Comfort Food and RV Cooking: 3 Fall Meal Tips To Warm You Up

As you know RVing is a great way to recreate in the fall.  Fall is often referred to as the shoulder season and many campgrounds and RV parks offer reduced rates in this season and in the winter months.  Reduced rates are just one more reason not to winterize your rig too early since fall is one of the best times to go RVing, and an even better time for some RV cooking.

The weather has cooled from the oppressive heat of summer, but it hasn’t gotten so cold in most parts of the country to prevent you from enjoying all the great outdoor recreational opportunities this form of camping affords.  Additionally, school is back in session so the campgrounds are a little less crowded, and the fall foliage throughout the US and Canada are positively stunning.  In short, fall is an excellent time to go RVing.  

Regardless of the season there are still some camping essentials that you’ll need to attend to; like cooking and feeding your hungry crew.  You may think of this as an unpleasant distraction from the “fun” of camping but it doesn’t have to be a tedious chore.  With a little planning, preparation, and practice, you might come to think about cooking in your RV as a creative and enjoyable camping activity. 

Getting Started

I have been RVing now for nearly 30 years and one of my favorite activities is cooking.  Yes, the kitchen (galley) is smaller and there’s generally less counter space then in your kitchen at home but RV galleys are generally convenient and very well appointed with modern conveniences and appliances.  Yes, I miss the garbage disposal and dishwasher in my home kitchen but that’s about all. 

In the RV I like having the sinks, refrigerator, microwave, and stove top close to the areas where I prepare the food, it’s all so close and convenient.  In this environment, I have cooked everything from whole crabs, to casseroles, salads (of various types), soups, and full-on holiday dinners with all the usual side dishes. 

So how do you keep RV cooking from being a dreaded chore?  First you need to change your mindset and possible your diet.  When we started camping in our first RV in 1999 we decided to make every aspect of it a luxurious experience.  We bought extra plush bedding and bath towels and a very expensive set of cooking utensils. I decided I didn’t want to limp along with bargain basement cookware and cutlery.  We also decided that we would enjoy foods we might otherwise have avoided as too costly or extravagant.

I also changed my mindset about “being in the kitchen”. In the RV galley I can just look up and see unusual scenic vistas and new horizons.  I was excited to travel to all these new places and looking out the windows while cooking became one of the treats of RVing.  We also enjoyed foods we might not have purchased for our everyday consumption.  We quickly associated RVing with better than usual dining whether that food was cooked in our RV or prepared by others. 

RVing and eating well were permanently linked in our minds.  Even if it was just hot dogs and chips on the 4^th of July or bar-b-qued steaks and corn on the cobb by a mountain stream, we thought of it as a treat.  We allowed ourselves little culinary indulgences and that helped us change our mindset.

Changing your mindset is very important but there are also tangible things you can do to make cooking in an RV more fun. As mentioned above a little planning, preparation, and practice will also transform this chore into a pleasant and fruitful RV activity.  

Planning

This requires some forethought (which overtime, will define your normal RV preparation routines.)   The forethought will save you time in the long run.  If you and yours really enjoy big breakfasts (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits with honey, and fruit juice) then plan out how much of all those items you’ll need for your next camping trip. And make it a habit to always pack two dozen eggs, a couple of pounds of bacon, a bag of potatoes, and a cartoon of fruit juice. 

If waffles are your family’s favored breakfast treat then make sure to set out the waffle iron when planning what to pack (or buy a second waffle iron just for your RV).  Planning also requires that you think about the restricted space in your RV.  Some fifth wheel trailers and motorhomes have residential size refrigerators and ample cabinet space, but this is not necessarily true in a van conversion or small trailer.

If possible, have a refrigerator go-bag ready to go in your home refrigerator stocked with ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing, salt, pepper and essential seasonings.  If your RV is plugged in between trips, you can keep your RV fridge stocked up all the time and save time when loading up for a trip.

