Ultimate Guide To Meal Planning On The Road

Still Eat Great On The Road

Whether you are travelling with 2 or 10 people, meal planning is a huge responsibility. When you spend a little time planning the meals for your upcoming RV trip, you can save a lot of time, money and make sure everyone’s needs are met.

It is a Vacation After All

Every RV camping trip is different depending on the type of RV you’re staying in and where you are headed. For this reason, meal planning differs widely by the type of trip. If you are in charge of shopping for food, preparing meals and a budget, you’ll want to think about how much time you want to spend working on food preparation during your trip before you head out on the road.

There are many ways to balance meal preparation with relaxing downtime and minimizing clean-up. The number one tip to reduce the amount of time and work involved with meal preparation is planning. Planning can be done before you leave for your trip, leaving you even more time to relax and unwind.

Consider what your plans are on your trip and decide what meals you’ll pre-make, which you’ll prep and make along with those you purchase on the road. Will you be on to go hiking, fishing, or hunting? Do you need to pre-make and pack sandwiches, trail mix and other on-the-go nourishment? If so, there are many items that don’t perish quickly that you can purchase, prep and pack up before you leave for your trip, in the comfort of your home kitchen.

Bananas, berries, snack-sized veggies, bread, peanut butter and jelly are great staples to have for quick snacks anytime.

Planning for Meals on the Road

No matter what kind of RV, motorhome, camper or travel trailer you will be taking on the road, you won’t be able to prepare meals while you are moving. Cooking appliances such as microwaves and stoves do not work while RVs are in motion and we don’t recommend trying to go through the drive-thru with anything larger than a campervan. Drive-thru lanes can be narrow with low hanging and easy to hit barriers.

If you have many miles to drive before you reach your destination, you’ll want to pack snacks to bring in your truck while you tow your fifth wheel or travel trailer. The refrigerator in your RV or motorhome will work while you’re on the road, but it’s not safe to move around inside while you’re in motion. Make sure that snacks are nearby when you’re on the road. You can also check with everyone during stops to see if they need food or beverages for the next leg of the trip.

When you’re RVing, you can stop nearly anywhere to take a break, soak up the scenery or explore. This is also a great time to go to the fridge, pull out some food and make a quick meal or sandwiches.

Another great way to experience a new town you’ve never been to is by stopping in a local diner for a meal. There, you can meet locals and ask questions about things to see and do in the area. If you’re tired of snacking, stopping in a local restaurant is a great way to save some money.

Consider Your Tools

When you have the right tools, you can create amazing things. This also applies to meal preparation. When you’re renting an RV, you’ll want to get a list of the appliances, large and small, that will be included and available in the RV.

Electric appliances are very convenient on RV trips. You can use them inside the RV or outside, which can be very convenient when people are sleeping inside or to avoid messes inside the RV.

Crockpots are a great appliance for heating up soups, stews, chili and other foods for a group. Electric skillets with lids are great for making eggs, bacon or anything you would typically cook in a pan. Having a blender on hand, especially on trips in warm weather climates, is a great way to be able to quickly blend fruit smoothies or make refreshing cocktails at the end of the day.

One of the first things you’ll want to identify for your RV trip is how you will make coffee. So many of us take for granted our home coffee makers or the Starbucks on the way to work. Chances are, neither of these will be available on your RV trip. If your rental RV doesn’t include a coffee maker, the simplest ways to make coffee on the road are with either a French Press or Instant Coffee. For both options, you’ll need to be able boil water and make sure you have the right type of coffee with you.

A French press requires coffee that is ground coarsely so as to not seem through the press. When you use a very finely ground coffee in a French press you’ll likely end up with lots of coffee grounds. To make a full pot of coffee, add enough coffee grounds to fill approximately 1/5 of the French press container. Add boiling water to the fill-line. Stir and then let the French press sit for 2 minutes with the lid on. After 2 minutes, start to push the strainer slowly to as far to the bottom of the container as possible. Then, slowly pour the coffee out of the container, watching to make sure there aren’t any grinds in the coffee.

Although coffee snobs make scowl at the thought, instant coffee is likely the easiest way to make coffee on the road. Instant coffee can be bought at most any grocery store. Plus, you don’t even need to boil water! Just microwave a cup of water, add a teaspoon of instant coffee, stir, and viola – you have coffee.

You will likely need milk for other things such as cereal or mac n cheese preparation, so it’s not a bad idea to have it with to add to your coffee in the morning. If you take sugar in your coffee, it’s easier and less messy to buy sugar in packets for RV trips. Less spilling of sugar also reduces the likelihood you’ll see ants inside during your trip in the outdoors.

What Will the Weather Be Like?

If your trip is in the Fall or Winter, you’re going to want to plan ahead for meals that will warm you and your fellow travelers up. Instant oatmeal is a great breakfast in colder climates.

Chill and stews are great make-ahead meals that can easily be heated up either in portion sizes or in a crockpot.

If you’re expecting hot weather, sandwiches, wraps, fresh vegetable and fruits are go to staples for RV trips. Smoothies are a fun and healthy snack in warm weather as well.

Heat and Serve

While shopping for supplies at Costco for an RV trip may not be space-conscious, the retailer does offer many heat and serve dishes that are perfect for groups on the road.

Tacos and fajitas with all of the fixings included are a great find. If you have a pan in your RV, you can heat the meat on the stove, put the pan on your grill or over a campfire.

