Everything but the kitchen sink?

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BikerFlex&HappyJen

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Mar 25, 2017
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Tomorrow we are taking our beloved 'Lemon Squeasy' aka our fifth wheel out camping for the first time. As this being her maiden voyage and our first experience going from a PuP to a fifth wheel, it is so difficult to reign in the packing. Or should I say, adjusting what we really need and what we don't. I'm used to doing a lot of food prep ahead of time because the propane didn't work for the Pup so we relied on a griddle, microwave and campfire when we camped. Tonight I found myself prepping some of our meals and DH has had to remind me I do now have a stove, oven, griddle, basically a house on wheels. Getting excited but we are sticking our toe in the water with this whole indoor plumbing, water heater, hooking everything up, flushing our antifreeze from the lines, etc. Whew! Hope all goes well, and if it's doesn't we will be sharing it with you folks.
 
We are getting ready to take our second trip in our fifth wheel.  Hubby wants to get food once we get there.  I would kind of prefer having it now to prep at home.  Since there is so little counter space in most RVs it seems easier.  Also,trying to remember all the staples so I don't have to buy extra once we get there.

Anyway,best wishes for your first time out.  Where are you going?  Ocean City,MD for us.
 
Its so nice to have prepped meals!  I bake chicken strips at home and freeze them so i can just grab a bag or two to go.  I make hamburger patties and freeze those too.  Just makes camping a little easier!  Hope you have a wonderful time!  You have certainly earned it!
 
One thing I strongly suggest for your camper is a crock pot. AND Crock pot liners.

I always meal prep too. I know I have an oven, and range in the camper, but for some reason it makes me feel better having a meal plan, and having what I need to stick to that meal plan. So I get as much of the "work" done before leaving home.

Last weekend we went camping at Lake Bronson State Park in NW MN. We left Thursday night after work, and stayed till Monday (around 2:30 - 3PM). My husband and I are very outdoorsy and active people, and I knew we would be spending a majority of the day either hiking around the park with our dogs, or fishing from our kayaks. The main meal that I plan for the day is always dinner. I'm less concerned about lunches as we always have either hot dogs, sandwich options, or some form of leftovers or munchies.

Friday we had BBQ's. I had cooked them at home, placed the finished product in a Ziploc bag, and then froze it in our chest freezer. That way, when you are packing your camper's fridge for the trip your frozen food keeps the other fridge items cold while it thaws. (our camper is normally kept in our pole barn and has no electricity to try cool the campers fridge beforehand) By Friday morning (around 9AM) it was mostly thawed, so I place it in my crockpot, put it on low, and let it simmer all day. We stopped back at the camper for lunch around 1:30, so we stirred it, and then went on with our day. By the time we got back to the camper around 7:30ish, all we had to do was slice our buns, place our cheese, and scoop up some BBQ's.

Same concept for Saturday. Saturday was chili. Chili was made and frozen at home, left to thaw and chill in the camper fridge during the trip. Same time frame, wake up, put chili in the crock pot, come back for lunch, stir it. Go about your day, and when you get back after a full day of hiking or kayak fishing and are cold, wet and  tired; just grab a good old paper bowl and fill it up with some nice warm chili.

Sunday was beef tips. The stew meat was frozen beforehand, but my gravy items are either canned or a dry package of soup. Mix everything in the crock pot in the AM. Bake a few potatoes over the camp fire when you get back, and dinner is served.

I use my crockpot soo much when camping. Its the best "Hands-OFF" method of cooking. And soo many meals can be cooked in a crock pot, so you don't really have to worry about getting tired of the same old meal.

 
CassandrsS- do you have any tips on how to keep the meat, such as beef from drying out in a crock pot? I have learned not to like a crock pot because the meat always seems dry. Pretty much turned me away from a crock pot. Maybe start another thread on how to cook in a crock pot?
 
kdbgoat said:
CassandrsS- do you have any tips on how to keep the meat, such as beef from drying out in a crock pot? I have learned not to like a crock pot because the meat always seems dry. Pretty much turned me away from a crock pot. Maybe start another thread on how to cook in a crock pot?

A can of cream of mushroom soup on a roast is all you need!
 
Peggyy said:
A can of cream of mushroom soup on a roast is all you need!

I agree with Peggy, cream of mushroom soup and you wont have any issues on your roast, or when you make beef tips, or even stew.

When I make pork (weather roast, or pork chops) I use cream of chicken soup.

The only meat I've found that likes to try dry out is chicken. In most crock pot recipe's I simply substitute dark meat for the white as I find the darker meat is more moist.
 
I admit crock pots aren't my favorite cooking appliance, but I have used them for pot roasts on occasion. The key is to add liquid while cooking. The aforementioned canned soup (shudder) will work, but a nice broth will work. Sometimes I add tomato paste; acids will generally make the meat more tender. Add seasonings to the broth. At the end, use the liquid to make noodles or rice. It gives them great flavor.

My favorite kitchen appliances are a basic skillet and a good pot. I recently began taking an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker with me. We are gone for too long at a time to prep meals, but I keep a good supply of seasonings and basics on hand at all time. I do try to make up menus for a week or so ahead. I can get basic meats pretty much anywhere, but fresh produce is harder to find. I buy it when I can. I also precook some meats and package them to have available for a quick meal. I generally have rotissery chicken, brisket, and pulled pork packaged in 1/2 pound packages. 

You might guess that I really like to cook!
 
Please keep sharing the great ideas! Even if they are just a meal idea or a camping hack that have made things more simple and easy. Please do pass them along. We are certainly learning a lot so far. The camping life is something we love doing as a family. It's relaxing and enjoyable. We are on the go a lot so when we come back to base camp we usually have hungry bellies. We do have two smaller crock pots that I plan on using more. The liners are a great idea. I need to look for some of those. ?
Simplicity is such an importance for us. Keep the ideas coming!
 
I buy chicken striips, season them with fajita, then bake. Then i divide them into baggies and freeze.  When we camp, i take a baggie of those and cut up in pasta with artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, etc and itis a nice quick meal.  Or just thaw the strips and cut up on salad or make chicken tacos.
 
Peggyy, we like making quesadillas on the griddle. So the chicken strips would be great for this!
Here is a recipe I used to make some mason jar salads for this camping trip. The tuna salad is delicious. It would probably be good on crossients as well.
https://wellnessmama.com/1738/apple-walnut-tuna-salad/
I was going to do the grilled chicken citrus salad too (that has a link on the page), but I ran out of salad and only had kale left.
 
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