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Stacy
Trip Date 04/17/2019 Posted On 05/20/2019 16:42:27 |
Camping | Menu for RVing | Camping Food | Easy Camping Recipes | Quick RV Meals | Quick RV Breakfasts | Easy RV Dinners | George Foreman Grill | Griddle Recipes
We began our 6+ week camping adventure in early April and that meant we needed camping food! As we like to devote our days to exploring this amazing country, my goal is to plan quick RV breakfasts and easy RV dinners. I'm also not afraid to cook enough food so that we have leftovers - making a second meal even quicker!
Since RVers are always on the lookout for quick RV meals and easy camping recipes, here's the menu for the first ten days of our trip. For ease of reading, I've split our 41 day menu for RVing into four "bite-sized chunks". As you follow our journey, you'll see how we used leftovers along the way - sometimes making minor modifications to "change it up a bit". Other than our standard RV appliances, we always bring along our George Foreman Grill, Griddle, Slow Cooker and Panini Press.
Day 1 Menu
Snack
Cheese and Crackers
After spending much of the day on the road, we needed a snack to tide us over until dinner. Some crackers and leftover sliced pepper jack cheese made the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
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Dinner
Club Sandwiches with Fruit SaladDinner had to be quick and easy plus use ingredients at risk of spoiling if not used early in our long trip. I started by slicing a banana, some grapes, strawberries and half of an apple into chunks. Next, I placed six slices of bread under the broiler to toast and five pieces of pre-cooked bacon in the microwave to crisp. With the bread and bacon in process, I mixed the fruit with plain yogurt, shredded coconut and chopped pecans. After toasting both sides of the bread, I prepared each club sandwich as follows:
- Spread mayo on two slices of bread;
- Place 2 1/2 pieces of bacon on top of mayo;
- Layer lettuce on bacon;
- Place second slice of toast on lettuce and spread top with mayo;
- Layer deli-sliced turkey on mayo;
- Add sliced tomatoes above turkey;
- Cover with third slice of toast.
Day 2 Menu
Breakfast
Just three weeks before embarking on this long journey, we took a three night RV trip to make sure everything was in working order. We made a triple batch of Quick and Easy French Toast on our griddle so that we'd have leftovers for this trip. The recipe truly is super easy and leftovers freeze in a zippered bag very well. When served with your favorite syrup, it's one tasty breakfast!
Dinner
Pork Tamales with Baked Beans and Hominy
Everything on our dinner menu was left over from a meal we had at home, so again I wanted to use the food items early in our travels. After dividing the purchased pork tamales, canned baked beans and canned golden hominy onto two plates, they went into the microwave for less than two minutes of heating. About 30 seconds before they were fully cooked, I topped the tamales with a little salsa and shredded cheese. Maybe this should have been our first night's dinner as it literally only required heating and serving!
Day 3 Menu
Breakfast
Cereal
I always like to plan a super easy breakfast for the days when we are moving from one campground to another, so often we have cereal. No cooking is needed and the paper bowls and spoons can go straight to the trash after breakfast making clean-up a breeze!
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Dinner
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cinnamon Glazed Carrots, Dinner Salad and Garlic Bread
After two days of rain, we had a nice day at our new campground. It was a great day to take advantage of grilling and eating outside, so I adjusted my original dinner plan. While Scott was outside grilling some pre-seasoned pork tenderloins, I was inside preparing our sides.
After spreading softened butter on some sliced French bread, I added some minced garlic and parsley. I mixed together some torn lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped strawberries and sliced grapes in two bowls. After topping each with feta cheese and chopped praline pecans, our salads were ready for dressing. With the garlic bread toasting under the broiler, I combined a can of carrots (drained), a dab of butter, some brown sugar and cinnamon into a saute pan and heated the cinnamon glazed carrots on the stovetop.
Day 4 Menu
Breakfast
Yogurt
Since we had early morning plans and wanted to eat lunch at a highly recommended restaurant in Natchez, we each had a container of yogurt to hold us over.
