Camping Menus

I’m Hungry

A few weeks ago I wrote Camping Made Easy to provide ideas on getting out there and exploring nature.  There’s no excuse for you not to go camping (and that’s a positive – not a double negative)!  I find that packing food and planning a menu is the hardest part, so I’m diving into more detail to provide a weekend menu for camping (Friday – Sunday).

I mentioned previously that when all else fails … we just find a local brewery in town and eat out.  But Kyle & I had our monthly budget recap and finances are a little tight (we celebrated the end of the ⛵ season a little too much in September!), so there’ll be less eating out in our future.  But we can still go camping … it just takes a bit more planning with the food. Skip to printable checklist.

Friday Dinner: Bratwurst

Because we typically show up to the campsite after a long day of work and a drive to the park, it’s nice to keep the dinner plans quick and easy.  Plus if you’re like us, you’ve used all of your willpower and grace on setting up the tent and the rest of the campsite together, you could use an easy win!

What you need:

• Fire wood, matches and optional – fire starter sticks
• Plates, Utensils & Paper Towels
• 1 – 2 brats per person
• Hot Dog buns to match # of brats (or you can eat without a bun)
• Condiments: Ketchup, Mustard, Relish
• Raw Veggies: Carrots, Celery and Cauliflower & Ranch Dip  
• Potato Chips or Potato Salad
• Drinks:  Water, Sparkling Water or Beer
• Dessert: Traditional S’mores

Steps:

1. We recommend setting up the campsite first – such as putting the tent together, getting out camping chairs and cleaning off the picnic table.
2. While one person gets the food out and ready to cook, another person can start gathering sticks and/or arranging firewood to start the campfire.
3. Let the fire burn for ~15 – 20 minutes so the logs have a nice glow.
4. Cook the brats evenly on all sides until cooked.  (Be careful not to get too close to the flame to start on fire, and rotate continually so it doesn’t fall off the stick.)
5. Set up plates with bun, condiments and sides; add brat to the bun when completely cooked.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 if necessary, and then make dessert.
7. Clean up all remaining food and store it in the car or tent to ward off critters – along with using a plastic grocery sack to collect trash and dropping in the proper waste bins provided in the campsite.

Estimated Time:

~30 – 40 minutes.

Saturday Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola & Fruit

This is one of our go-to camping breakfast meals because we don’t need to light the campfire in the morning before we take off to go hiking or exploring the area.

What you need:

• Propane Burner & 1 lb. propane
• Percolator
• Coffee and Filter
• Jugs of Water
• Plain Yogurt
• Granola
• Strawberries (cut at home), Blueberries or Raspberries
• Bowls, Utensils & Paper Towels

Steps:

1. Coffee First!  Set up the percolator with water, filter & coffee.
2. Set up the propane burner with propane, and light with a match.
3. Let the water boil and coffee percolate for 10 – 15 minutes.
4. Pour in coffee mugs – but be careful, it’s very hot!
5. Add scoop(s) of yogurt to bowl
6. Add granola & fruit on top – enjoy!
7. Clean up all remaining food and store it in the car or tent to ward off critters – along with using a plastic grocery sack to collect trash and dropping in the proper waste bins provided in the campsite.

Estimated Time:

~15 – 20 minutes.

Saturday Lunch: Deli Sandwiches

This is one of our go-to camping lunch meals so we can easily carry the lunches in our bags on the hike or out exploring the area.

What you need:

• 2 slices of bread for each sandwich
• Sliced turkey deli meat (and we also get sliced ham and salami too)
• Cheese
• Condiments:  Mustard and Mayo
• Sandwich Tupperware
• Sides & Snacks:  Chips, Veggies, Apples, Granola Bars
• Drinks:  Water

Steps:

1. Make sandwich to your preference, pack it up and add to cooler or backpack
2. Bring sides in a cooler or backpack
3. Don’t forget water, and a few paper towels (just in case)
4. Clean up all remaining food and store it in the car or tent to ward off critters – along with using a plastic grocery sack to collect trash and dropping in the proper waste bins provided in the campsite.

Estimated Time:

~2 minutes per sandwich plus 5 – 10 minutes additional time.

Saturday Dinner:  Hamburgers

Hamburgers taste really good over a flame and after a long day hiking!  It’s also nice because you can use the condiments from the previous night.

What you need:

• Grill grate or burger basket
• 1 – 2 hamburgers per person
• Buns to match # of burgers (or you can eat without a bun)
• Condiments: Ketchup, Mustard, Relish
• Raw Veggies: Carrots, Celery and Cauliflower & Ranch Dip  
• Potato Chips or Potato Salad
• Drinks:  Water, Sparkling Water or Beer
• Dessert: try a non-traditional S’mores.

Steps:

1. While one person gets the food out and ready to cook, another person can start gathering sticks and/or arranging firewood to start the campfire.
2. Let the fire burn for ~15 – 20 minutes so the logs have a nice glow.
3. Set up burgers on a grill grate or burger basket, and cook evenly on both sides.  (Be careful not to get too close to the flame to start on fire and rotate continually.)
4. Set up plates with bun, condiments and sides; add burger to the bun when completely cooked – optional add cheese.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 if necessary, and then make dessert.
6. Clean up all remaining food and store it in the car or tent to ward off critters – along with using a plastic grocery sack to collect trash and dropping in the proper waste bins provided in the campsite.

Estimated Time:

~30 – 40 minutes.

Sunday Breakfast:  Scrambled Eggs, Sausage & Pancakes

Of course you can repeat the same breakfast from Saturday morning, but a nice hot breakfast on a cool morning sounds really good!

What you need:

• Eggs (and bowl)
• Sausage links
• Pancake mix (use the same bowl or bring another one)
• Skillet or non-stick frying pan & spatula
• Salt & Pepper
• Syrup & optional butter

Steps:

1. Follow the steps above for making coffee first.
2. While coffee is percolating, you can start getting the eggs cracked and scrambled, and the pancake mix made.  
3. Using the single propane burner, add a little butter to the pan and swirl around the pan.
4. Cook the eggs for about 3 – 4 minutes (until no longer runny), then cook sausage for about 5 minutes (rotating all sides until thoroughly cooked), and finally make the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side.
5. Add the cooked food to a covered dish to keep warm or eat as you go!

Estimated Time:

~30 – 40 minutes.

Sunday Lunch:  Deli Sandwiches

While one person is starting to clean up from breakfast, another person can make deli sandwiches for the road.  Make sure these are in easy grabbing distance, and add sides and snacks too.

Sunday Dinner:  Frozen Pizza

We’re on a Sunday evening frozen pizza kick lately, but it’s so easy to heat up quickly when you come home hungry.  Plus you can make it while you have football on in the background and you’re cleaning up your gear (and yourself) from an amazing camping weekend!

There are so many good varieties out there.  Our favorites include DiGiorno Cheese Stuffed Crust – either Supreme or Pepperoni, Gino’s East of Chicago Deep Dish Meatly Legend or Motor City Pizza Co – 5 cheese bread with marinara dipping sauce.

Tell us what you think

What’s your camping menu secrets?  Do you have any must-haves?  We’d love to hear from you.  Please share your feedback in the comments below.

– Kara from Zeke Life

Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!