Camp Cooking: Self-Contained Mobile Meal Kit
On Margy Meanders, I mentioned a mobile meal kit that we use to have meals in our hotel room while traveling. We use similar kits for barge camping with our quads, camping in our own airplane, and traditional car camping. I've put several kits together for each purpose because they're so economical. For airline transport, the kit fit nicely in the bottom of our roller duffel bag. After that we kept it in the back seat of the SUV ready to use.
I start with a thrift store bag with zipper pouches to help organize the contents. For meal simplicity, we don't include pots or pans. Camp BBQ meats supplement deli entrees.
There are only two of us, so I fill the kit with sets of two: plastic plates, plastic cereal bowls, plastic drinking cups, and plastic coffee mugs. I also include one larger plastic bowl to share salads.
I put my utensils in a Ziploc plastic bag: two steak knives, two soup spoons, two forks, one serving spoon, a multipurpose can opener, clothes pins, and a nut cracker (just in case a tasty crab crosses our path).
For dish washing I use a bucket. Our Mr. Bucket folds up for easy transport.
I use camp soap and paper towels for washing and drying. That way I don't have to worry about getting towels dry before packing.
Camp kit for a total cost of $5.00:
- zippered bag $2.00 at thrift store
- plastic plates and coffee mugs at thrift store $.25 each
- salad bowl $2.00 from Dollar Store
- plastic cups and cereal bowls (extras from home)
- metal utensils (extras from home)
- biodegradable camp soap $3.99 (long lasting concentrate)
- BBQ lighter $2.99
- paper towels (free from my kitchen supply)
- Ziploc bags in several sizes (free from my kitchen supply)
- plastic grocery and vegetable bags for trash (free)
- fast food restaurant salt, pepper, sweetener, condiments (free)
- folding camp bucket (he's been in the family for years)
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That is a great meal kit. We used to tent and tent trailer an awful lot and had the bare necessities all packed away and ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI will never ever camp, but I appreciate the post!
ReplyDeleteWe are back and forth over to Vancouver Island for the next few weeks. This seems like the answer to searching for somewhere to eat or overspending on ridicously expensive hotel meals.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and so organized.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous idea - we often head out to Birch Bay State Park or Bow and Edison - or Anacortes - one of these would be perfect - we might not need everything each time - but it would certainly be nice to have things like that handy, even for deli lunches.
ReplyDeleteWe have the cleverest folding wooden table (when it folds up it forms a sturdy handle for carrying) which we keep in the car in the summer, along with two folding lawn chairs, jackets and a tablecloth and cloth napkins - with your little bag we'd be ready for just about anything.