No Stove, No Energy, No Problem - No Cook Camping Meals
The secret to hassle-free meals while camping is preparation. For many meals, you can prep or assemble in advance to take advantage of your home kitchen or just get a jump on meals to avoid the constant question “what’s for dinner?”
Proper Food Storage
A variety of clear containers will help you group your prepped ingredients or separate portions and leftovers. Use proper airtight storage to ensure your food doesn’t go bad, therefore reducing food waste and making sure you don’t end up with hungry campers. Label and date your containers for organizational ease!
1. Overnight Oats
These recipes require little to no effort, and are super easy to prep and customize before you head out to your campsite. Simply add your dry ingredients to whatever container you’re making them in (whether they’re single serving mason jars or larger ones for multiple servings) and mix your wet ingredients the day before you plan to eat them. They’re super versatile: oats, milk, yogurt, and honey are usually part of the base. And you can add your preferred topping like fresh fruits or nuts for extra flavor and different textures.
2. Bagels and Cream Cheese or Other Spreads
So simple it just might work! One of the easiest to pack breakfast staples, bagels are simple and easy and can satisfy everyone. Top them with cream cheese and lox, peanut butter, jam, or any other topping you desire. You can even make these for a quick lunch or supper by turning them into makeshift pizzas with pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever else you want before throwing them under a broiler or wrapping them in foil to bake over the fire.
3.Tuna Salad Sandwiches or Wraps
It may not be the most refined of meals but the ingredients can be easily packed or prepped and it has tons of protein. Try mixing your tuna with celery, minced onion, pickles or relish, garlic, or lemon juice to pump up your standard tuna. Pop it between a couple slices of toast or wrap it up in a tortilla for a delicious and easy lunch.
4.Hummus and Veggies
Hummus is an unsung hero of meals. It goes great with pretty much every veggie out there and can be used as a base spread in a wrap or sandwich. If you want to add a bit of protein you can throw in a few slices of turkey.
5.Caprese Salad
Feeling fancy? This salad is deceptively simple with only three main ingredients. It can be a great snack for a crowd. Fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes are spread on a plate or platter and topped with fresh basil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can serve this with some crusty bread or crackers if you want. Most of the ingredients can be sliced before you leave home, but it’s recommended you cut up the tomatoes right before serving to keep them from getting mushy.
6. Salad or Sandwich Wraps
Besides tuna there are so many different options to put in a wrap. Wraps can often be a great way to avoid worrying about squishing bread in transit, plus tortillas defrost fast from frozen and can be less messy than a sandwich when rolled properly. A couple different wraps you could modify are cobb salad wraps, chicken-caesar, and veggie and hummus.
Other Easy Foods to Pack:
There are a few other fridge and pantry stables you can add that can be used for quick snacks and meals and are easy to prepare before you leave.
-Roasted Chicken: you can get roasted chickens from the grocery store and break them down to pack and take with you.
-Cold cuts: these are easy to store in the fridge or cooler and are great for sandwiches, wraps, or quick snacks.
-chopped veggies wrapped in damp paper towel and in an airtight container
-fresh fruit like apples and oranges, you can also pack berries in containers to save on space and organization.
-yogurt and toppings; berries, granola, honey
-bread and wraps/tortillas
-nut butters and other spreads
-canned foods with a pull tab like soups and tuna. Cut down on the number of utensils in your kitchen by avoiding foods that need a can opened
Any no cook meals we missed that are a must have for your adventures? Let us know in the comments!