Small Kitchen Cooking

July 27, 2022 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

How to Save on Food While Camping

Are you seeking some clever ideas for inexpensive camping meals? After all, when you’re having fun in the great outdoors with friends and family, there’s no need to spend a fortune on meals.

Camping is one of the most affordable vacation activities if you’re smart about it. Instead of waiting in line to get some overpriced burgers near the campground, you can prepare something beforehand, save money, and enjoy the RV camping vibe.

Man making a fire to cook at the campground

Once you go through this short guide, you will be able to freely focus on taking pictures of the beautiful scenery around you with your new iPhone equipped with some of the best eco-friendly and sustainable wooden cases that fit the unique, natural camping vibe, have fun with your family and be worry less about how much money you’re going to spend on food and whether you should eat it or out while camping.

To put all that together, here are some inexpensive dining options you might wish to try, whether camping or traveling in a recreational vehicle. All the affordable, simple meals and tips listed below are suitable for people of any age, so let’s take a look!

Prepare Ahead For Cheap Dining

While convenience foods may seem like a good option, they can get very expensive. The key to eating well on less is planning. Follow these tips for eating healthy and saving money on travel days. For eating well at the campground, plan a menu in advance. This will allow you to shop at home ahead of time, which can be a huge money saver because you know where the best deals are. And if you’re thinking, who wants to cook on vacation, save time as well by creating meals with overlapping ingredients to reduce time over the stove. I created the Cooking at the Campground digital download just for this purpose. It comes with quick, easy, and delicious recipes for 3 full days at the campground, as well as a pantry packing list and tips for making use of your small space.

Another way to make cooking at the campground more enjoyable is to grill outside so you can hang out around the campfire where the action is. And you don’t have to make things from scratch at the campsite. Simply prepare a handful of your preferred recipes beforehand, then chill or freeze them. For example, chili, stew, beef for Sloppy Joes, and other reasonably priced items can be frozen and warmed on a grill or over an open campfire.

Before your next camping trip, watch out for bargains on hamburger buns and loaves of bread to use with your prepared meals. While the bread is still warm, freeze it, and then defrost it as you travel. Then, without spending a fortune or spending a lot of your holiday time in the kitchen, you’ll be able to savor some delicious meals.

Campground Sandwiches

Sandwiches can make excellent, inexpensive camping and travel day meals that are incredibly reasonable and don’t need to be cooked. Bring a loaf of bread or some baguettes and your preferred sandwich fixings, like peanut butter, deli meat, veggies, and condiments.

Stock up on the items you prefer to use to prepare sandwiches when they are on sale. Deli meat can be frozen until you are ready to leave for your trip. When grilling, consider throwing an extra chicken breast on to have grilled sandwiches the next day or to chop up for chicken salad sandwiches. Use hummus or guacamole to give your sandwich extra verve!

Charcuterie Boards

When camping it’s fantastic to have options for no-cook meals. You might be too worn out or too hot after a day of hiking or fishing for cooking. In addition, there are instances when you want something that is quick and requires no cleanup. Charcuterie boards are perfect for this and you can prep everything in advance, so when it’s time to eat, all you need to do is assemble it.

Here are a few tips for creating a delectable charcuterie board:

Choose a variety of proteins like meats, cheeses, hummus, and nuts. Meats can include cured meats like salami or prosciutto, while cheeses can range from soft cheeses like Brie to hard cheeses like Parmesan.
Vegetables and fruits round out the meal. Choose items that don’t require much prep like cherry tomatoes and grapes.
A charcuterie board is not complete without some tasty accompaniments. Common accompaniments include mustard, honey, avocado, and olives.
Finally, include some crackers or bread (even better include both).

Don’t Forget About Drinks, Snacks, and Desserts

Drinks, snacks, and desserts can easily bust any budget. Save yourself from the temptation of purchasing these at convenience stores by planning ahead. Pre-cut vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower in advance and pair them with your favorite dip when you get hungry. Fruit is another option that you can keep at the campsite and you don’t have to worry about refrigeration. These peanut butter and jelly bites are my favorite snack. They’re so good, they could even be considered dessert. Smores are obviously a quintessential camping dessert and you can get creative with them. I like to add sliced raspberries or butterscotch syrup to mine. For drinks, water is obviously the simplest and healthiest option. If you don’t want it plain, grab some flavor additives like Mio at the grocery store. Bring refillable bottles to take your own drinks when you go out exploring.

