Cooking in the great outdoors can be fun or tedious and overwhelming. Whether you are tent camping or in an RV cooking without all the luxuries of a full size kitchen can result in some challenges.
If you are trying to squeeze in one last outdoor adventure before the weather turns too cold to camp you should check out these make ahead recipes. Sometimes I freeze the food that I prepare at home and other times I just keep it in a cooler or the RV fridge until we are ready to eat, it usual depends on the length of the trip. I love cooking and warming up these foods over the campfire in a cast iron skillet. All the recipes are found below.
Sloppy Joes – I put this one in a throw away foil container and cook it over the campfire and there is very little clean up involved. You can serve it on buns or eat it more like a chili.
What are your favorite meals to make before you go camping?

Greek Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 12 Eggs
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup Spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup Feta Crumbles
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Coriander
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl whisk eggs. Add all other ingredients to the eggs and mix well.
- Grease muffin pan and pour egg mixture to the top of each individual spot (depending on the size of the eggs used you will fill between 8-12).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve warm. These can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated.

Date Oat Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats
- 3 Bananas
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Whole Pitted Dates
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Add all ingredients to blender except chips and blend throughly.
- Add 3/4 cup of the chips to the mixture and stir.
- Grease mini muffin tin and pour mixture evenly into each muffin cup. Add 1-3 of the remaining chips to each one.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes. Let cool and serve. These are good warm or cool and tasty with or without butter.

Protein Peanut Butter Rounds
Ingredients
- 2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
- 3 1/2 cups oats
- 3/4 cup raw honey
- 2 cups almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- dash sea salt
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a bowl, stir until thoroughly combined.
- Use your hands to roll into small balls. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2 12.5oz can canned chicken, drained
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1.5 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pot. Cook on low to medium heat, stirring continuously to throughly mix.
- Serve with crackers or celery.

Corn and Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (15oz) can Black Beans
- 2 cups Corn Kernels
- 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 TBSP fresh Parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1 TBSP Chili Powder
- 1 TBSP Cumin
- 2 tsp Sugar
- dash Sea Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and thoroughly mix together. Keep tossing to make sure ingredients are throughly mixed and coated with all spices.
- We prefer this salad cold over room temperature. You can eat this is a salad or use it as a dip to eat with blue corn chips.

Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1.5 tsp worcestershire sauce
- .5 cups bbq sauce
- .5 tsp cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- as needed salt and pepper
- 4 hamburger buns optional
Instructions
- In large skillet heat olive oil, bell pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add ground turkey to skillet and mix with vegetables until turkey is fully cooked.
- Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, worcestershire, bbq sauce and spices to turkey mixture. Reduce temperature to low and stir (mixing well) to combine.
- Serve on hamburger buns or in a bowl without bun as a low carb option.
Notes
Nutrition: Calories:262 Fat:10 Carbohydrates:28g Fiber:5g Protein: 25g