Camping offers many of us a welcomed escape from the modern conventions of civilization and technology. This is great for enjoying time with family and making memories with loved ones without the disturbance of the internet!
Despite camping's many positive attributes, there are some difficulties to overcome too, such as cooking. The lack of cooking equipment may become your greatest worry if it means not having access to good nutritious and tasty food to eat.
Here at Proper Good, we know how important delicious and healthy meals are, especially when you are out in the wild! As a result, we have collated the best camping hacks and tips we could find to make your camping trip hassle-free.
11 Amazing Camping Food Hacks You Have To Try
Camping is a fun experience until it comes to dealing with the inconveniences caused by food. It is essential to eat healthy, nutritious food that provides you with a good burst of energy throughout your trip. However, it is also essential that you and your family have fun whilst cooking and even more so when eating! Listed below are some of the best food hacks to include in your camping trip to make it a trouble-free and fun experience.
Pancakes / Eggs in a bottle
This camping food hack is a must-have for your next camping trip. Make your pancake mixture ahead of your camping trip and put it into an empty bottle or mason jar! This simple meal-prep of creating the pancake batter beforehand will save you from bringing lots of additional and unnecessary ingredients with you. This pancake mixture will provide a great breakfast that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
You can also use this hack to bring your eggs on your next camping trip! Just crack your eggs into a bottle and bring them with you. Pour the eggs into your cast iron skillet when you want some scrambled eggs.
Frozen Loaf of Bread
If you are going camping for more than a couple of days, consider taking a loaf of frozen bread with you. After a few days, the bread will start to defrost but will keep its shape! This means no more flattened or moldy bread, which can lead to disappointment and wasted food. This is one of the most useful camp cooking hacks.
Meals in Foil
Wrapping your meals in foil is a great camping hack to reduce the mess of cooking. You can pretty much cook any type of food over a camping fire when it is wrapped in foil. Our favorites include a seasoned potato with meat and cheese, and a banana split down the middle and filled with chocolate chips! It eases the cooking method whilst still maintaining the relaxing, natural essence of camping in the great outdoors.
Muffins in Orange Peels
Want to know how you can reuse your orange peel waste? If you carefully peel an orange you can have two whole halves which can be used as a makeshift muffin tray! You need to use oranges with a thick peel for this trick to work, Navel oranges are the best! Simply pour your pre-made muffin batter into the bottom half of the peel and top it with the other half. Wrap your batter-filled orange peel in foil, being cautious to keep it upright so no batter runs out. Place your fully wrapped orange peel, again keeping it upright, into the hot coals on your camping fire. While cooking your muffin batter will expand into the top part of the peel making a perfect ball of deliciousness! Be sure to use a muffin batter flavor that pairs well with orange, as the peel will infuse the orange flavor - in our opinion, Chocolate batter with a hint of orange is camping perfection! Leave these foil-wrapped oranges to bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes for some amazing muffins cooked over a fire! Yet one of the most useful camp cooking hacks.
Frozen Bottle of Water
If you are stuck for space, try replacing your ice packs with frozen bottles of water. Not only will this tactical camping hack keep your meal preps and ingredients cool, but it will also provide a refreshing drink as it slowly melts down over time.
S’mores Cones
S'mores are a camp food staple treat, which are delicious to enjoy around a campsite fire. However, they can be messy and the multiple packs of ingredients (crackers, chocolate chips, and marshmallows) will often lead to perishable leftovers. To prevent any waste, try making s'mores cones!
Instead of using a cracker base, use an ice cream cone instead. Fill these ahead of your camping trip with chocolate chips and marshmallows and wrap them with tin foil. You can even add pieces of fruit, such as strawberries and bananas, for a healthier dessert.
The cones allow you to control exactly how many you bring with you to the camping trip, which is great if you want a treat that won't lead to binging on leftover crackers afterwards! Pop the cones over a fire to melt the marshmallows, then enjoy.
