Recipes

[RollTide2008]

My son is getting ready to embark on 6 week RV trip with 4 of his buddies. What are your favorite easy meals with minimal cooking apparatus and ingredients that 5 young men would enjoy. They’ll have access to a cook top, camp stove, and an Instant Pot.

We have a list of menu possibilities, but I know you’ll have some good ideas.

[We rescue cats]

I usually cook ahead of time and freeze the food, will they have a freezer? Would you be able to do basic prep of veggies and meals, put them in a ziplock bag and they can then add the protein? And though you did not mention a crockpot I use a crockpot ALOT when we are in the motorhome, especially on travel days, I put the food in the crockpot and then put the crockpot in the kitchen sink when we are driving, this also works in the campground .. when we get back from a day of sightseeing it's great to have dinner waiting. I always use a crockpot liner to make cleanup easier. There will probably be a firepit for the prep of chicken, steaks, eggs, pancakes, sausage. . .

[spumoni99]

---

@We rescue cats wrote:

I usually cook ahead of time and freeze the food, will they have a freezer? Would you be able to do basic prep of veggies and meals, put them in a ziplock bag and they can then add the protein? And though you did not mention a crockpot I use a crockpot ALOT when we are in the motorhome, especially on travel days, I put the food in the crockpot and then put the crockpot in the kitchen sink when we are driving, this also works in the campground .. when we get back from a day of sightseeing it's great to have dinner waiting. I always use a crockpot liner to make cleanup easier. There will probably be a firepit for the prep of chicken, steaks, eggs, pancakes, sausage. . .

---

When I use to camp I did the same thing. I would freeze spagetti sauce and then just boil the pasta and warm up the sauce or freeze meat for tacos and then just get the toppings ready.

[beach-mom]

@RollTide2008 - What a wonderful time they all will have! I can't help much, but I will offer this: When DS is home in the summer, he and 3 of his high school friends spend a long weekend in the mountains. They stay at a small cabin on a lake that belongs to the twins' parents. 

DH and one of his friends do the cooking. They use one pan for everything. I know they make a vegetarian curry dish and a chicken and noodle dish. I think they do go out one night. They make eggs and bacon for breakfast every day. I'm not sure what they do for lunch. They take chips and other snacks. 

They have done this every year since high school graduation. They all went to different colleges. I just remember how impressed I was that they were making their own food!  

[RollTide2008]

They’ll be gone for seven weeks so it’s not practical to prep for the whole trip. They only have an RV sized refrigerator. They’re going to follow their favorite band’s summer tour so they’ll definitely be dry camping half the time.

An Instant Pot can be used as pressure cooker or crock pot and since you can brown in it, it also functions as a small electric skillet.

I expect they’ll have breakfast in the morning, prepare a meal when they’re down for the night, and have something light midday.

I hope they have an amazing time.

[Carmie]

We RV often. We have two of them.  One for the road and one in a permanent site.  We have been traveling in an RV for over 25 years.

 Right now I'm staying in our permanent RV until Saturday and we often spend the whole month of February in Florida in our over the road RV.

Since there is a cook top, any meals that can be made at home can be made on the road.  I make bacon and eggs for breakfast or French toast.

Lunch is soup and sandwiches or whatever.

Dinner is steak, pork or lamb chops, chicken....with rice or potatoes.  Whatever you cook at home, you can cook in an RV.

The fridge/freezer is small so grocery shopping will be frequent.

I wouldn't worry about planning meals ahead of time, five  guys will probably do take-out or go out to eat a lot and they will be food shopping at least once a week.

Load up with snacks and make sure there is a large high sided frying pan on board.  It can be used to cook and boil water for pasta, etc. A large deep pot takes forever to get the water boiling on an RV stove.

I suggest a large cooler; we have an electric one as well as one that holds ice.  They will need someway to keep a lot of drinks cold.  An RV fridge doesn't hold much.

