If cooking ain’t your thing – we feel you! Why can’t food just come pre-prepared all the time? That’s what takeout is for, but that can get expensive. Not to worry, with a little prep and planning, you can whip up delicious snacks and simple meals with very little effort. The key is to plan meals that use mostly the same ingredients in different delicious ways. This cuts back on the number of food items you’ll need to bring with you on your camping adventures.

These tried-and-tasted recipes are a mix of no-cook, limited cook, and leftover ideas that use similar ingredients.

Easy Breakfast Recipes for Camping

Forego the boring cereal or oatmeal and get some tasty protein in with a berry parfait. Take your favorite berries (blueberry, strawberries, blackberries, etc.), 1 cup of vanilla yogurt (Greek yogurt is healthy!), your granola of choice, and some honey. First add the yogurt to a bowl, top with granola and a handful of berries, then drizzle honey on top.

This is a recipe you could easily change up with different yogurts, berries, granola, nuts…skies the limit!

Easy Lunch Recipes for Camping

This is a great recipe to take with you on the trail, as most likely you won’t be at camp during lunchtime. It calls for hard boiled eggs which you can prepare ahead of time and as long as they’re kept cool, can last for up to one week. Then when you’re out and about, use an insulated lunch bag to keep sandwiches cool until lunchtime.

Egg Salad Sandwich Ingredients (makes 4):

• 8 hard boiled eggs
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ Tbsp mustard
• ½ Tbsp chopped fresh chives
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 8 slices of your favorite bread
• Optional: lettuce, dill pickles, sliced tomatoes

Peel and chop the eggs; place them in a bowl for mixing. Mix mayo, mustard, chives, salt, and pepper to taste in a smaller bowl. Wet the eggs with the mayo mix to your liking, then set aside the extra mayo mix. Toast or grill bread slices, if desired. Spread the extra mayo mix on two slices of bread, then add the egg filling to one slice, and any additional optional fillings. Top with a second slice of bread. Enjoy!

Easy Dinner Recipes for Camping

One surefire way to cut back on the amount of cooking that needs to be done while camping is to make enough for leftovers! The next two recipes coordinate well.

Grilled Teriyaki Steak Ingredients:

• Your favorite store-bought teriyaki marinade
• Flat iron or skirt steak
• Cooking oil

Place steak and enough marinade to coat well the meat into a large Ziplock bag and chill for a few hours in the fridge. When ready to cook, fire up the grill, make sure the grate is clean, then brush some oil on the grill with a paper towel using tongs. Grill each side of the meat for 5 minutes. If you don’t want to grill, you can also pan-sear the steak instead. Again, 5 minutes on each side will do.

Steak Hash Ingredients:

• Leftover Teriyaki Steak, cut into small pieces
• 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, cubed
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• Olive oil

Sautee onion in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until tender. Remove onions and set aside. Add 4 tablespoons of olive to the pan and cook the potatoes until soft, stirring frequently. Combine onion, spices, and meat with the potatoes and heat through 3 to 5 minutes. Voila!

Savory Sides that Keep Well for Camping to Make Ahead of Time

Some great ideas for side dishes that tend to travel well (as long as they’re refrigerated) are steamed spinach, sweet or savory couscous, and baby spinach salad (with your favorite toppings).