One of the things that really has helped us save money on our camping road trip, was that I planned meals ahead of time and made many of them the week before we left. Here’s what went into our cooler:
- 6 cups frozen rice
- 3 bags frozen homemade sloppy joe mix
- 3 bags of frozen browned ground venison
- 4 pounds of cut/sliced cheddar cheese
- 3 gallons of watermelon (this we ate on the first stretch of our trip)
- 5 lbs of frozen organic vegetables
- 1 bag of fresh green beans from the farmers market
- 6 eggs
- 1 gallon of milk
- Strawberry preserves
- Homemade pancake mix
- Frozen hot dogs
- Frozen chicken sausages
- Fresh cut up squash and zucchini
- Chicken salad.
- Real Lemon juice (I froze it to keep things cooler longer)
And of course I also planned ahead for some stops to use daily deal vouchers, and Valpak coupons. Actually our Valpak phone app has been a lifesaver. I’ve been able to find quick coupons to use at local restaurants to save us money for spur of the moment, “we need food now” stops.
This salad was wonderful, and we used a buy one entree get one half off Valpak coupon at the Holy Cow Pub & Grill. The waitress was so nice, and even let us use the coupon twice so that we got two half-priced entrees!
You can see more of what went into planning, and some of the dry foods we packed on the Camping Checklist.
What are some of your tips for meal planning for a road trip and/or camping trip? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Valpak is my awesome partner for our family road trip. They have great coupons that you can find by location online, and even with a smart phone app. Be sure to visit their website here. All my opinions regarding my partner Valpak are my own.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
How did you cook these? Especially the rice. Frozen rice is a pain in the booty! lol
How in the world did you cook some of those? We are going on a float trip this weekend and all we will have access to is an open fire pit.
Potatoes over the fire or hobos in tin foil are good too. Hamburgers, potatos, carrots, and onions prespray with cooking spray so it won’t stick. Also sausage over the campfire are great.
We also do this make ahead muffins for breakfast, sloppy joes for dinner, try beef n brocolli some time. Package your beef already cut up and ready to be cooked and then freeze. Then you take the brocolli and cut it up fresh in a baggie. And the sauce mix I premix and freeze too, awesome meal and so easy. If we are stopped for at least 24 hrs I also pack a crockpot what a life saver. You go sight seeing or swimming and dinners done when you get back. Enjoy your camping trip!
We had electrical access at our camp sites.
I do the same thing ~ plan ahead, freeze what I can ~ to help it all stay cold! (Because we don’t usually turn our fridge/freezer on until we get where we are going). I also cut everything up at home, too … makes meal prep way easier with limited space while camping … even in our small camper there is NO real counter space to speak of in there! Our latest LOVE when camping is a teriyaki pork tenderloin (from Aldi ~ about $6). I take it with us frozen, then thaw slightly and cut with kitchen shears (you could also do this at home) and then grilled. Cooks super quick on the grill. Served with fresh grilled pinapple spears (also cut ahead at home or I bring a can of rings) and brown rice with edamame beans in it!
Fantastic post!
Crystal, you are so creative!
Great advice. I need a smartphone!