day 2: Sausage and biscuits, fried eggs, fruit
Lunch Day 2: cold cut sandwiches, mac salad, chips
Dinner Day 2: Tri Tip Roast, roasted corn, bbq beans, rolls
Breakfast Day 3: bacon, egg potato packets, fruit, croissants
Lunch Day 3: Fajitas with left over sliced tri tip and onions, peppers, onions cooked in a foil packet the night before. Warms up well on a camp stove. Guac and salsa and chips
Dinner Day 3: Whole chicken roasted on the fire, baked potatoes, green beans
Breakfast Day 4: Finish up last of the fruit, croissants, misc "breakfasty" foods since we are packing up to leave later in the day
Lunch Day 4: Chicken salad sandwiches, chips, and other misc things left over


We too keep a camping box with paper products, cooking utensils, dish soap, clean rags, spices, sunscreen, baby wipes, personal hygiene items, first aid kit, matches, etc. Think of it as a mobile kitchen and bathroom. Great for emergency evacuations too! We restock it every time we get back from camping so its ready to go.

 

[PixiePlanner]

Before kids, DH and I were known to just pack up and drive until we found someplace to camp. We would bring a coffee cake for breakfast but were known for cooking hotdogs over the fire for breakfast too. Something about the salt.

Last time we camped we bought some sweet corn on the way. I soaked the corn(husks & all) in water in a plastic bag while we went hiking/fishing. When it was time to cook, I wrapped the corn in foil and placed on the grill-just over the fire-for about 20-30 min. Yum. I think I ate 3 ears that night.

Make sure you bring water to drink. We find we drink way more when camping than when we are home.

Last time, we brought the kids' small play tent. At bed time, we put all our supplies that we didn't want disturbed in there while we slept in the "big" tent. (Normally, we put everything back in the car. This was easier.) Good thing we did this as we found raccoon prints all over our picnic table the next morning.

Have fun!

 

[Samar]

Pizza Mountain Pies! Buttering the inside iron that clamps together put bread, sauce and cheese in it (with other toppings if you want). Roast it over the fire on both sides and voila! Pizza

 

[Heidict]

Pizza Mountain Pies! Buttering the inside iron that clamps together put bread, sauce and cheese in it (with other toppings if you want). Roast it over the fire on both sides and voila! Pizza

The highlighted part confuses me. What are you buttering and what clamps together?

 

[rbork]

You could impress them with a dump cake in a dutch oven. A cake mix, pie filling and can of 7 up. some coals on the bottom and most on the top for 45 minutes! These are the bomb!

 

[Samar]

The highlighted part confuses me. What are you buttering and what clamps together?

There is a thing called a Mountain Pie Iron (Google it for pics) and you open it up and butter the inside of it lightly to prevent sticking and to give the crust a nice crunch

 

[pantherlj]

My girl scout troop's stand by meal is an easy taco dinner. The adults enjoy it too

We buy Morning Start pre cooked meat (I think my co-troop leader said it's vegetarian but I can't tell and can't remember for sure).

Heat it up over the fire with taco seasoning.

Take small/single serving size bags of fritos and crumble the fritos up a bit in the bag. Add the warmed up meat directly to the frito bag. Add toppings (Cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, etc) and eat it right out of the bag. It's quick to make (you can buy pre grated cheese and cut up the tomatoes before you leave) and easy clean up!

We like the dump cake too! Yum. Never tried it with 7 up, interesting! We just use cake mix, canned fruit and stick of butter sliced up.

 

[pixiewings71]

It's actually Morning Star, not Morning Start and yes, it's vegetarian.

OP you could do beer can chicken, take a chicken (cleaned of course ) and put it over an opened beer can and cook it over the flames, the beer (you only need about half a can IME) evaporates and makes the chicken very moist.

OH and S'mores, we always do S'mores but we mix it up, instead of just using choclate we use Reese's Pnut Butter Cups or my favorite is York Peppermint Patties......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[wide awake]

Cook some pasta at home and take in plastic bags...sometimes it takes forever to get water boiling over a fire. The premade taco meat is a good idea, as are the hamburgers and hot dogs. Breakfast burritos are fast and filling. Brown some sausage...and you could do this at home...if your family doesn't care for sausage than bacon or ham...scramble the meat w/ eggs, add some salsa or pico de gallo, maybe cheese, wrap in a tortilla, yummy breakfast. Good snacks that are fairly healthy and cheap...rice krispie bars you make at home, hard boiled eggs...which you can use in tons of different ways...chex mix, also made at home...fruit, veg sticks, homemade oatmeal cookies, hummus, wheat crackers or pita...and if your family will eat the hummus they may use the veg sticks as dippers. For veggies take the fresh corn, tomatoes to put on salads or whatever, summer squash or eggplant to grill. I try to stay away from sweet stuff or just carbs for breakfast, people get hungry too fast.

 

[3boymthr]

Just a quick thought - make sure to call the campground you are going to to make sure that you can actually have a campfire. Around here (at all the state parks and many private campgrounds) they've put the kaibosh on any open fires and cooking over charcoal. This is because of the very very high fire risk due to drought. It's just too dry. If they don't allow them, you may want to make a quick run to Walmart or Target to pick up a camp stove.

That said, we like to keep it real simple when cooking over a campfire. Favorites are hotdogs, burgers and DH's favorite - "meat on a stick", which is marinated steak or chicken - we marinate at home and bring it all ready to cook when we get there. We then serve some cold side dishes like potato or macaroni salad that we made at home and brought in the cooler. Another tasty side dish that DH likes - Roasted Cabbage. Cut a full cabbage in eight sections, butter both sides, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and top with chopped onions. Wrap in foil and grill for at least half an hour depending upon how high the heat is.

A favorite for desert - besides s'mores, that is - is roasted bananas. There's another name for them but I can't remember what it is. To make, pull back, but don't remove, the peel. Slice halfway thru along the length of the banana. Stuff with your favorites from a selection of goodies: Peanut Butter, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, mini (or cut up) marshmallows. Whatever other little things you like with your bananas. After stuffing, pull the peel back over the banana. Wrap in doubled foil. Roast for a few minutes. Eat with a spoon.

We usually skip the citronella as we find that it's just not potent enough to drive off the quantity of bugs that we're usually battling. A good can of OFF is your friend.

Enjoy, have fun.

 

[hsmamato2]

cooking over a fire takes much longer than using a stove,so keep that in mind... I like the foil packets idea,as dishes and sloppy food mess are what I HATE to deal with while camping..... for the breakfast foils, do y ou just dump in raw eggs? I am intrigued