Dining Out

There will be times when you want to treat yourself to a meal outside of the campground. Don’t worry…there are still ways to save, even at restaurants. Our first tip is to find something local. If you are going to splurge, make it worth your while by enjoying something you can’t have every day. For example, a great choice if you’re in the Atlanta area is Mac’s Raw Bar. Specializing in sustainability, it’s a great place to enjoy local ingredients from Georgia farmers and fishermen.

We also like to look for unique stops that have been featured on the Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive In’s, and Dives. When we were in Scotsdale, Arizona we found the best barbeque in a car wash! Not the place you’d normally look, but The Thumb was a great find!

Finally, we use the Groupon website to find restaurant discounts any time we’re on the hunt for a reasonably priced meal.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it’s possible to eat well while camping without spending a fortune. Always remember that camping is primarily about having fun and breaking up your routine, so be adaptable and inventive.

August 3, 2020 by Julie Chickery Leave a Comment

A Guide to Grilling Lobster Tails

Lobster makes the perfect summertime treat no matter how you make it. There’s nothing that quite matches the unique flavor and texture of meaty, fresh-caught lobster tail off the New England coast. And even if you live a thousand miles from the coast on all sides, there are plenty of fresh seafood solutions for lobster delivery anywhere in the United States.

Grilled seafood is a delicacy that mainlanders don’t often get to enjoy, and when they do, they rarely get the authentic experience. If you’ve never cooked a lobster tail on the barbecue before, then you haven’t seen just how easy it can be to mess up. Let’s make sure you know the perils and pitfalls to avoid so you can grill those expensive lobster tails to perfection every time.

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Kill Humanely, Cook Fresh

Lobsters notoriously spoil faster than almost any other meat you’ve ever cooked. Once they die and begin to decompose, their meat quickly loses the rich flavor and tender texture that makes lobsters worth their high price. To properly and humanely kill your lobster, put it in your freezer for around five minutes. This will numb out your lobster. Alternatively, you can boil a pot of water and dunk your lobster for up to 3 minutes. Remove the lobster from the pot and immediately transfer to a freezing ice bath.

Separate the tail from the body by bending the body and the tail across the lobster’s back. This is the stage where you’re more likely to ruin your lobster tail, so proceed with caution but deliberation. Use some muscle and apply a twisting motion to help pull the tail free. You don’t want to crack and shatter the lobster, but don’t be gentle. Once you’ve separated the body, pull the fins off.

With a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears, cut the shell cleanly down the middle, but not through the meat inside the tail. Then spread the tail open, a process called butterflying your lobster tail.

Prepping Your Grill and Lobster Tails

While some people like a “well-seasoned grill,” there’s nothing quite like the fresh, unadulterated flavor of grilled lobster from a clean grill surface. Before firing up your barbecue, clean the grate thoroughly with canola oil. You may also want to consult your barbecue’s owner’s manual for advice on the best methods of cleaning the grill top. For safety purposes, wipe it down and dry completely before you turn on the grill.

Turn on the flame to about medium to medium-high. Let the grill get good and hot. While it’s warming up, grease up your lobster! A delicious garlic butter glaze adds a rich flavor, but a little olive oil with salt and pepper will do just as nicely. Lobster tail is a delicacy that is uniquely flavorful without the need for much enhancement.

Grilling Your Lobster Tails

Now all you’ve got to do is keep your eye on the grill and cook up the lobster tails. But the hardest part isn’t behind you just yet. Remember that lobster is so fragile that it will spoil if left uncooked for even a few minutes too long. A similar principle applies to cooking your lobster tails, too. If you overcook the tails by even one or two minutes, the meat will get tough and dry, losing its delicate texture and most of the rich signature flavor.

For 8oz pieces, place the tails directly over the flame and grill with the flesh side down for about six minutes. Flip the tails over and allow them to cook for another five minutes.