Preparation

In addition to having the right mind set and planning out your breakfast, lunch, dinner menus, and snacks, you can make the whole process more fun if you prepare some meals and treats ahead of time.  If your family just goes nuts over rice crispy cookies then think about making those at home before you leave or take advantage of the family size packs of rice crispy cookies at Costco or Sam’s Club. 

A real treat for your family might be beef, chicken, or shrimp shish-ka-bobs.  You can assemble the raw ingredients on the skewers and wrap them in foil before you leave your house, so cooking this treat is easy and fast. Other great fall meals to fortify your family are slow cooker soups, roasts, and chicken. Take advantage of your slow cooker and if you need inspiration for what to cook check out AllRecipes.com where you will find a whole section devoted to slow cooker recipes.  And don’t forget to pack your slow cooker in the RV. 

On the other hand, if you think tacos would be an exciting dinner option on a future camping trip you can prepare for that meal by precooking and shredding the chicken or cook some ground hamburger with taco seasoning.  Buy or make guacamole in advance and dice an onion then check your supplies for cheese and salsa.  Meal planning for upcoming RV trips saves time, helps you to purchase supplies, and do some of the prep work in your home kitchen where you have more room and tools.

Also, if you leave the shopping until you’re on your trip who knows where you might end up and what supplies you may not be able to source.  It’s always easier and faster to shop in your home stores.  

A lonnnngg time ago, when I was a little girl on a camping trip with my family, it was getting close to dinnertime and my mom didn’t have anything planned.  This was very unusual for her but her family was getting hungry and we were in an unpopulated area of northern Nevada with few grocery options available.  My dad stopped in front of a small general store and my mom (who was a professional cook) decided to go into the store and “find something to eat”.

That evening we all dined on creamed garbanzo beans on bread.  She bought a can of garbanzo beans (not even knowing what they were) and she made a light white sauce, heated the beans in the sauce and ladled it out onto slices of white bread.  It was one of the most memorable and scrumptious meals I have ever eaten and it became one of our family’s shared legends.  Mom was kind of disappointed but my dad, brothers, and I were not. 

Planning and preparation could have prevented this surprise, but then we would have missed this shared experience.  Remember, don’t become so ridged in your planning and prep that you take all the spontaneity and fun out of your camping trip.  Afterall, RVing is about adventure and new experiences.

Practice

Practice as well as planning and preparation will help you transform a tedious chore into a creative and enjoyable RV enterprise.  When you find a winning meal plan that makes you proud and your family happy, be sure to keep a record of that success.  Eventually, you’ll have a whole catalog of delightful meal options and you might run out of camping days before you get all your favorites served.  Remember to make these meals special.  Indulge yourself.

If you really love hot chocolate then be sure to pack mini marshmallows for hot chocolate toppings.  Make the extra effort to make meals and treats special. You all should be looking forward to cooking and eating in your RV.  Some of our fall favorites are slow cooker 13 bean soup, slow cooker pot roast with potatoes and carrots, jumbo tacos with pulled chicken, cheese, onion, and guacamole.  Also, you should check out the ready to serve section in your favorite food store.  There you will find an array of quick, easy, and delightful entrees, like Pad Thai Noodles or Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo. 

All the ingredients are included along with simple instructions.  You can spice up your fall RV dining with a few of these unique dishes.  If you find dishes you like add them to your mealtime catalog.  You could be enjoying scrumptious fettuccini alfredo in less than 20 minutes.  Enjoy your camping views of the fall foliage from inside your RV while the microwave finishes your meal.

RV Cooking for your family is a great way to connect with them and demonstrate how much you love them.  And preparing some of your own fall favorites will help you get into the season.  Bake up a spicy cinnamon pumpkin bread to serve with a hearty bean soup or enjoy a tuna noodle casserole, or beef pot roast and let the smells and tastes of fall transform all your RVing experience into cherished memories.

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