Our recent family trip reminded me how much I appreciate simple cabin camping meals when feeding everyone away from home. Having a kitchen helped, but meals still needed to be planned, groceries packed, and dishes washed. With little ones along, I appreciated every meal that came together without much measuring or cleanup.
We’ve only been tent camping twice, and we’re still fairly new to it all, so we chose a cabin this time to make things a little easier with the children. Having a kitchen certainly helped, but I still learned a few things about keeping meals simple.
We had some sweet moments, including a visit to a beautiful waterfall, but the trip was also more exhausting than I expected. Our little ones needed extra care, and we didn’t get to explore nearly as much as we had hoped. Feeding everyone still had to happen, though, and the simplest foods were the ones I appreciated most.
If you’re planning a cabin trip with your family, these are the meals and snacks I would take again, along with a few things I would simplify next time.
Ozone Falls State Natural Area
Simple Food for a Cabin Kitchen
We stayed in a cabin with an oven, and we also had access to a grill. My brother grilled our chicken skewers right before cooking the brats, while I roasted the potatoes inside. Sharing the cooking helped get dinner on the table.
These ideas work well for a trip where you have a kitchen, refrigerator, and access to a grill. That was our setup, and it gave us more options than we would have had cooking everything over a campfire.
At home, I enjoy making things from scratch. On this trip, I was grateful for seasoning blends, packaged oatmeal, and snacks we could grab without making another mess. A few convenient ingredients made feeding everyone more manageable.
Chicken Skewers with One Seasoning Blend
The chicken skewers were one of the dinners I would happily repeat. I borrowed Dano’s seasoning from my brother-in-law, which meant I didn’t need to buy a new set of spices and herbs just for the trip.
The preparation was straightforward: I soaked the wooden skewers, cut and seasoned the chicken, threaded it onto the skewers, and passed them to my brother to grill.
There was still some preparation involved, but using one seasoning blend kept that part of the meal easy. When you’re packing food for a family trip, having fewer ingredients to remember is helpful all by itself.
For another trip, I would prepare the chicken at home and pack it in a sealed container, keeping it refrigerated during travel and at the cabin. I would also put skewers, grilling utensils, and a clean serving platter on the packing list.
Oven-Roasted Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
The potatoes were another part of dinner I would make again. At the cabin, I used Idaho potatoes, red and green bell peppers, onions, butter, onion soup mix, and salt.
My mom and sister arrived just as I was getting ready to cook and helped chop the potatoes and peppers while I made the macaroni and cheese. Having those extra hands in the kitchen was such a relief!
Once the vegetables were chopped, I added butter, salt, and the onion soup mix, then roasted everything in the cabin oven until the potatoes were tender. I had forgotten to bring oil, so the butter we packed came in handy. The soup mix added flavor without needing several different seasonings.
We enjoyed these, though I would add a little more salt next time—potatoes always seem to need more than I expect! Taste a cooked potato before serving and adjust the seasoning to suit your family. When I made them at home I added ground rosemary, garlic, paprika, and parsley.
For another trip, I would chop the peppers and onions at home and pack them together. Having a little preparation done ahead would make this simple side even easier.
Quick Breakfasts and Snacks We Were Glad to Have
Not every meal needed to be cooked. Having a few easy foods available helped with breakfast and the hungry moments between meals.
Organic Instant Oatmeal
We brought organic packaged oatmeal from Aldi. It was a quick breakfast option with very little cleanup, which was especially welcome on mornings when the little ones needed attention.
For a future trip, I would keep breakfast this simple again. I would also check the package directions before packing so I knew exactly what we needed to prepare it.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
I made hard-boiled eggs during the trip, and they were great to have for snacks. Once they were cooked and chilled, they were easy to grab without starting another recipe.
Next time, this is a job I would consider doing before we left home so they were ready when we arrived.
Cheese Sticks and Beef Sticks
Cheese sticks and grass fed beef sticks were other convenient snacks we brought along. They needed no preparation and were easy to grab when someone was hungry.
With children of different ages, I would plan plenty of familiar snacks again. Having something ready to eat helped bridge the gap while dinner was cooking.
What I Would Simplify on Our Next Cabin Trip
I also made baked macaroni and cheese and a coffee cake. We enjoyed them, but they required more work than I wanted to do while we were away.
I also baked Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread and a classic loaf. I brought my starter along to keep it active, and having fresh bread with our meals was a treat. Even so, with little ones needing extra care and less sleep than usual, I realized that next time I’d bake the bread at home and bring it ready to enjoy.
I would save those recipes for home next time, or prepare them ahead if they were something we really wanted to bring. The skewers and potatoes were a better fit for the amount of cooking I wanted to do at the cabin but even those could be simplified.
Here is what I would keep in mind when planning another trip:
- Count the dishes as well as the ingredients. A recipe can sound simple and still leave several bowls and pans to wash.
- Pack one or two seasonings that do most of the work. The chicken seasoning and onion soup mix were useful shortcuts.
- Prepare a few things at home. Chopping peppers and onions or boiling eggs ahead would take a task off the cabin list.
- Keep breakfast easy. Oatmeal was enough; every morning didn’t need a cooked breakfast.
- Bring familiar, ready-to-eat snacks. They were helpful while we were busy with meals or caring for the little ones.
- Share the cooking when possible. Having my brother grill while I handled the potatoes helped with that dinner. We each basically took a night to cook.
- Plan for tired evenings. I would choose meals I could manage even after a demanding day.
Nourishing the Heart
I had hoped we would spend more of this trip outside exploring together. We made it to a beautiful waterfall, but we didn’t get to walk the trails at the campground. That was disappointing, and I came home tired.
I’m learning to leave room for both gratitude and disappointment. I can be thankful for time with family and the beauty we did get to see while also admitting that traveling with little ones was hard. I don’t have to turn every part of the trip into a happy memory to appreciate the good parts.
The Lord knows the season our family is in. He sees the care that fills the hours, even when it means setting aside something I had hoped to do. I can bring Him the disappointment as well as the thanks.
If we take another cabin trip, I hope to make more room for rest by asking less of myself in the kitchen. Simple meals would be one small way to do that. A warm dinner, enough food for everyone, and fewer dishes would be plenty.
What meals have made feeding your family easier on a camping trip? I’d love to hear your favorite simple meals and tips for leaving more time to relax and explore with little ones.”
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