Grill tails directly over a flame and grill with the flesh side down for about six minutes. Flip the tails over and allow them to cook for another five minutes.

You should take them off of the grill with the flesh side now pointing up, having cooked directly over the flame the entire time. You can be sure that your lobster tails are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of at least 140°F.

Serving Your Lobster Tails

Before they cool, you should drizzle your lobster tails with some more of the garlic butter glaze we recommended. Some recipes will call for a sprinkling of shallots, chives, minced garlic, or even red pepper flakes for a little kick. This is where you have the opportunity to get creative and find the perfect flair for your grilled lobster.

Garnish with a couple of lemon wedges, and you’ve got the perfect grilled lobster tails! They’re best paired with a light-bodied white wine and commonly served with other shellfish delights like steamed mussels, crab cakes, or clam chowder. Coming off of the barbecue, you could also pair with picnic favorites like a handmade old-country coleslaw or Boston-style baked beans.

Grilling fresh lobster tails is hard to do the first time without any guidance. Follow the instructions closely, and don’t get discouraged if you bust a tail or two before you get it right. You can always purchase prepared lobster tails, but there’s nothing quite as delicious and satisfying as preparing the meal fresh with your own two hands from start to finish.

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There’s nothing that quite matches the unique flavor and texture of meaty, fresh-caught lobster tail off the New England coast. Follow this guide to grilling your lobster tails to perfection every time.

September 4, 2019 by Julie Leave a Comment

Eating Healthy on Travel Days

Road Trips and healthy eating can sometimes seems incompatible. After a long day of driving the last thing I often feel like doing is cooking. Here are a few techniques I’ve found that help overcome these struggles and keep us on track.

1. Start with a simple breakfast.

I know we tend to be in a rush to hit the road, but eating a simple breakfast helps start your day off right. Something as easy as a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit or an egg white and veggie breakfast burrito can go a long way without taking more than a few minutes of your time to prepare.

I know we tend to be in a rush to hit the road, but eating a simple breakfast helps start the day off right. Something as easy as a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit or an egg white and veggie breakfast burrito can go a long way without taking more than a few minutes of your time to prepare.

2. Pre-portion snacks to avoid overeating.

Over snacking is one habit a lot of people get into when driving. Even worse is choosing unhealthy snacks at the gas station. However, you can still easily lose track of how many calories you are consuming even when avoiding junk food. The best way to overcome this problem is to pre-portion your snacks. By putting a small portion of fruit, nuts, or crackers in a reusable bowl or zip lock baggie I’m prepared when the need for a snack arises.

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Balls are the perfect snack to eat on the go.

3. Pack a lunch.

Pack a healthy lunch and look for a scenic overlook along our way to break up the drive and get a little fresh air while we enjoy our lunch.

While you’re packing your snacks, go ahead and pack a lunch too. While we can pull over and prepare a full lunch from scratch, we’re often tempted to stay on the road and eat fast food instead. If I prepare our lunch in advance, I’ve found we’re much less likely to indulge in unhealthy choices. We like to have sandwiches or wraps and a small salad for lunch on travel days. I go ahead and chop up all the veggies the night before so it is easy to prepare during our lunch stops. Then we look for a scenic overlook along our way to break up the drive and get a little fresh air while we enjoy our lunch.

Drink water.

People like to drink coffee while driving to keep themselves energized, but I’ve found that drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated actually helps me feel better. It also helps the waist line because it quenches thirst without unwanted calories. So go ahead and have a cup of coffee, but then drink plenty of water.

5. Meal Plan & Pre-Prep.

The biggest danger for us is always dinner on travel day. Even when I have the best of intentions, after we arrive at our destination and set up, I’m always tempted to go out to eat. One thing that I’ve found that helps is to plan our meal in advance and do as much prep as I can beforehand.

If you are looking for more recipes, a camping meal plan, and a shopping list check out my Cooking at the Campground cookbook.

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One of our favorite travel day dinners is bean & rice tacos. The night before I chop veggies and make a batch of beans & rice in the Instant Pot. When we arrive at our destination, all I have to do is heat them over the propane stovetop (a great option if we’re boondocking too), and serve with tortillas and veggies. Here’s a great recipe for slow cooker or Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos.

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