RV Meal Planning

Looking for some RV meal planning ideas for your next trip?  Trying to figure out exactly what type of spices and things to keep in your camper?  Here are some suggestions for those of you who like to cook outdoors and in your camper.

RV Meal Planning - Helpful Storage Tips

Like most, one of the last things that we pack before a trip would be our food and such.  I think one of the hardest jobs is trying to figure out the RV meal planning  and what we need for our trip. 

You can always go to the camp store, retail store, or even a grocery store, but that's one of the last things that I want to do on a trip, especially a vacation! Camp stores are fun, but not the others!  Camp stores can also be very expensive, so we try to take everything we may need with us.  Of course there are times you occasionally forget something, and you may have no choice.  So they are handy when you need them.

Usually before we head out, I try and come up with an "itinerary" of possible meals, so I know what type of spices and condiments we may need to take along.  Let me tell you this is not always an easy task, my friend!   

With those of you who have plenty of storage in your fridge, cabinets, or pantry, this is not as hard of a task as it is with those who own a smaller camper with limited space.  This does make it difficult, but it can be done.  The trick is to utilize every little nick and cranny of your camper.  Also, condense larger items in to smaller containers for your fridge, freezer, and storage areas.  Having  a freezer vacuum sealer would be a good investment  for those smaller freezers.

One thing that we found is that purchasing certain types of items for storage helps out tremendously.  This also helps out for larger campers too.  We use small storage boxes up, down, and all around!  Plus we have a "spice box" that I keep for our camper only. 

So when that time comes to fill up the camper for the next season, I just go and grab the box and it's ready.  No need to search for our spices each year!  The nice thing is, it's all together so you can take it outside for prepping your meal.  The grab and go technique is great!

Spice Rack Ideas

Some spices that we normally use for our RV meal planning would be your basic spices, but I also try and remember what type of meals I may be planning so we take what we need for that particular trip as well.  Also, don't forget about your cooking necessities.

  • Seasoned Salt
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Onion salt
  • Meat Rub
  • Some kind of seasoning like Mesquite
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Ketchup & Mustard
  • Steak Sauce, if applicable
  • Cooking Spray
  • Tin foil is a must for all campers too

Fridge & Freezer Storage

When it comes to storing your meals in a smaller fridge/freezer, it's a trick!  A lot of times, I'll take the item out of the original packaging and put it in a zip lock bag or a smaller container.  We'll buy the smaller condiments and save them when they run out to reuse the bottle.  Then we'll write "camper" on it so we know not to toss it when we get home.  There are a lot of tricks to this trade so just be "inventive"   with your smaller fridge and freezer.  If you pack it right, you can fit quite a bit of food into them.

These egg containers work great for caring eggs in a cooler or refrigerator. We have two of them and use them in the house in the off season sometimes.

Many times we'll end up bringing some of our frozen food home, and it's still as frozen as when we first put it into the freezer. 

Just watch the ice cream if  you have some in your freezer.  It may not last long, so you may want to have that rather quickly before it turns into liquid.  It does not seem to stay as compact as it should in an RV fridge as it does in your typical residential fridge.  One thing we learned, is putting it in the back part of the freezer; seems to be pretty good in that location.  It's certainly a nice treat on those hot Summer days! 

For those of you how love your ice, wouldn't it be so nice not to have to buy it all the time? I LOVE my cold water, so with that being said, we invested in a Countertop Ice maker and it's been one of the best investments we've ever made. It even fits into our small camper! 

Written By: Melissa

Exploring Travel Trailers>RV Meal Planning

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