Budget-friendly family camping meals

It is time to go camping; enjoy the sun, the outdoors and family time together again. Thinking up meals at home is bad enough on a normal day. When you go on a camping holiday you don’t want to have to think too much about what to eat. So, planning beforehand is important, getting everything together and making it easier for you when you’re in the great outdoors. All you want to do is enjoy the beautiful view. Here are a few family-friendly camping meal ideas you might like to try.

Easy make in a bag family camping meals

Different mixtures for breakfast lunch and supper prepared ahead of time and kept in a Ziploc bag.  Pancake mix, flapjacks or omelets can easily be assembled and then brought out to make at the camping grounds. Some meals you can prepare, cool, freeze and keep in a cooler box to use later at the campsite. Some of the food can be boiled in water and other foods need a pan or pot to cook the ingredients in. Ziploc bags can also come in handy to store other foods that are bulky in the packaging. Storing other goods in the bags can lessen the load and add more space.

French roll sandwich

I think this will make a nice lunch idea when camping. All you need is a French Roll, some cheese, and ham. Cut along the French Roll, not all the way through, place your cheese and ham in the open slices. Cover with foil and place on the fire until the cheese has melted. Simple, quick and easy.

Mac and cheese in foil bowls

You can find some individually sized foil pie tins in most stores. Make your favourite mac and cheese recipe at home. Place the mixture into the foil tins and cover with more foil. Carefully pack these into your cooler bag. I think I use quite a bit of cheese on everything, so why not also grate some extra cheese and keep it in a plastic bag to use at the camping site. When ready, bring out the macaroni pie tins and add a little extra cheese on top. Get the fire going, when ready place on top of a grill and hot coals. Don’t cook too long as everything has already been precooked, just let the cheese melt and food get nice and warm.

Sugar cone s’mores

These look so delicious I had to add them in. Using sugar cones and stuffing them with all sorts of yummy things like marshmallows, chocolate chips and anything else sweet you can think of. Wrap in foil and place on the grill over the fire, let everything melt into gooey deliciousness and take off the heat. Be careful as everything is very hot, so let it stand for a bit before eating.

The last recipe in this video is strictly for the moms and dads!

Campfire Breadsticks

This is a very easy recipe and delicious too. You don’t even have to make the dough, just purchase some store-bought dough. Find a sturdy stick, wrap your dough around the stick and hold over the fire to make your own breadsticks.

Camping Kabobs

Easy to make and eat. You can just add some bacon on skewers for breakfast or for supper add some mushrooms, peppers and other veggies for a healthy meal on a stick.

Campfire foil meals:

Foil meals can include just a baked potato to an entire individual meal in one foil packet.  Some tips for cooking over the fire with foil packets.

• The foil should be good quality, you don’t want it to rip open and get ash all over your food.
• Spray the foil that is exposed to the food  with cooking spray and seal
• If you’re adding some meat to the packet, place the meat at the bottom as it requires a longer time to cook.
• Don’t throw your packet onto a roaring fire, rather place onto hot coals
• Vegetables take some time to cook, an alternative is to use the canned variety.
• When you think your food is cooked, remember to open your packet slowly as it is full of steam. You don’t want to get burned.

Need some ideas to make camping with the kids easier 

Don't know where to go camping with the kids? Have a look at our  50 Family Friendly camping spots in South Africa