Camping with children often seems to revolve around food. Kids often have a more regular meal schedule, making three meals a day a requirement even when camping. Planning easy, fun meals and snacks will ensure a smooth camping experience for the entire family.
Camping Foods for All Weather
For those camping in a camper or recreational vehicle with access to a stove and refrigerator, cooking while camping is not much different than cooking at home. However, for those planning to cook over a campfire or with a simple camp stove, a little more planning is necessary.
When cooking under the open sky, weather becomes a major factor at mealtimes. Planning for rain is essential to getting food prepared. Bringing a gas fired camp stove, and using it under an awning, will ensure that the breakfast pancakes can be prepared despite the weather.
Easy, simple-to-prepare foods are essential for those rainy days. Packing a can of soup, pre-made pasta salad, the ingredients for the children’s favorite sandwiches and other simple foods will make lunches and dinners easy to assemble and eat during a rain shower.
On the day of arrival at the campground, having pre-made foods available for a quick meal will be welcome for weary travelers. Setting up a tent or camper does take some time, which could crowd into the lunch or dinner hour.
Portable Foods for Camping
The family camping trip often includes exciting adventures like hiking trips, boating or exploring the beach. Unless parents plan to make frequent trips back to their campsite, packing portable snacks and meals will be necessary.
Pre-packaged snacks such as yogurt, granola bars, dried fruit and nuts make wonderful healthy snacks out on the trail. Packing individual portions of cheese and meat cubes, crackers, grapes, cubed fruits, or sandwiches will allow for eating on the run. Children should be allowed to pack some of their favorites, as well.
Make Camping Foods Fun
For many children, the novelty of a campfire is their favorite part of camping. Incorporating the fire in the meal preparation will enhance the camping experience, and allows the older kids to be involved in cooking their own foods.
Cooking dinner in a foil packet over the fire or on a grill gives kids a chance to help in the food preparation and makes clean-up a breeze. Parents can help their children layer in a chicken breast, cubed potatoes, sliced veggies, seasonings and a little butter for a simple yet nutritious meal.
Parents should consider their children’s favorite foods, and alter them for cooking over the fire. Using a pie iron is a great way to make a classic grilled cheese sandwich or pizza pocket over a camp fire. A pie iron is like a sandwich maker, with two hinged halves to receive the ingredients and a long handle for holding it over the fire. They can be used to make fruit pies for dessert, as well.
For a warm and toasty grilled sandwich, layering in bread buttered on the outside, cheese and meat, and a second slice of buttered bread is all that is required. These sandwiches are especially welcome on a cool day, and can be paired with some hot soup and raw veggies for a complete meal.
Using this same technique, pizza pockets will become a favorite camping treat. Children can choose their favorite pizza toppings and cheese, and grill the sandwich over the fire. Warmed pizza sauce for dipping just adds to the fun.
For a fruity dessert treat, the buttered bread can be layered into the pie iron with canned fruit pie filling tucked into the center. After grilling, this hot fruit pie can be dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar for a yummy treat. Children should use caution when eating any of these pocket treats, as the fillings are very hot.
A campfire can also be used to make a classic s’more treat. Children love to toast marshmallows, and placing them between graham cracker squares and chocolate is a great way to create a memory. Replacing the graham crackers with chocolate chip cookies creates a new treat. Or, changing the plain chocolate squares with peanut butter cups or mint patties will offer little campers a fun way to personalize their desserts.
Camping food should be simple and nutritious, but it should also be fun. Reinventing some family favorites is a great way for parents to enjoy camp cooking with their children.
Teri Larsen - Professional Interior Designer, Freelance Writer, Executive Editor of Metro Women Magazine, Mom of 2, Artist and Generally Creative ...
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