This post has been sponsored by Capri Sun and Kraft Singles. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Last weekend, we packed up the car and headed two hours south with some friends for a weekend of camping. I grew up camping, so I’ve always had mixed feelings about it, but truth be told, we’ve never taken our kids on a camping trip before! So, they were excited for an adventure and had no idea what to expect. Today, I want to share with you how to camp with kids and some camping with kids’ hacks that will keep everyone happy and make it so that you have the best and least stressful camping trip possible!! I’ll walk you through family camping tips, tricks, and our favorite easy campfire grilling meals for families. Speaking of grilling, it’s Grilling Season at Giant Eagle, I grabbed everything I needed in one stop from Giant Eagle!
I think the key to a good camping trip is proper preparation. I joke with my friend that it’s funny how much work goes into a camping trip because you’re essentially paying for gear in order to ‘rough it’ for a few days, but it’s a fun way to get your kids and family to disconnect and just enjoy each other and nature. When we camp, I start planning my list early so that I don’t forget things. Because I’m doing so much packing, I rely on Giant Eagle Curbside Express pickup, so that I can just order what I need online and get it before we leave. You’ll want to consider everything that you’ll need for your meals and consider what you can make before you leave, so that meals are as easy as possible.
For our camping trips, two things I always rely on are Capri Sun juice drinks and Kraft Singles for campfire grilled cheese sandwiches and on top of burgers. For more easy grilling inspiration, head to GiantEagle.com/Grilling to Raise your Barb-IQ. They have a recipe for Grilled S’more Quesadillas that would be the perfect campfire treat!
Here’s a camping food hack that you may like: A really fun and easy way to handle meals when more than one family is going camping is to divide and conquer. For example, our families split up responsibilities. On Friday night, our friends made dinner and they did breakfast on Saturday morning. Then on Saturday afternoon, we provided lunch as well as dinner on Saturday night. We left early Sunday, so we both fended for ourselves then. Not only does this mix things up to see how each family can get creative, it lightens the load when it comes to trying to plan multiple meals.
Friday night, we used our portable grill to make burgers and hot dogs, topped with Kraft Singles, and we served them with potato foil packets, fresh fruit, and Capri Sun juice drinks, which are actually free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. We got started making them late, but the kids loved eating by lantern light!
On Saturday during the day, I brought bread, lunch meat and Kraft Singles. That way, the kids could make sandwiches or campfire grilled cheeses…whichever sounded better. All you need is a campfire sandwich iron (got mine for under $15), some butter, bread, Kraft Singles and your choice of fillings.
Kraft Singles have no artificial flavors or preservatives and are always made with real milk as an excellent source of calcium. They are individually wrapped for convenience, which is what makes them great for camping!! The best part about them is that unmistakable Kraft Singles melt…
Here’s my list of camping items you may not realize you need outside of the obvious ones like tents, coolers, sleeping bags, and flashlights:
Camping Checklist:
- Trash bags
- Dish soap/scrub brush
- Lighter
- Charcoal/Lighter fluid
- Mini charcoal grill
- Camping chairs
- Plastic tablecloths
- Doormat (great if it’s muddy outside and you don’t want to get your tent dirty)
- Mini broom and brush
- Storage bins (easier to organize all your supplies in bins and just bring the bin with you)
- Towels and wash cloths
- Activities (cards, balls, outdoor games, etc.)
- Bug spray
- Clothesline
- Cast iron pan
- Foil
- Ziploc bags (multiple sizes so that things in cooler don’t get wet)
- Plastic silverware, cups, paper plates
- Paper towel
Please let me know if you have any other camping tips or tricks you like to use by leaving a comment below! Hopefully this has inspired you all to take that camping trip you’ve been considering but are putting off. It’s a lot of fun, but I suggest preparing early and being sure you know exactly what you want to make for every meal. Again, since it’s Grilling Season with Giant Eagle, be sure to look to Giant Eagle for all of your summer grilling needs, even if it’s during a camping trip!
Also—be prepared for unforeseen circumstances such as a fire not starting, what to do if it rains, and more! My husband teased me that I packed the whole house when we went, but he was thanking his lucky stars for how prepared I was once we got there!
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