Spending time with a large group of family or friends camping can be great fun but preparing the camping dinners and meals can be tiring work. When preparing for your camping meals it can be easy if it is just for you and your other half but when you have to think about everyone else – the difficulty starts. You shouldn’t spend half your day cooking and cleaning up after everyone so read on to find out how to make your camping trip all that more enjoyable, especially when catering for more than four people!
Skewer Meals
Skewer meals are the most popular among campers and are probably the easiest to prepare and the tastiest to eat. You can prepare skewers in so many different forms and kids love to help to make them. Tell everyone to bring different veggies and meats and shove them on the barbecue to roast. A really tasty one to try is chicken, carrots, peppers and onions drizzled with honey. This is a healthy and really tasty option to try. You can even make snack skewers with bits of fruit and even ones for breakfast. All you need is some durable skewers like these. Reusable ones are really good if you are a medium sized group because you can use them over and over again. If you don’t want the hassle of washing them up and then transporting them back home try the throw away ones like these. Both options are great to use and the throw away ones can be burnt on the embers of the barbeque or campfire.
Pre-Made Pasta Meals
Pre made pasta is a great thing to have while camping. It is easy to prepare in bulk and you can use it with so many ingredients and sauces making it versatile and something that everyone will love. Pasta makes cooking easy, especially when there is a large group of you. If you boil the pasta at home, let it cool and then rinse and fill into tupperware containers. Take along a tomato sauce and some hots dogs and then just heat in a skillet over the fire and add to the pasta. This is a warm, filling dinner which will go really far. Pasta salad is also another great variation to have. Just add tuna, mayo, sweetcorn and any other favorite veggies you like and serve cold. Grab a loaf of bread and drizzle with garlic sauce and toast on the BBQ for those who are extra-hungry! If you haven’t tried peanut noodles then you haven’t lived. Again pre-cook the noodles at home and simply mix in peanut butter and vegetables and then top with crunchy nuts. Try this tasty, creamy peanut butter.
Skillet Stir Fry Dinners
Skillet stir fry dinners are great for large groups of people because you can make one big batch and then use it as toppings for pasta and rice or even for fillings for pita bread. This is another type of meal that can be made with diversity and you can add literally all vegetables, leftover meat and anything else you have in your camping cooking bag. A great healthy choice to try is chinese chicken. All you need to do is cut up your chicken into squares and quickly fry in the skillet to seal the juices in, add any type of sauce you like that is tomato based, throw in some shredded and cut veggies and add a bag of chinese mixed vegetables. Simmer over the campfire and add chinese five spices until you reach the required taste. When it is nearly cooked move aside and add pre-cooked noodles or rice and serve warm with or on tortillas. One pot cooking makes camping a whole lot easier and any leftovers are usually eaten for lunch the next day. Invest in a large cooking skillet which is suitable for your needs like this one.
Plain Chicken
Eating food is even more tastier when eaten with your fingers. Try chicken drumsticks and chicken wings for some tasty food by the campfire. Marinate it before cooking and just throw on the BBQ or on a grill stand on the campfire and all you have to do is keep them turning until cooked. These can be really juicy and offer a lot of protein for the busy days ahead. Any leftovers can be kept to eat with a salad the next day as well. If the chicken isn’t substantial enough then bake some potatoes in the fire with them or roast some carrots and onions on the BBQ for some extra crunch!
Make it Easy
The possibilities are endless and you can feed an army with these choices of meals. To make your cooking duties easier prepare everything you can at home before leaving. Cut up the vegetables and make a list of what each dinner will have. Cut up the chicken and pre cook the pasta and rice. Make sure to store everything in airtight containers and in a cooler if necessary. To make the clearing up easier use plastic knives, forks and plates and even plastic cups. Make sure to treasure your surroundings and keep the rubbish all in one place. Make cooking fun when camping by getting everyone to join in and help!
