Upcomming Meal Plans? All ideas welcome

[scwalk]

I’ll make chili ahead of time and freeze in freezer bags. Heat some water in a pot and drop the bag in. Grill some dogs and you have easy chili dogs.

I do the same - but I make a turkey chili instead of beef. I freeze single servings in zip loc baggies. One thing I make is basic ramen noodles but use only part of the seasoning packet - I pre cut stuff like green onion, shredded carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini- you name it - you can even use pieces of hot dogs, chicken, etc. Store the additions in bags in the cooler or fridge and let the kids pick what they want to add. Super easy to cook and each kid gets to add what they prefer.

 

[Mark CASTELLANI]

PIE IRONS!!!... can't say enough about PIE IRONS

When the kiddos were younger, "formal meals" were almost a necessity for us hence, DW would pre-make things like her famous "Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie"... throw it in the Dutch Oven, put "Pilsbury Biscuits" on top and put it in the fire-pit [coals on top]... or her famous "Chili & Rice", Jambalaya, Cinnamon Rolls, etc.... she got really accomplished at classic Dutch Oven cooking...

As the kiddos grew, as well as DW & I, food became more about "sustenance" 'cause sitting down for dinner detracted from activities... however, a good, hearty breakfast is a MUST... usually, and to this day, Oatmeal... one tradition remains, though... Steak and Baked Potatoes... EVERY trip

so, that's where the PIE IRONS came into play... kiddos were able to put together a "sandwich"... [Grilled Cheese or Pie-Iron Pizza, or Home-made "Fruit Pies", etc.] and feed themselves if they didn't want to "sit-down"... and 'Smores...'Smores in a Pie-Iron works great [PS: a son's girl friend turned us on to using Reese's PeanutButter Cups in place of the Hersey's Chocolate.... YUMMY!]

DW still, to this day, INSIST on Fruit... everybody's got to have their fruit

Here's a spreadsheet of our "go-to" meal plan:

Day/Date	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Friday, 05/20/22​	n/a	n/a	Hot Dogs	smores
Saturday, 05/21/22​	oatmeal/cerial	sandwich & fruit	Burgers & Chips	smores
Sunday, 05/22/22​	oatmeal/cerial	sandwich & fruit	n/a	smores
Monday, 05/23/22​	n/a
Hot dogs
Hamburgers
Chicken
NY Strip Steaks
Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie
London Broil
chili & rice
BLT
Jambalaya
Pie Iron Pizza

Happy Trails!

 

[scwalk]

Trying to figure out some meal plans for the upcoming adventures.

I eat almost anything, so its really about the kiddies- and they seem to not want to eat sometimes, which can get rather.. annoying in the morning. If only they would eat cold cereal and milk!!

DW doesn't want them eating hot dogs every day... so I have to try and feed them something else... any ideas?

For breakfast - egg and bacon burritos!

 

[Ger]

Trying to figure out some meal plans for the upcoming adventures.

I eat almost anything, so its really about the kiddies- and they seem to not want to eat sometimes, which can get rather.. annoying in the morning. If only they would eat cold cereal and milk!!

DW doesn't want them eating hot dogs every day... so I have to try and feed them something else... any ideas?

A family favorite was “pizza on the grill”. We pre made the bases at home, cut them into pizza slices, then we chopped up ham, onions, peppers pineapple, mushrooms etc and the kids “built their own pizza”. That way they get exactly what they want. Another favorite were tacos as it follows along the line of “they can put in it whatever they want”. The adults loved both those menu options too!

 

[momtoplj]

Trying to figure out some meal plans for the upcoming adventures.

I eat almost anything, so its really about the kiddies- and they seem to not want to eat sometimes, which can get rather.. annoying in the morning. If only they would eat cold cereal and milk!!

DW doesn't want them eating hot dogs every day... so I have to try and feed them something else... any ideas?