Seasoning in Straws / Tic Tac Containers
Store your spices and flavorings in convenient small containers like recycled tic tac boxes or encased cardboard straws. This will prevent you from taking up too much space when packing and will help to add some great flavors to your meals. Having these spices available can help to transform the quality of your food. All you have to do is sprinkle some of the spices over your foil-wrapped recipes for a delicious, easy meal.
Alternatively, you can get a ready-made spice pack that is suitable for all of your camping meals. Proper Good’sSpicy Seasoning adds a spicy kick to your meals, and the more you add, the spicier it gets! This spice mix is made with zero salt, zero sugar, and zero calories!
Mess-Free Tacos
These mess-free tacos are great for saving your use of plastic over camping trips, as they are a limited waste snack! To make these, you need to crush up a packet of Doritos (or a similar type of potato chip) and crush them into smaller pieces.
Next, add any taco meat and toppings you would like, such as cheese, sauce, spices, and salad. Shake the bag slightly to mix the ingredients together, and there you have it, mess-free tacos! You can eat this bag of tacos on the go for a tasty, filling snack.
Fresh Herbs on Coal as Marinade
Add some extra flavor and spice to your grilled meats by placing fresh herbs on your campfire's coal as a marinade. Thyme, sage, oregano, tarragon, and chives will add a beautiful aromatic flavor to any meats you are cooking over your campfire. This camping food hack will have all the campers hungry in no time, as the mouthwatering smell will definitely be irresistible.
One-Pot Meals
Prepare some one-pot meals in advance of your next camping trip to simplify your campfire cooking. Whether you are cooking over a campfire or using a camp stove, cooking space on camping trips is limited. Our favorite one-pot meals include cast iron skillet s'mores and this tasty chicken dish.
To make the skillet s'mores for your dessert, place some graham crackers at the bottom of a skillet with some pieces of chocolate scattered on top. Next, add some mini marshmallows on top and place the skillet over an open flame. Making s'mores is a must when it comes to fun camping activities, and this one-pot hack minimizes mess as well as stress.
A one-pot chicken meal is great for replenishing your body after a long day of exercising without putting in too much effort. Simply place your chicken in a large pot and drizzle with some olive oil. Cook the chicken lightly until golden brown color and season with salt and pepper, as well as any additional spices you wish to add. Next, add in your chosen vegetables, the rice, and the chicken stock. Cook for between 25 to 35 minutes before serving!
For when you are not in the mood to cook, Proper Good provides pre-made ready to eat in 90 seconds that can be cooked over a stove, in a pot over a fire (perfect for camping), or in the microwave! Even better, these one-pot meals are available in dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based forms, as well as offering keto-friendly dishes.
Our favorite meal combinations include our red pepper meatball pouch, cream of chicken soup, the keto-friendly broccoli, and cheddar soup, and our famous southwest chili. You can purchase these meal pouches in pre-made packs, or you can choose your own combination of meals in a stress-free 'build your own' pack.
Proper Good meals are not only incredibly nutritious, but they also require absolutely no preparation! If you need a quick meal before a hike, ensure you have more energy for walking by trying these no-hassle one-pot meals.
Coffee Bags
Do you miss your morning coffee when on camping trips? If so, then this camping hack is just for you! This excellent camping trip hack teaches you how to make your own coffee bags using dental floss(be sure to use a plain dental floss, unless you want a hint of mint in your coffee!), coffee filters, and a spoonful of ground or instant coffee.
All you will need to do is fill the coffee filter with a spoonful of instant or ground coffee (or less depending on how strong you like your coffees) and tie it using dental floss.
When you want a cup of coffee on your camping trip, you will just need to add hot or boiling water to a cup and place your coffee bag in it. Stir it to distribute the coffee evenly within the water, and there is your camping-friendly coffee!
Conclusion
These camping food hacks will help you to make the most out of your camping food! To really make your cooking a stress-free experience whilst being healthy and fulfilling, try using Proper Good. Proper Good provides ready-to-eat in 90 seconds meals that are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, plant-based, and made from clean ingredients!