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Lunch
Mammy's Cupboard
Only open Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, lunch at Mammy's Cupboard did not disappoint. The menu consists primarily of sandwiches (each served with potato salad and a cup of vegetable beef soup) and a rotating daily hot entree. We saved room to split a dessert which is definitely a must at Mammy's!
Dinner
Pulled Pork Sliders with Chips
Since we don't usually eat lunch, I planned for a lighter and very easy to prepare dinner. Shortly before leaving on our RV journey, we had a small gathering and served make-your-own sliders. I made plenty of the pulled pork so that I could freeze some leftovers in zip seal bags for an easy RV meal. After toasting some slider buns under the broiler, we added the microwave heated pork to the buns and grabbed some Doritos as a side!
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Day 5 Menu
Breakfast
Iced Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Another yummy (but not so healthy) breakfast that we enjoy is cinnamon rolls - fresh out of a store bought tube! Since we both like nuts, I usually bury some chopped pecans into the swirls before baking them. Once cooked, the icing is easy to add and breakfast is ready to serve and savor!
If you struggle with burning items baked in your RV oven like we did, consider placing either a metal or stone baking sheet on the shelf immediately above the flame. Although baking usually takes a little longer, we haven't burnt anything in our oven since we did this.
Dinner
Spaghetti & Meatballs with Dinner Salad and Garlic BreadAfter slicing the remaining half of the French bread loaf, I spread one side of each slice with softened butter. While waiting for water to boil, I topped the butter with minced garlic and, for an extra treat, some shredded mozzarella and basil. Next to prepare was our dinner salads which included torn lettuce, chopped tomatoes and strawberries, feta cheese and chopped praline pecans.
With the pasta boiling, I heated some frozen meatballs in the microwave and toasted the garlic bread under the broiler. After draining the cooked pasta, I mixed in some jarred pasta sauce and meatballs for easy spaghetti and meatballs. All that was left to do was adding salad dressing and serving our meal ... oh, and eating!
Day 6 Menu
Breakfast
Cereal
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Dinner
Eat out at Brent's Drugs
We learned about Brent's Drugs before leaving home and knew that we wanted to give it a try. Located in Jackson, MS, the diner originally opened in 1946 as a pharmacy and soda fountain. The pharmacy was sold in 2009, but the options for breakfast, soup, sandwiches, salads and desserts are still available in the same location. We both enjoyed our single Brent's Burgers and, of course, our shakes!
Day 7 Menu
Breakfast
Yogurt Parfaits
Another quick and easy breakfast is make our own Yogurt Parfaits - although we don't layer them in a clear parfait dish! We scooped single serving flavored yogurt into a bowl and added our preferred amount of granola, chopped strawberries and chopped pecans. Just like with cereal, everything (yogurt containers, bowls, napkins and spoons) go straight into the trash can after breakfast.
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Dinner
Eat out at The Old Country Store Restaurant
It's not too often that we eat out two days in row when traveling in our RV, but we made an exception for two good reasons:
- During our pre-trip search for local, highly recommended restaurants, we found two that we hoped to try near Vicksburg, MS.
- Unlike the stars in the movie Twister, we headed south in an attempt to escape the forecasted tornadoes, so it just made sense to make our way to Lorman, MS.
Day 8 Menu
Breakfast
Breakfast Paninis
Already away from home for a week and no eggs on the menu yet - gotta change that, but it's gotta be easy. All I did was scramble a few eggs into a small saute pan (added a tad bit of water and some black pepper) and cooked the mixture on the stove. I heated 5 pieces of pre-cooked bacon in the microwave, and when the eggs were almost fully cooked, sprinkled some shredded cheese on top to melt.
With the bacon and eggs ready, I split the ingredients between two slices of bread. After covering each with a second piece of bread, I put them in our pre-heated panini press for about 4 minutes and we had Breakfast Paninis!