We do sausage gravy and put it on biscuits that I bring already or those dehydrated hash browns or even grits. Pancakes always. Breakfast sandwiches. Mac and cheese that I make with 1lb macaroni, 1 can evaporated milk and a 16 Oz Velveeta. Fajitas or tacos every trip. Grilled cheese with ham and tomato. Smoked sausage with potatoes, onions, and peppers. Foil packets. Quesidillas which you can also make in foil over the fire. I always take canned fruit and serve it with breakfast. Fried rice using rice a roni and whatever veggies/leftover meat I have on hand.

 

[Patrick w]

Electric hookup sites are extremely limited, my wacky work schedule doesn't really allow me to plan more than a week or two out. But my camper is also so tiny, that so far nobody has even given me an issue on putting it in a tent site. (It is a quicksilver 6.0). I have several stoves, but mostly use a Coleman 425e for cooking duties, and some canister stove for dedicated hot water boiling. I do have two griddle tops(just bought a new aluminum one) and last year I bought the Coleman oven.
Anything simple they are pretty much sick of, because that's all the school gives nowadays. They've not seen a hot school lunch or bfast ever. So yogurt and granola, out. Cold cereal, once in a blue moon.
I do the pancakes, but they don't even really like syrup or butter, so they eat maybe one.
One won't eat hard boiled. The other one only eats hard boiled. One cannot stand the smell of cheese. The other one loves cheese.
Hotdogs, bacon and sausage they can both agree on. But the dw... .. lol she says I got them addicted to it. One will gladly eat cheese burgers, the other one not so much. It does make food prep more time consuming. However I will try the can o buns... (Why I got the Coleman oven..) I very much love classic American fare... Bacon, eggs hash ,lightly toasted white bread with salted butter. DW is a turkey bacon(sometimes) egg, fresh fruit and oatmeal, salad for lunches, quinoa and brown rice. She doesn't even consume a lot of beef.. steak is a different story!

 

[Patrick w]

This I have to try. I want to do it without lugging my portable pizza oven along. Tacos... Havent tried that

A family favorite was “pizza on the grill”. We pre made the bases at home, cut them into pizza slices, then we chopped up ham, onions, peppers pineapple, mushrooms etc and the kids “built their own pizza”. That way they get exactly what they want. Another favorite were tacos as it follows along the line of “they can put in it whatever they want”. The adults loved both those menu options too!

 

[Sjm9911]

I get the flatbread at aldies, make the sauce , can of tomato sauce, add oregano, Parmigiano cheese ( the cheapo kraft kind) olive oil , salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I use sliced mozzarella, easier to melt then shredded. I cook mine on the blackstone griddle with a blast hood to melt the cheese. Add whatever toppings you want. Key is the sliced mozzarella, the shredded kind dosen't get hit enough without domethibg like an oven. So the crust will burn before the chese melts. I coat the flatbread with olive oil and warm it on both sides before adding the chese and sause.

 

[xxxapache]

I have one of those in my TT

 

[F. Jake Glotz]

We eat and cook like we do at home. Adding the Coleman oven on the outside gas stove was a nice add to our cooking capability since we can bake almost anything from biscuits to brownies or to hold items warm. Baked potatoes are a cinch. One of our perennial favorites is poulet chasseur or chicken with hunter sauce. The Coleman 413E is a great size stove that lets you cook two things at once and it provides enough heat to get things moving. Camping Quiche Lorraine for breakfast pictured.

 

[Sjm9911]

Never heard of hunters chicken. Looks almost like a marsal with heavy cream, I should try that. Unfortunately, as the op stated, the kido isn't into more then basic foods. This leaves me eating the same stuff over and over. I forgot how to make a ton of stuff that used to be like go to dishes.

 

[Allamakee County]

Adding the Coleman oven on the outside gas stove was a nice add to our cooking capability since we can bake almost anything from biscuits to brownies or to hold items warm.

Nice! Daughter gave us a camp stove top oven for Christmas 2021. I have yet to try it out. Brownies at the campsite sounds very appealing.

