Snacks
Camping snacks should be dense, tasty and easy to eat on the go. Trail mix is always a classic among campers. You can mix your own out of M&Ms or other small chocolates, raisins, peanuts, pretzels, sunflower seeds and other bite-size snacks. Dried fruits are also a great camping snack. They are tasty and require no refrigeration. If you're a meat eater, you may want to consider taking some jerky along as well. Salting meat was originally invented as a way to preserve it, and jerky is still excellent camping fare. Apples, oranges and other fruits are also good for camping but should be kept in a cooler or eaten in the first several days. And whatever you do, don't forget the granola.
Breakfast
Breakfast in the great outdoors usually starts with a cooking fire and a pot of boiled water. Hot cereal is a great way to start the day, since it only requires hot water, a sweetener and the cereal. Coffee crystals and tea bags or Tang are good drinks for both breakfast and dinner. If you feel ambitious, you may wish to bring along pancake batter and some powdered milk to make breakfast flapjacks.
Lunch and Dinner
For shorter camping trips, peanut butter and jelly is a food of choice for lunches on the go or easy dinners. Canned soups and Ramen noodles are also good, because they are easy to prepare. If you want to cook your dinner, base it around dry bulk staples such as beans, rice and pasta. Root veggies such as potatoes, beets and onions are also good ingredients, since they will last for a while without refrigeration. Peppers and cucumbers should last for several days, so be sure to use them up toward the beginning of the trip. Green leafy vegetables are generally off the list unless you have a cooler, since they wilt very quickly without refrigeration. You can spice your dinner up with pieces of dried fruit, pickled vegetables or spices. At the very least, your spice collection should include salt, pepper and a sweetener such as honey. You should also bring a few other spices that you enjoy with a lot of different foods. Finally, don't forget to bring along some vegetable oil to cook with.
