Quick and Easy Make Ahead Camping Meals and Snacks

Camping is a fun and affordable way to spend family time and create some fabulous memories. No one wants to spend too much time cooking, cutting veggies, and prepping food, when they could be playing, enjoying, or relaxing! So here are some quick and easy make ahead camping meals and snacks for you to try out the next time you are planning your camping trip! The trick is to prep some of the meals before you go and freeze them if you can. Then, when you arrive at the camp site, you can heat something up by the campfire in as fast as five minutes and then sit by the fire and enjoy your cozy, quick and easy make ahead meal or snack!

Backyard camping is fun too! It is a great excuse to try any of these yummy quick and easy make ahead camping meals or snacks! Please do let me know which ones you try with your family!

Make Ahead Smores Bark

Ingredients:

1 bag of chocolate chips
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 box of graham crackers
Nuts or M&Ms (optional)

Directions:

Set oven to broil.
Lay out graham crackers touching, side by side, on a lined cookie sheet
Pour and spread 1 1/2 cups of melted chocolate chips over the graham crackers.
Sprinkle a generous amount of mini marshmallows over the melted chocolate. Then, sprinkle on crushed graham crackers all over the top. If you wish, sprinkle on some pecan nuts or M&Ms too.
Place on the top rack of the oven to broil for 2 or 3 minutes. Take out and let cool.
Put the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes until it sets before cutting it into pieces.
Store in an airtight container in the cooler. Or eat it on the road trip there!

Campfire Cones

This camping snack is a yummy and cozy treat for the whole family! This is a quick and easy make ahead camping snack that skips the mess of assembly when you prep at home.

All you need to do is grab some waffle cones and fill them with your family favourites like: mini marshmallows, broken pieces of oreo cookies and graham crackers, M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter cups or Reeses Pieces, cut up bananas, and pecans.

Then, wrap up the cone in thick foil and stick them in the fridge until you are ready to pack them in the cooler for the camping trip. When it is dessert time by the campfire, pull them out and stick them near the fire. They will small yummy as the chocolate melts. They only need to be near the fire for a few minutes. Be super careful when opening and eating, this ooey-gooey treat will be a hot!

Make Ahead – Not Your Average Croissant

When you get to the campsite and set up the tent, the sleeping bags, the food, the table, the chairs, the last thing you really want to do is cook. So, here is a yummy, quick and easy make ahead meal solution! Make these croissants ahead of time and wrap them in thick foil so they are ready to grill on the fire for five minutes and — voila! A hot and yummy lunch or dinner is ready!

Cozy Ham & Swiss Croissant Melt – slice the croissant in half lengthwise. Spread butter and honey mustard on the top. Layer a slice of swiss cheese, then slices of ham, and finish with a top slice of swiss cheese for that extra ooey gooey yummy, melted meal. Wrap with thick foil and place in the fridge or freezer.

Perfect Pepperoni Pizza Croissant Melt – slice the croissant in half lengthwise. Spread pizza sauce on the top and bottom. Layer a slice of mozzarella cheese, then slices of pepperoni, and finish with a top slice of mozzarella cheese for that extra ooey gooey yummy, melted meal. Wrap with thick foil and place in the fridge or freezer.

Make Ahead Campfire Hearty Ham Soup

Make this cozy, quick and easy make ahead camping hearty ham soup a day or two before you leave and freeze it! Then pack it in the bottom of your cooler to keep the rest of the food cold until the last day when you are ready for a cozy campfire soup night!

Ingredients:

2 small onions
1 pound dried navy beans
8 cups chicken broth
4-5 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham
1 ham bone for broth
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Add salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and boil beans in water for 3 minutes. Set aside and cover for 3 hours or until beans are softened.
Chop 1 onion; slice second onion and separate into rings. Set onions aside. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Return beans to the pot. Add reserved onions; stir in the remaining ingredients over medium heat.
Cover pot and cook over low heat for 1 hour or until beans are almost tender. Stir occasionally. Take out the ham bone and discard.
Turn off heat and let it sit and continue cooking. When it is room temperature, you can freeze it.
Make this cozy soup ahead of the trip and freeze it! Then pack it in the bottom of your cooler to keep the rest of the food cold until the last day when you are ready for a cozy campfire soup night!

Make sure to have some garlic bread or crackers, and enjoy!

MUST KNOW TIPS FOR PACKING YOUR COOLER

Lastly, here are some quick cooler packing must-knows or hacks that you want to read before you pack for that next camping trip of park picnic! To make it easy, just remember the acronym P.A.C.K.

P – Prep at least twelve hours ahead. Bring in the cooler from the hot garage and open it, wipe it down with disinfectant. It is important to cool off the inside and even place a freezer pack in and shut it to get it to a cold temperature before loading it.

A – Air is the enemy of any cooler. Air accelerates ice melt. so make sure to pac the cooler tight. Do not drain the melted water either, as the water will keep things colder then air alone.

C – Cool off everything before packing. Freeze as much of the food as you can and refrigerate the rest so that you can pack it all cold and it all stays colder longer.

K – Keep things organized. Pack the last day’s meal first and frozen at the bottom. Keep breakfast foods on the left and dinner foods on the right. This keeps from having to take everything out to look for items.