 

[NLB]

Never heard of hunters chicken. Looks almost like a marsal with heavy cream, I should try that. Unfortunately, as the op stated, the kido isn't into more then basic foods. This leaves me eating the same stuff over and over. I forgot how to make a ton of stuff that used to be like go to dishes.

My generation grew up on “Hot Dish” one pot meals.
My kids won’t thank me for for one. (Neither will my cardiologist).

 

[Patrick w]

This I have to try. I want to do it without lugging my portable pizza oven along. Tacos... Havent tried that

 

[J Starsky]

My Pappy says I'm cowboy cooking now.
I did an off the cuff Au Gratin Potatoes and Ring Bologna.
Can of Cream o' Mushroom. Heavy cream in place of the can of water.
Four Cloves of Garlic
Four Full Sized spuds
Ring Bologna, or any sausage styled meat you choose.
I used the thickest slices of taters on the bottom, and built in layers in my Cast Aluminum pan.
3 hours rotating on open fire. Never stirred it once, just rotated each half hour.

 

[Camp Crazy]

Yeah, Pie Irons are a go to every trip for us. As others have said, everything from grilled cheese to pizza to dessert. For our last trip, instead of the standby of pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese we fried up some Italian sausage and added that to the mix. Now we have a new favorite and they are fun to make!

And for breakfast, yes, at least one day of the full spread using my carbon steel griddle on the camp stove- Bacon, hash browns, sausage, eggs, etc along with coffee made in an old-fashioned percolator pot. We love our breakfast in my family.

 

[Dubbya]

We like to make walking tacos, basic taco fillings but buy little bags of Doritos or whatever chips and just put stuff in there and eat out of the bag. Super easy and quick clean up.
We also use pie irons, they're kind of fun and can cook them over a fire.
For breakfasts we usually have cold cereal, eggs/toast, omelets, pancakes, etc. Whatever we feel like making.
Sandwiches for quick lunches. Nothing fancy, meat and cheese, maybe mayo if wanted.
Usually have hot dog night over the fire too with s'mores.
For snacks I like to buy those jiffy pop stove popcorn poppers. Kids think theyre neat, guess I did too when I was small.
We try to keep things super simple and easy, I don't like spending a ton of time cooking or cleaning up.

Yup, taco in a bag is a life saver if you've got kids to feed. They put in what THEY like, so they'll eat it without any problem.

 

[Cindy Lou]

Trying to figure out some meal plans for the upcoming adventures.

I eat almost anything, so its really about the kiddies- and they seem to not want to eat sometimes, which can get rather.. annoying in the morning. If only they would eat cold cereal and milk!!

DW doesn't want them eating hot dogs every day... so I have to try and feed them something else... any ideas?

We take our pie irons and pretty much do bush pies when camping.
We do some in bread, some in tortillas.... fillings.... use your imagination....ham/ eggs/cheese...apple slices/ cinnamon/cream cheese.... taco meat/cheese/ peppers. whatever you like

 

[Patrick w]

Thanks for all awesome advice! I will have to give most of these a shot. Sorry no popcorn cooker, that just takes up way too much space.

Yeah, Pie Irons are a go to every trip for us. As others have said, everything from grilled cheese to pizza to dessert. For our last trip, instead of the standby of pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese we fried up some Italian sausage and added that to the mix. Now we have a new favorite and they are fun to make!

And for breakfast, yes, at least one day of the full spread using my carbon steel griddle on the camp stove- Bacon, hash browns, sausage, eggs, etc along with coffee made in an old-fashioned percolator pot. We love our breakfast in my family.

I have one! I hope the kids dont fight over it (I only have 1)

 

[Patrick w]

Yup, taco in a bag is a life saver if you've got kids to feed. They put in what THEY like, so they'll eat it without any problem.

I got tomatoes, avacado, cucumbers and ground meat and blue corn taco shells. I am going to try what you guys have recommended, and see if they will eat it if they are the ones to "make it".
If I do the taco in the bag, I better not have the DW with me.. I will hear no end of it. Before we met, she ate fast food maybe once every few years... Snacks for the kids are things like Veggie straws, dried seaweed, or smart pop.