Dinner
Crockpot Ribs with Macaroni & Cheese and Cornbread
Although I have made these ribs plenty of times while traveling, this time they were leftovers that I froze following a meal made at home. The hardest requirement for getting dinner on the table was following the directions on a box of macaroni and cheese! It was easy to heat the ribs and cornbread (also prepared and frozen in zippered bags before leaving home) in the microwave.
When planning to make these Crockpot Ribs while traveling, I usually prepare our favorite dry rub before leaving home. (Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder, 1 tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. cayenne, 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well, and if you plan to store some for the future, use a zip seal bag or air tight container.
For the ribs, I always line my crockpot as it makes clean-up so much easier. I then cut the rack of ribs into sections that will easily fit. Next, I rub both sides of each section with dry rub, place the section in the crockpot and cover with barbecue sauce. After repeating until all ribs are in the crockpot, I cook on low for about eight hours. The sauce can be caramelized by either placing under the broiler or on a grill.
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The only thing that I do different from the cornbread recipe is to bake it in a 9" x 13" metal or glass baking pan rather than a skillet. Since it's our favorite cornbread and it freezes really well, we usually have some recently baked in our fridge or frozen for later use.
Day 9 Menu
Breakfast
Cereal
Dinner
Tuna Salad Sandwiches with Potato Salad and Fruit Salad
All cold salads for dinner! Since we had a long drive, I made two of our three salads the night before to save time (and chill them before serving). For the tuna salad, I just emptied two cans of tuna and added some black pepper and frozen chopped onions. (I brought along a zipper bag filled with chopped onions to use along the way.) After mixing in mayonnaise to taste, one salad was ready.
To make the potato salad, I followed a recipe given to me many many years ago by a college roommate. I boiled enough diced new potatoes for four servings of salad (always make enough for leftovers!). With the potatoes on the stove, I chopped some green onions and placed them in the container that I would mix and refrigerate the salad in. Once the potatoes were cooked, drained and cooled to room temperature, I added them along with some bacon ranch salad dressing to the green onions. I mixed everything together and it was ready to refrigerate.
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Just before we were ready to eat, I spread the tuna on bread and heated the sandwiches in our panini press. I made the fruit salad by combining some halved grapes, chopped strawberries, chopped apples and a sliced banana with some pecans, coconut and plain yogurt. To finish the potato salad, I just sprinkled both black pepper and paprika on top.
Day 10 Menu
Breakfast
French Toast
More leftovers!
Dinner
We celebrated Taco Tuesday with Oven Tacos. Since I prepared the taco meat mixture before leaving home, dinner preparation was so easy. (I find that the recipe yields enough for 24 tacos. I use the ground turkey option and the only other modification that I make is substituting store bought taco seasoning for the homemade seasoning. I divide the prepared meat mixture into four zippered bags and, after letting out all of the air, I flatten the bags as much as possible. Once frozen, they are easy to store in our RV fridge!)
While the oven was preheating, I filled six crispy taco shells with the defrosted meat mixture and topped each with shredded cheese. With the tacos baking in the oven, I shredded some lettuce and chopped a green onion, tomato and avocado. We each dressed our own tacos with the diced toppings plus some sliced black olives and sour cream.
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Dessert
S'moresWith near perfect weather and a good location to build a fire, we took our first opportunity to make and enjoy s'mores - one of our favorite camping desserts. After toasting, we placed one marshmallow and some chocolate between two graham crackers for some yumminess!
More Menus and Recipes
For more menu and recipe ideas, 10 Night Spring RV Menu (Part 2 of 4) is also available. In the coming weeks, we will post our menus for the final two segments of our spring RV trip. We invite you to create a User Account and opt in for an e-mail subscription now so that you don't miss out. In addition to recipe and menu ideas, you'll have access to information on sites we see, hikes we take and campgrounds at which we stay. We also share our other travel adventures including cruises and other domestic and international itineraries. Our commitment is that we will send no more than one e-mail each week.RV Meal Ideas
Just like almost every other fellow RVer, we are always in search of recipes and menus that are quick, easy and taste good. What are your favorite camping menus and recipes?|
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