Camping really builds an appetite and these camping recipes are just the thing to refuel a hungry body. Instead of sitting and playing video games, a day of camping burns thousands of calories from all the running, swimming, hiking, climbing, chopping, and general manual work required. It's important to start with an easy camping recipe for breakfast, maybe something in the dutch oven cooked over real fire coals. A lunch meal shouldn't be skipped but might be lighter, especially if you plan to do an all-day hike and eat on the trail. A few hours to cook a lip-smacking chicken recipe, mexican enchiladas, or fish batter fry is a great way to gain back the calories burned up. And, don't forget dessert, whether it's the common s'mores or something more exotic like dessert burritos.

Many novice campers think of only hotdogs and koolaid for meals. That gets old awful quick, so round up some of these free camping recipes to create your next menu that will impress the campers. A dutch oven is a great cooking tool for camp, but a lot of fun food can be cooked over an open fire or backpacking stove. Cooking and camping go together. The meals you make will play a big part in the experience. Be sure to plan camping recipes with the weather, location, and camper tastes in mind and everyone will enjoy the camp much more.

An important thing to remember about campfire cooking recipes is that you can always improvise. Everything tastes better in the wild than it would at home and if it doesn't look real good, that's ok. Just be sure to thoroughly cook all meat and use careful sanitation practices when handling the food for these easy camping recipes. Helping the young ones learn to cook outdoors is a great way to build self-sufficiency skills. You'll find some easy kids recipes here that anyone can make with a little effort. Start them cooking sweet desserts for the immediate reward and they'll soon be making complete meals.