Camping food doesn't have to be made up solely of bland freeze-dried dinners and trail mix. The most obvious favorite is barbecue anything, but others include potato salad, baked beans, and steak. With an easy camping food checklist, everyone can make a great food menu for the best camping food that's healthy too! There are so many ideas and recipes that finding the right camping food to bring on a camping trip is easy.

Good camping food requires the right tools. You'll need a good camp stove, a set of cookware, and probably plenty of water. And you'll also need food. Since camping usually means some amount of hiking, lunch while camping, and some good recipes for the food you take camping, you should pack accordingly. Any meat that isn't dehydrated tends to be extremely heavy, making most campers vegetarians whether they like it or not. Especially if you're out for more than a couple days, protein gets to be an issue if your diet doesn't contain any meat. A great camping food idea is nuts and beans since they provide the easiest and lightest sources, with peanut butter often filling in a needed kick of protein at lunch or breakfast.

Though dinner usually takes up the most time and energy, breakfast and lunch are important meals while camping. Breakfast can easily be a cold meal, though it's often worth breaking out the stove for hot tea or coffee with your dried fruit or granola bar. Pita bread or tortillas make handy bases for lunch, as they allows for sandwiches and dips but still pack easily; they're light but don't crush like regular bread. Trail mix is a stand-by favorite, as is dried fruit as they provide quick energy while on the move.

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When you pack for a camping trip, it is important to store your supplies and camping food into containers so they won't spoil. The plastic seals, keeping small bugs out and keeps the critters away. So, prepare.

Black beans and rice make an excellent meal, especially if you can find a ready-made store mix which often packs its own kick. It's helpful to have a stove that can easily simmer food when putting together a camp meal.

Finally, once you make it to camp you want a big dinner; something hearty and hot. Instant polenta or couscous, though a bit heavy, provides an excellent base for cheeses, dried vegetables, or other sauces, as both are hot and filling. Dried beans and barley make for hearty camping food, though be sure to find those which don't require much soaking or you'll be eating your beans for breakfast the next day. Of course, I think the best camping food is what you can cook on the barbecue grill! Burgers, ribs, bratwurst, and chicken are easy to fix on the go.

A final touch to your camping food list is a small spice collection. Most outdoor retailers sell sets of small containers which are perfect for storing salt, pepper, dried basil, and some garlic powder. It's amazing how much flavor these spices can add to your camping food, even if it's just a dash of salt added to your dried vegetables.

With a little work it's easy to make great meals better-tasting and healthier and nothing tastes better than camping food outdoors!

Article about Camping Food is by Jennifer Clark, co-author of  Terry's Barbecue Sauce.com with articles covering a broad range of topics including charcoal grills, cutlery, potato salad, and many more!