While trays of pre-made wraps and sandwiches may look tempting, be mindful that the trays fit in your refrigerator. As a general rule, anything 8” or less in length or width should fit in a small refrigerator.

Food Storage For Your Road Trip

When preparing foods at home before you hit the road, you’ll want to pack them in a cooler, which will come in handy during your trip. Pack the foods that are more perishable closer to the ice and those less perishable further from the ice.

Don’t bother with containers with lids or serving dishes. Most foods can be stored in gallon or quart sized zip lock bags, which save a lot of space. When you’re ready to eat, scoop or use tongs to put food from zip lock bags on plates or in bowls to serve.

Deli sliced meats and cheeses are usually packaged in bags that allow for easy storage in an RV refrigerator. Having a variety of deli meats and cheese on hand to quickly make a sandwich is very handy and a time-saver.

Chili is a great example of a dish that can be stored in a large zip lock bag and heated in portion sizes as needed.

You can also pre-make pasta dishes, stews and even soups to store in heavy duty zip lock bags. If you have a crock pot, you can simply empty the contents of the bag into the crock pot to heat and serve.

Perishable foods in large containers can also be repacked into zip lock bags to save on space in your RV refrigerator.

Wash, cut and store fruits and vegetables in zip lock bags to save a lot of room in your RV refrigerator. Plus, everything will be ready to go when you want it!

When you pack and store your perishable foods for the fridge in gallon or quart sized zip lick bags, you’ll also have less to wash and lug home. Rinsing and recycling the bags will make life on the road much easier.

Delicious Dinners in the Outdoors

It’s not as difficult as you may think to make an amazing dinner in the outdoors. Grilling or cooking over a campfire save a lot of time with clean-up inside, plus give your meat and veggies a pleasant, smoky flavor.

Pick any protein of your choice and marinate it in a gallon sized zip lock bag for a day or two in the refrigerator. You don’t have to get fancy with your marinades. A simple olive oil, salt and pepper, plus herbs de provence marinade will do the trick for most meats and fish.

The same olive oil marinade will work for any vegetables you want to grill or cook over a campfire. Broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, peppers, asparagus, even beets can be prepped by washing, peeling and cutting into grill ready pieces. Marinated vegetables for at least an hour for a simple, healthy and delicious side dish. If you want to mix up the spices for the vegetables, try lemon pepper in addition to salt and olive oil. Lemon Pepper is especially good on grilled asparagus, carrots and broccoli.

Grilling vegetables takes approximately 40 minutes, so you’ll likely want to start by heating the grill and adding the vegetables. Make sure the heat is high enough to cook the vegetables, but that the flame doesn’t char them. As the vegetables cook through, have a dish on hand to remove them from the grill and cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

If you have vegetables that still need to cook, but need to get started grilling the meat, move the vegetables to the sides of the grilling surface to add your meat.

Once all of the meat is cooked, be sure to let it rest for a few minutes in a covered dish. This keeps it warm and allows for the juices to settle in, making for more tender meat.

Don’t Skimp on the Condiments and Spices

Your on the road meals will be more appealing when everyone has their favorite spices or condiments available. Mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard are a must for making sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers.

Salt, pepper and your favorite herbs added to olive oil make for a simple marinade for steaks, chicken and grilling veggies.

If your family and friends like to add a lot of spice to their food, siracha is a great condiment to have on hand because you can add it to eggs, meats or really anything for a kick.

Most condiments and spices can be brought home after your trip, so don’t skimp when purchasing these for your trip.

Dishes and Cutlery

Once of the least appealing parts of eating in the outdoors is the large amounts of trash left behind by food packaging, paper plates, plastic cups, plastic forks and knives.

Since most RV trips require at least one stop at a Walmart for supplies, it worth the time, money and peace of mind to also pick up a plate, bowl, fork, knife and spoon for each person in your group. Plastic plates and bowls can be found for less than $1 each at Walmart. Sets of 4 forks, spoons and knifes can also be purchased for only a few dollars.

Don’t forget to pick up a sponge and some dish soap. Most RVs have sinks to soak and wash dishes. Often times, you can also find outdoor sinks in RV parks and campgrounds to less mess in your RV.

What You Need in Order to Prep for Meals on the Road

Here’s what you’re going to need in order to prep for meals on the road as explained in this article:

Appliances

• Stove top in RV
• Grill or Campfire with grill grate
• Electric Skillet
• Crockpot
• Blender
• Refrigerator

Dishes

• A plate, bowl, fork, knife and spoon for each person in your group
• A serving dish
• Tongs
• Serving Spoon
• Sharp Knife for cutting fruits, vegetable, meat

Staples

• Fruits & Vegetables (Bananas, berries, apples, snack sized carrots, celery)
• Milk
• Bread
• Peanut butter & jelly
• Ice (even if your RV has ice trays)

Supplies

• Cooler
• Gallon and quart sized zip lock bags
• Aluminum foil
• Parchment paper (to line anything you’re wrapping with aluminum foil)
• Sponge
• Dish Soap

Groceries

• Deli Meats and Cheeses
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Herbs De Provence
• Lemon Pepper
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Siracha
• Grilling Meats (Boneless Chicken, smaller cuts of red meat, smaller cuts of pork, salmon or other filets of fresh fish)
• Grilling Veggies (Broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes,
• Oatmeal or Cereal
• Trail Mix
• Eggs
• Butter
• Bacon