Camping Hacks: 3 Easy Camping Breakfasts

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. There’s nothing quite like making a fresh pot of coffee in the forest, it’s one of my favorite ways to wake up. Throughout my many years of camping, I’ve learned a thing or two of what makes a great (and terrible) breakfast while you are out in the wild. To help set you up for success on your next camping trip, I’ve put together a list of three of my favorite go-to breakfasts while I’m camping. I love these breakfasts because they are super easy to make and require little cleanup... which is another great way to start your day!

All of these recipes can easily be made using a Jetboil camp stove, one of the most portable and trusted camp stoves out there. It's the one piece of camping gear that I always take with me!

Backcountry Breakfast Burritos. This is my all-time favorite because it’s filling, easy to make and is delicious. I enjoy waking up and cooking, but if you aren’t a morning person you can make these ahead of time and freeze them - same great taste but a fraction of the work when you’re halfway asleep. Just heat them up on a pan or over a fire and you’re good to go!  

Ingredients: 

• Flour tortillas - bigger is better as it gives you more surface area for a nice wrap
• Eggs for scramblin’
• Bacon, thick cut and extra crispy.
• Avocado, cause everything's better with avocado.
• Shredded cheese - pepper jack for the win!
• Canned beans of your choosing. I prefer black, but pinto or refried beans are great also. 
• Your favorite salsa or hot sauce - I love Valentina, Guadalajara’s pride and joy. 

Preparation:

1. Scramble the eggs, fry the bacon.
2. Heat up your canned beans. Do yourself a favor and season those beans with your favorite spices and herbs - garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and/or paprika. You know what you like. 
3. When the bacon, eggs and beans are ready to go, heat up the tortillas and get ready to assemble. I heat them up on the fire/stove for about 30 seconds each side. 
4. Assemble the burrito. Beans on the bottom, followed by bacon and eggs. Salsa, cheese and avocado on top. 
5. If you make these at home, wrap it up in a piece of aluminum foil and freeze them overnight. Heating them up is super quick, just throw them on a skillet until they are warm. If you enjoy them fresh made in the wild, you will be one happy camper.

Loaded oatmeal. This is another quick-and-easy favorite of mine with the added bonus of being healthy! This will fill you right up and hold you over until a late lunch. This can go a lot of different directions, so be creative and use ingredients that you love or have lying around the kitchen. You can make some oatmeal cups ahead of time at home with mason jars - just add hot water and breakfast is ready!

Ingredients: 

• Instant oats - make sure they are instant.
• Shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• Dried fruits of your choice - I like cranberries and blueberries
• A few nuts of your choice - can’t go wrong with almonds and walnuts
• Fresh fruit of your choice - bananas, kiwi, apple, whatever you are feeling!
• Brown sugar to sweeten it up
• Anything else you think sounds delicious in a bowl of oatmeal.
• A splash of milk. There are two types of people, those who add milk to their oatmeal and those who eat it plain. If you haven’t seen the light, then leave the milk at home. Vanilla soy milk is my favorite. 

Preparation:

1. At home, find a glass jar you have lying around and fill it about half way with instant oats. Pat yourself on the back for reusing an old jar instead of throwing it away! Add shredded coconut, dried fruit, nuts and sugar. Close the lid and pack it away.
2. At the campsite, boil some water and add it to your jar. Add just enough water to surpass the oats. Close the lid and wait about 5 minutes until the oats are cooked. Add the milk and fresh fruit on top. Stir and enjoy. This one also keeps your hands warm. Cleanup is SUPER easy.

Pancakes. Cause everyone loves pancakes! Sticking with the quick and easy theme, pancakes are a no-brainer. There are a few hacks you should know that make this breakfast even easier to prepare. First, get some pancake mix that doesn’t require milk or eggs - just add water. You can measure out each morning’s pancake mix and place it in a glass jar, because you care about repurposing and think twice before throwing things out. Those glass jars are also great to use at the campsite for storing leftovers. 

Ingredients:

• Pancake mix (the just add water kind)
• Cinnamon and sugar to add to the mix and make those pancakes extra tasty
• Butter 
• Chocolate chips and/or your favorite dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
• Whipped cream - optional, but highly recommended.
• Maple syrup
• Fresh fruit for topping

Preparation:

1. At home, measure out one morning of pancake mix in a glass jar or similar container. Other great containers are plastic bottles with a nozzle top, which allow you to squeeze out the batter and make designs with your pancakes. If you want, add some extra sugar and cinnamon to the mix. Toss in any chocolate chips or dried fruit as well.
2. When you are ready to make the pancakes, simply add the required amount of water (you can write it on the jar with a sharpie so you don’t forget) and shake the jar until it’s all combined. 
3. In a frying pan, melt some butter and make those pancakes. When they are done, top with whipped cream and fresh fruit of your choice. 

I really enjoy spending time making delicious meals when camping, but I always like to keep breakfasts simple and easy to make. One of my top camping hacks is ensuring I have an easy breakfast to whip up. These breakfasts will allow you to wake up and start your day quickly with little effort, which is great if you have a lot of activities planned for a certain day. They are great for all types of camping, economical and most importantly filling. Would you make any tweaks to these recipes? Leave us a comment below and share your tips and tricks with us!