Food and drink ideas for camping

No camping experience is ever complete without good food and drink. While a good treat for breakfast will keep you fueled up for the day’s activities, it’s more than refreshing to sit up at the campfire sharing stories and laughter while enjoying a delicious meal and some drinks to take it to smooth down the gut. Well, there are lots of foods you can bring or cook at your campsite. However, most campers find it quite daunting to decide what to pack. While some foods are light and easy to prepare, others can be quite bulky and time-consuming. And that’s not all!

Still, some foods and drinks are quite perishable, but it doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning your diet or favorite treats in the name of camping. Provided you can keep it well-packed, chilled, or frozen, there’s literally nothing you can’t bring camping. If you don’t have a portable camping freezer yet, Meghann from Simple Green Moms suggests doing some research and checking out the best portable freezer reviews to help you make a decision on which type and model will best suit your needs. From frozen precooked meals to ice cream, fruits, drinks, and veggies, a portable freezer can help you bring even the most perishable items to your camping trip without worries. Are you completely clueless about what to eat while out there in the jungle or campsite?

Worry not because below are some food and drink ideas for camping.

Instant Coffee, Tea, Juice

For most people, the day doesn’t usually start well without a cup or two of their favorite hot beverage. Depending on what you prefer, you’ll want to include a couple of instant coffee sachets, tea bags or even hot chocolate. You can also go for a powdered juice of your choice and you’re sorted for those warmer days when you’re thirsty and water alone may not quite quench it. The other great thing about these instant packets is that they’re easy to carry without adding too much weight on your camping arsenal and you get to minimize trash.

Water

Especially when out there in the wild, it can be extremely difficult to survive a few days without water. The average human body can only go without water for as little as 3 days before dehydration sets in, fatigue strikes, and organ failure occurs. It keeps you hydrated, energetic, refreshed, and healthy. It’s the most important drink needed by the human body, so be sure to carry some bottled drinking water even if your campground doesn’t provide any.

Instant Cup Noodles

If you’ve been in college or you’ve lived alone at some point, there’s a high likelihood that you developed some good skills. Well, these most likely include making instant meals such as cup noodles or instant mac and cheese. The great thing about these meals is that they only require hot water and they can keep you going for days without getting your camping experience ruined by hunger.

Bring Some Frozen Fruits

Especially if you bought that portable freezer, you may want to include pre-cut frozen fruits in your list of food essentials. In addition to being easy to prepare, they make perfect snacks for camping in warm weather. You could try chopping up a few watermelons or pack up some grapes and freeze them a day or two before heading to your camping trip and you’re sure to eat healthy during the entire adventure.

Some Wine, Liquor, or Beer

Nothing makes a camping trip more memorable than toasting to it with your loved ones while enjoying the view of the stars beside the campfire or on a picnic table. Depending on your preferred alcoholic beverage, you can go for canned beer, powdered beet, boxed wine, canned wine, or a bottle of your favorite liquor. Including options for light packers, there are many alcoholic drinks out there that you can try out depending on your budget as well.

Pasta with Tomatoes for Dinner

Especially for dinner, spaghetti is another great meal option for campers, thanks to how easy it is to fix. What’s more, you can even have it prepped at home and packed. For a delicious pasta packet, be sure to add some pasta sauce, salt, some olive oil, and some pepper to complete the menu. Once done prepping, just place each serving in a foil packet and add some basil, parmesan cheese, and diced tomatoes. You’ll only need to heat your pasta packets over the campfire for about 10 minutes, so that the cheese melts and your pasta is warm, and you’re good to go.

A Festival Pie

Pie can get expensive, especially if you’re camping with family or a couple of friends. To keep the budget a bit low, you can go for a large festival pie that can be shared amongst several individuals. The best thing is that some options such as pork pie or lamb pie don’t necessarily require heating up, which means that you can save time and keep your camping weight low.

One-Pot Meal

If you want to pack extra light, you probably don’t want to carry more than one or two pans since it can be cumbersome. This is not to forget that washing up facilities can be limited in campgrounds. In such cases, going for a one-pot meal can be a great idea. Think of something like macaroni paired with tuna and veggies, lentil skillet, chickpea hash or blueberry banana pancakes can do the trick.

Eggs over Campfire

Eggs are among the most versatile meals that you can prepare just about from anywhere. Scrambled, boiled, or over easy, you can have them for breakfast or pair them with some carbs for lunch. If you prefer over easy or scrambled, you’ll only need a pan and some butter or cooking spray. What’s more, it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare eggs.

Barbecue

Whether you’re sprucing up some burgers or grilling some sausages, campfire barbeques are great treats, especially for breakfast. If your campground permits hunting in the woods, you could also go for a deer/rabbit hunting adventure and have the meal grilled over the campfire. Alternatively, you could bring some beef, lamb, turkey or chicken in a cooler to your camping trip.

Beef Jerky and Dried Fruits

Nothing beats hunger more than a dose of high-protein beef jerky. The fact that you don’t have to worry about it spoiling is reason enough to pack several before heading to your camping adventure. So shop premium beef jerky that you can bring at your camp site and let the whole camper enjoy your tasty treats.

Surviving a few days in the wild without packing the right food and drinks can be a nightmare. You don’t want your experience to be cut short by hunger or thirst. The above are just a few ideas on the foods and drinks you can bring camping or make at the site to help fuel your body and keep you energetic for the entire trip.