Camping meals for 9 days. Help!

[Tap]

I am going camping for 9 days with a large group of family. I am the new one to the group so I don't really know all the ins and outs of their meal prep. It is my boyfriend's family, and when I asked him about planning for food, he says he usually goes to the butcher and provides the meat and others provide different parts. That is his previous experiences. 

Today, he messaged me and said to send him some meal ideas and we can talk about what we want to make. LOL So, I am guessing plans have changed. 

Can you give me some good ideas for what to take? When I used to camp, we never did long trips, so eating simple foods, like canned items/sandwiches etc was easy.  There is a smallish grocery store about 30 minutes away, so we can replace fresh food/ produce every few days as needed. But from my experience, these stores are expensive and you can't count on everything being available. 

I have a vacuum sealer and he has one of the super efficient coolers, that will hold ice for several days. I eat very limited nightshades so that eliminates a lot of potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers.

Help!!! 

[Catwoman]

Personally, I would have him find out what the rest of his family is planning to do. Does the group eat together, or would you and your boyfriend be eating separately?

I don't camp at all -- EVER -- so I have no meal suggestions for you, but my first thought was that it's your boyfriend's family, so he should be talking to them about the meal plans, and then discussing it with you so you can make final decisions.

[HomeAgain]

I'd find out which meals you all are in charge of, or if it's each group doing their own.  Some simple ones we do are:

chili

hobo packets or kabobs

sandwiches

pasta & jarred sauce

 

Breakfasts are usually oatmeal packets or similar, and lunches are always sandwiches & sides.

[Ali in OR]

How will you cook the food? Do you use a camp stove/griddle or do you have to use a firepit? Do you have electricity available and room for a crockpot? If you do, I would do crockpot pulled pork sandwiches with chips, fruit salad?, maybe some beans. My very best gourmet camp meal is little pizzas I make on our camp stove grill. I baked pizza dough rounds at home just enough to not be sticky, then finish them off at the camp site with pizza sauce (none for yours), just a little cheese because melting that is the hardest part, and a choice of toppings. They taste like wood-fired pizzas--really good, but they're time-intensive so not so great for a big crowd. Our best breakfasts are french toast and bacon (the precooked stuff is good for not too much fat draining off) or pancakes and Jimmy Dean sausages. I can also do quesadillas and sandwiches pretty easily. Taco bar is do-able with meat precooked at home.

[City Mouse]

My first thought was fajitas. That is easy to accommodate different food needs or choices. If the meat is prepped in advance and frozen solid, it could last several days in a cooler before being cooked.

But I agree that you really need more information. 
 

My second thought was that spending 9 days straight with anyone’s extended family, including my own, is my idea of a horrible time, but that is just me. 😀

[KungFuPanda]

9 days is worth buying a camp stove if you don’t already have one. Everything is easier on a camp stove. 
 

we’ve done:

pasta (precook at home and warm up at camp)

walking tacos

soups/chilis (make at home and reheat at camp)

hot dogs on the fire

cobbler in the Dutch oven

chicken packet meals over the fire

sloppy Joe’s (reheated at camp)

sandwiches

smores

banana boats

football pudding

grilled cheese and tomato soup

ramen

bacon and eggs

pancakes

[ScoutTN]

Yes, you need WAY more info!

Fire: foil packs, or roasting sausages, baked potatoes, one pot meals in a dutch oven.
 

Grill: Burgers/steaks, salmon, kabobs, chx - almost anything, really. These are good when you need food elements separated for dietary needs.

Gas stove - anything you’d cook on the stove at home, but simplified and prepped ahead. 
 

We generally do b’fast in the stove bc it’s ready fast. Coffee, eggs, meat, veggies, hot cereal. 

Lunch is cold - sandwiches or snacky things. 

Dinner - see above. 

[itsheresomewhere]

We camp a lot.  You could make lasagna, Mac n cheese, favorite casseroles ahead of time and reheat them on the campfire, girl or stove.  I use those disposable foil pans with lids.
 

Steaks/fish/chicken and grilled veggies on the fire is delicious. Use foil and make packets for the veggies.  Sautéed spinach with bacon is great.
 
Chili is great in a Dutch oven or crock pot.  
 

Pizza is kind of neat on the fire.  I use naan so I don’t have to mess with making dough. 
 

You can make some delicious desserts on the campfire.   I have done apple clobber, cherry bake, brownies, cookies etc.  

 

[DeainUSA]

You can cook a turkey right in the campfire!  Turns out great.

Kabobs are nice because everyone can self assemble to their likings.  Same with pizza.

We will make a giant pan of cheesy potatoes at home and heat up over fire.

Premake ham and cheese subs, wrap in foil, then just heat up on grill.

[Tap]

Ok, so I found out there will be several bbq grills, 2 (or 3) Blackstones, fire pit, and an air fryer. There is a power source being brought, but no electric hook ups (so limited electricity). 

 

[ScoutTN]

Prep as much ahead of time as you can. Chop veggies, brown ground meats, scramble eggs, etc. 
 

Are there bears where you are going? 

[ScoutTN]

Are you cooking for the whole group or only two people? Which/how many meals?

All the people going/eating/cooking need to converse about thing like:

Dietary needs (no nightshades is big!)and preferences.

Gear - who brings what, all the details, cooking utensils, potholders, soap etc. Subset of this is cooler space and food storage.

Seasonings and condiments. You don’t need four ketchups or sets of S&P.

Schedule/access if sharing cooking equipment.

We often use a shared Google Doc for planning and Zoom to meet and talk, editing the GD as we go.

