The Family Camping Series: Meals

Welcome back to The Family Camping Series!

One of the best parts of camping is gathering around the fire and sharing a meal under the open sky. But when you're feeding a family in the great outdoors, planning meals can feel like a challenge—especially if you're juggling picky eaters, limited space, and no kitchen in sight. The good news? With a little preparation and the right recipes, outdoor dining can be one of the most fun and memorable parts of your trip.

To make things easier, we’ve found that using color-coded, reusable mess kits is a total game changer. Each family member gets their own set of dishes—easy to keep track of and easy for kids to take responsibility for. And when it comes time to clean up, having a simple “scrub kit” in a caddy with soap, a sponge, and a drying towel turns cleanup into a quick team task (or even a fun chore rotation for little helpers). With the addition of the Camp Cover foldable wash basin, you'll be ready to tackle dishes with ease. Grab yourself some Camp Cover ammo pouches and label them by family member, contents, etc. to keep your setup organized. We love the clear top which is also helpful for making contents visible without having to unzip!

Having a convenient setup is crucial to meal time success. The Partner Steel stove with optional griddle make the perfect cooking setup for our upcoming recipes. Make keeping perishables cold a breeze with an ARB Fridge and easy to access for kiddos with a tilting fridge slide. You'll also want to grab a Square Potset for a reliable, easy to clean option. And for those over-the-fire recipes, grab a MC Ranch Fire Reflector to keep that fire nice and toasty without the wind ruining your meal.

Now that you've got your gear, let's explore easy, family-friendly camping meals that are big on flavor, light on effort, and perfect for making everyone smile—whether you're cooking over a campfire, a camp stove, or prepping meals ahead of time. Let’s dig in!

Snacks

Let’s start with some easy snack ideas for a quick grab-and-go, in between meal time, or emergency options. We like to keep it simple with snacks that do not require refrigeration or preparation. Here are some of our favorites:

• Meat Sticks
  • We love these Good & Gather Minis as smaller portions for tiny bellies!
• Fruit – leather or freeze dried
  • Mom’s picks: Good & Gather Organic Fruit Strip, Good & Gather Freeze Dried Strawberries
• Granola Bars
  • Bring what works for your family! Cliff Bars, Z Bars, Chewy Bars, Cereal Bars, etc.
• Crackers
  • We find Triscuits or Wheat Thins to be best as they are a bit more durable than Ritz.
• Trail Mix
  • We like these Good & Gather Monster individual packs. We find the small portion and bit of chocolate is perfect for our littles.
• Apples & Oranges
  • These hard skinned fruits make them easy to pack and grab for a quick snack!

Breakfast

Everyone just finished up a restful (or restless) night of sleep in their new outdoor setting, and now they’re hungry. An easy breakfast is a must to get everyone’s day started. Here are some of our favorites!

• Scrambled Eggs
  • Prepare these before you go by cleaning out an old water, milk, or soda bottle (size depends on your family’s needs) and scrambling your eggs, milk, and seasonings in the bottle for an easy shake and pour to get cooking.
  
• Pancakes
  • Similar to the preparation for scrambled eggs mentioned above, prepare your batter in advance in a reused bottle for an easy pour as you cook.
• Cereal
  • A simple option to get food in front of everyone fast. We love these Protein Cheerios or Veggie Blend Cheerios for a good morning boost.
• Bagels
  • More durable than a loaf of bread, bagels won’t squish as easily and are an easy morning option. Bring peanut butter as a spread for a protein boost in the morning that doesn’t require refrigeration!
• Pie Iron French Toast
  • Although a bit more involved than some of the other options, pie iron French Toast is a family favorite. Simply dip in your egg mixture (which can also be prepped in a bottle!) and roast for a perfect campfire breakfast treat.
• Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls
  • Another family favorite, grab a package of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, pop them in your Dutch Oven, and roast over your campfire. These do take a little bit of practice for timing and will depend on the heat of your fire, but we find about 5-7 minutes cooks them through without blackened bottoms!

Lunch

Lunch for our family is often on the move as we are hiking, biking, or enjoying some other nature activity. Check out our first article for some of our favorite family activities. This means simple lunches are essential.

• Tortilla Roll Ups
  • Tortillas don’t squish as easily as a loaf of bread, so they make the perfect foundation for a variety of options. Deli meats, hummus and veggies, cream cheese, peanut butter & banana – the list goes on! Feel free to change it up to whatever works for your family.
• Charcuterie
  • A fancy word for meat, cheese and grapes in our house, this lunch option can be altered to suit your needs. We like to grab blocks of cheddar and colby jack cheese we slice into cubes, deli meat like salami and pepperoni, and a nice bunch of grapes. You could change up the cheese, add nuts, or switch up the fruit – the variations are endless! We also find our children graze around lunch time, so this option is perfect to pick at.
• Mac & Cheese
  • A quick fix for even the pickiest eaters, Kraft Mac & Cheese cups only require hot water and will still feed those hungry bellies! We keep these on hand every trip.

Dinner

Probably our favorite meal for camping, dinner for us is often cooked over our campfire. We like to keep it simple while still having some fun!

• Pita Pizza
  • Grab some pita and cut them in half. Open the pocket to throw in sauce, cheese, and any other toppings, then wrap the whole thing well in tinfoil. Stick them over top of your fire to warm and ta-da! The perfect campfire pizza!
  
• Meat on a Stick
  • Hot dogs, sausages, marinated chicken, pork, steak, and if you are able – add some veggies! Skewer everything and roast over your campfire. The variety of options makes this easy to adapt to your family and if you grab a nice long skewer like these, the kiddos get to enjoy cooking their own meal!
• Grilled Cheese
  • Grab your hobo pie iron to make this simple meal over the campfire. Great for picky eaters, campfire grilled cheese will fill those little bellies.

Dessert

Rounding out the day with a special treat adds to the magic. Let’s talk dessert.

• Smores
  • You can’t go wrong with this classic campfire treat. Change it up by grabbing sugar cones, stuffing with mini marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and graham cracker pieces, wrapping in tinfoil and roasting on the campfire for a fun variation of this traditional dessert.
  
• Hobo Dessert pie
  • Classic white bread, crescent roll dough, or puff pastry filled with a canned dessert pie filling makes for a simple and delicious campfire treat.
• Popcorn
  • We found a Campfire Popcorn Popper at a yard sale for a couple of dollars and it has been a huge hit with our children to watch the kernels pop over the fire. A simple yet yummy treat to share and wrap up a day of fun.

Wrapping Up: Full Bellies, Happy Campers

Mealtime doesn’t have to be stressful when you’re camping with kids—in fact, it can be one of the best parts of your adventure. With a little prep and the right tools (hello, color-coded kits and scrub caddies!), even cleanup can be part of the fun. Sharing meals outdoors creates moments your family will remember long after the trip ends. So pack those marshmallows, bring your appetite, and get ready to make some delicious memories under the stars.