Take extra towels. They're going to be using them a lot and will probably have to visit a laundry a few times, but five guys in an RV with little space to hang wet towels is going to be rough.

A folding clothes rack to dry towels outside will be a blessing.

It sounds like a fun trip.

[Sooner]

If it is like any 5 young men I've ever known they will eat out, do take out, eat sandwhiches and pizza, cereal and bananas and soup or canned baked beans.  

Don't worry about what they will eat.  If they are old enough to travel and follow bands, they will find food and they won't have meal times anyway.  Catch as catch can.  Bands have odd schedules and travel times.

[Spacrazy]

Kraft macaroni and cheese.

[Shihtzursqmom]

I’m not familiar with an instant pot but maybe you can take my ideas and figure out times

As a busy working mother who’s kids did every sports around I became a experienced crock pot queen
I wanted them a nutritional meal even though I was short on time
Now that it’s just the two of us I still use my crock pot and counter top convection oven almost exclusively

If you are a member of Costco, Sams or BJs I’d get a lg roll of foil to send with them
They can do a lot of foil pkg meals

Hamburger patties or they could put a piece of chicken / pork chops
Potato slices
Baby carrots
Onion slices
Season with salt , pepper or seasoning mix
( I like to put steak seasoning on top like A1 or Heinz’s 57 )
Close up tightly and cook on campfire or instant pot set as crockpot cook until done and tender

On the same line they can take square of foil
Place chicken or pork chops on foil , pour bbq sauce over top , close tightly place on one side of crockpot / on another piece of foil place washed potatoes, rub with butter or oil , cover tightly with foil place in crockpot
Set timer on high for 6/8 hours ( again you’ll have to adjust time )

They could make crockpot lasagna

Brown hamburger, add a couple jars spaghetti sauce ( rinse jar out with water leaving About 1/3 c water in jar , lasagna
noodles broken in pieces or lg egg noodles
Mix in half bag mozzarella cheese, 1/2 bag cheddar cheese, 1/2 bag Italian cheese
Stir well
Cover with rest of cheese
Cook on low 4 hours or until noodles are done

I’m wondering about chicken Alfredo?
Place Jared Alfredo sauce , rinse jar with a little water add to pot
Stir in lg egg noodles
Top with breaded frozen chicken pieces cook on low 4 hours maybe

What about a beef roast , baby potatoes, washed , baby carrots , sliced onions , beef broth or ( a little water )
Salt and pepper if they don’t have any other seasonings
That’s a basic meal boys would love

Bbq pork sandwiches

Boneless pork roast with bbq sauce poured over it
Cooked for several hours until tender
They’d just need buns , pickles , canned pork and beans served cold out of the can or a can of heated baked beans

Whatever they decide to cook I hope they have a fun safe trip and adventures along the way

[Shihtzursqmom]

Also I just thought of something else
Once at a football game one of the other mothers came up to me and said her son told her I needed to give her cooking lessons he was always coming home bragging about a meal I served he just loved
Lol I knew immediately what it was because all my kids friends just raved about it every time they ate it at our house
I told her to sit I’d give her the cooking lesson right then and there lol
It’s actually something I make using leftovers most of the time
A friend shared the recipe with me when I was first ylmkj ok
It became a family favorite

Beef manhattans

Roast beef ( again I use leftover roast beef, shredded, fat removed )
1 or 2 pkgs beef gravy mix mixed as directed on pkg
Mashed potatoes ( I use homemade) but you can buy refrigerated or instant potatoes whatever you choose is fine
French bread toasted or teens seem to be happy with loaf bread
Slices
They could cook a beef roast with a little water in it seasoned with salt and pepper and add a couple pkgs gravy mix
When done shred the beef

On a plate place the bread , spoon mashed potatoes on top ,
Then top with beef / gravy mixture
It’s sooo simple but it’s easy and delicious

This can also be made with boneless chicken breast and chicken gravy mix but we like extra pepper added