Safety! Who has the fire extinguisher, big deal first aid kit, fire buckets, etc. Local to the campsite emergency info: closest urgent care and hours, nearest ER, park ranger phone number. 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by ScoutTN

[itsheresomewhere]

Blackstones are fantastic.  You can really do anything with that assortment of items.  
 

I do eggs, bacon, pancakes and biscuits on my blackstone for breakfasts.  If you have a stainless steel pot or even the foil pans, you can put those on the blackstone along with the grills. 

[kbutton]

7 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Dietary needs (no nightshades is big!)and preferences.

I agree--if they are making tacos or anything with a spice mix, you are hosed. Even refried beans are hard to find nightshade free. You will need a plain(er) version of everything they might make with packaged spices. I am GF and eat very few/small quantities of nightshade ingredients, and nightshades are by far the hardest part for communal eating. I have had to completely eliminate tomatoes and peppers at times, not even letting them touch my food. 

I would bring a small load of shelf-stable stuff that you don't share with anyone and get creative. Honestly, as long as you help cook/cleanup and are willing to bring a couple of items to share, providing and cooking your own meals should excuse you from communal cooking or groceries. That's a LOT of substitutions.

I do like the idea of meals that can be made in pieces like fajitas, loaded po

tatoes, etc., but if they don't take your needs into consideration, you will be ill. You might be making a lot of parallel meals. If they make pizza, you could make pizza with pesto and plain hamburger and cheese (delicious) vs. pepperoni and tomatoes, but again, that's all separate. 

I would take a lot of foil and small cookware to cook your stuff separately alongside of theirs. I would focus on veggies, meats, etc. and not necessarily dishes like potato salad or baked beans. 

Sweet potatoes should store well. A sweet potato hash (sweet potatoes and apples/pears and bacon (or nightshade free sausage)) would be a good breakfast or dinner.

Canned tuna or canned salmon made into salmon patties would work. 

Pasta with white sauce

Rice dishes

Mac and cheese in a dutch oven

Baked oatmeal

Pancakes

Black olives are filling and can make good ingredients or side items for a variety of dishes

Cabbage might keep better for making salads

Soup ingredients--I would save that for a day when the veggies might be starting to wilt. There is a really yummy paleo cabbage roll soup that is nightshade free. I can't find it right now, but it uses a head of cabbage, shredded carrots, ground pork, garlic, onion, a dab of soy sauce (or coconut aminos), ginger, and chicken broth. I like to add a dribble of sesame oil. It's really tasty. Most of those veggies take a few days to wilt, and the proportions of the ingredients are really not exacting if you just throw them together.

 

 

[Tap]

51 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Prep as much ahead of time as you can. Chop veggies, brown ground meats, scramble eggs, etc. 
 

Are there bears where you are going? 

Bears are not a big problem where we are going. 

[Carrie12345]

11 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Personally, I would have him find out what the rest of his family is planning to do. Does the group eat together, or would you and your boyfriend be eating separately?

This.
I would need that kind of detail before planning. 6 meals for a crowd would be a whole different approach from 27 meals for a few, though I’d still be sure to pack other items due to the dietary restrictions.  It’d also help to get bf to do some recon on what others are planning if that’s the case, in order to avoid too many duplicates.
If it’s each their own, I’d be sure to have my own something or other to cook on, to minimize overcrowding someone else’s grill or stove.  Bringing extra propane when utilizing others’ equipment is always appreciated in our circles.

To extend the timeframe, I’d cook *and freeze solid* small meats (pulled, ground, etc.) for anything several days in, but make that run to the grocery for fresh larger cuts beyond day 3 or 4.  Well, maybe depending on what meat supply is like in the given area right now.  I have frozen raw meats in marinade to thaw in the marinade, but it can be tricky with a really great cooler if it stays solid too long.

With the right heat source and tools, and good prep, there’s really no limit to a camping menu.

[ScoutTN]

One of my fave foil packs is:

cabbage leaves for a liner
par cooked rice
thinly sliced chx
sliced onions and asparagus
garlic and fresh herbs
S&P
EVOO

 

The cabbage leaves add moisture and are really yummy!

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by ScoutTN

[alisoncooks]

10 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Blackstones are fantastic.  You can really do anything with that assortment of items.  
 

I do eggs, bacon, pancakes and biscuits on my blackstone for breakfasts.  If you have a stainless steel pot or even the foil pans, you can put those on the blackstone along with the grills. 

We use ours a lot. Fajitas and hibachi style chicken/veg/rice are great on the blackstone.  Also potato-sausage hash. 

[itsheresomewhere]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

We use ours a lot. Fajitas and hibachi style chicken/veg/rice are great on the blackstone.  Also potato-sausage hash. 

Ours is used a lot.  It makes cooking so much fun.   It does a fantastic crepe and  Diner style burgers. I use it much more than my regular grill now. I just bought a pizza oven to use on it. 

[livetoread]

I wrote and erased a couple of responses because it wasn't what you were asking, but if it were me and my boyfriend was inviting me camping with his family and was wanting me to take the majority of responsibility for planning and cooking the food, I'd be having a little chat (not saying he's doing this, but if it were me, I'd be alert for it). It's his responsibility to put in the mental work for this IMO. I'd be more than willing to help out by suggesting a few meals and of course helping to make them while there, but I wouldn't be jumping to grab the lead in coming up with meals and figuring out how to cook them. It's important to me though that certain things don't just fall in my lap because of gender expectations, ymmv. Camping is a lot of work both mental and actual, and while I love it, it is even more work if you aren't experienced. So don't be too quick to take on more than you should.