PORTLAND, Ore. - Does your food list for camping look something like this?

• Hot dogs
• Hot dogs
• Hot dogs

If so, don’t forget the ketchup. But if you’d like to add some variety to this year’s camping trip, all it takes is a little advance preparation. Hot dogs are quick and easy, but there are other options that are just as simple to keep cool and as fast to serve up.

These make-ahead foods focus on simple things that can be frozen or refrigerated in advance, and then placed in a cooler for the trip.

Then when mealtime rolls around, the most you’ll need at the campsite is a cooking pot or a grill.

I first started thinking “outside the dog” at our family camping trip last summer. As I packed our food, I happened to grab some leftover chili out of our freezer.

After the sun went down one night at camp, I quickly warmed the soup in a cooking pot, and had a comforting taste of home. Even better, the chili tasted great over—you guessed it—roasted hot dogs. 

Here's my favorite recipe for you to try:

Following are several more ideas of make-ahead foods for camping - all nutritious and hearty enough for hauling wood or wrestling a tent.

Super Easy

Beyond hot dogs (and burgers), there are a few things that require very little prep yet result in an easy, energizing meal.

• Hard-boiled eggs: Not only great for breakfast, but for any time of day.
• Taco meat: Cook and season the meat in advance. Freeze if desired. When ready to serve over a salad or in tacos, place meat and a little water in a cooking pot to reheat.
• Grilled chicken: Add marinade to frozen chicken. (Boneless skinless tenderloins cook the fastest.) Once the chicken has thawed in the cooler, grill the meat and serve. Leftover cooked chicken can be sliced and served cold over a salad or in a sandwich.

Sandwiches

You’d be surprised at how quickly these sandwiches can be ready to go for a meal. Here are some ideas you might not have thought of before:

• Sloppy jo: Reheat in a cooking pot, adding water if necessary.
• Shredded beef: Reheat in a cooking pot, adding water if necessary.
• Shredded chicken: Reheat in a cooking pot, adding water if necessary.
• Tuna melts: Make the filling in advance. At mealtime, make the sandwiches, wrap them in foil, and heat over the fire.
• Chickpea salad: This is the vegetarian version of a cold tuna-fish sandwich.

Soups

Though soup may sound like the last thing you’d eat while camping, it is perfect for a cool night or chilly summer morning. Any soup that reheats well can be part of your plan, but I’ve picked out my favorites:

• Potato soup
• Lentil soup
• Black bean soup
• Chili

Make the soup at home and then store it in the freezer. Then pack the soup to thaw in the cooler. Reheat in a cooking pot at the campsite, adding a little water as needed.

Sides

Potato chips are a snap, but there are times you might want to add a little more bulk and nutrition to a meal. Sides made with rice, beans or raw vegetables are much less delicate than salads made with greens. How about trying one of these on your next trip?

• Black bean salad
• Mozzarella veggie salad
• Hummus or black bean dip: Both mayonnaise-free and great to serve with raw veggies.

I’ve heard it said that no camping trip is complete without some kind of disaster. Don’t let your camping disaster be hot dogs in the morning, hot dogs in the evening, hot dogs at suppertime. Branch out and add a few make-ahead meals to your list, and watch your fellow campers smile in response.

In her day job, Lisa Smith attempts to transform her three children from super-charged emotion-bombs into contributing members of society. And in her "free time," roughly 11:00-11:30 p.m., she saves the world (i.e. “writes”) via her website at www.stretchmarkmama.com.

Lisa's husband, Nathan Smith, is the photographer who provided the photos for this story.  You can find out more about his work at www.crossmarkdesign.com.