TWO HAPPY CAMPERS

Cooking is a cornerstone of our nomadic lifestyle. Mark and I love good food, but we aren’t fans of the steep price of eating out—and in the remote areas we inhabit, delivery isn’t even an option.

While we prioritize quality meals, we avoid complication. Our goal is to minimize mess, reduce fuel consumption, and whenever possible, stick to one-pot recipes.

The Learning Curve: From Stress to Success

When we first got our truck camper 14 years ago, I used to spend entire days in a traditional kitchen prepping granola, chili, and more because we were so bad about cooking for ourselves once we moved into the camper. It took us time to find the right appliances and understand which meals were efficient in terms of power, fuel, and the amount of water used to cleanup.

Now, six years into full-time RV travel, our routine is dialed in. Here is an inside look at what we eat, what appliances we use, and what we keep stocked in our 40 square foot truck camper.

Our Truck Camper Kitchen Essentials

In a tiny home on wheels, every item must earn its keep. These are the tools that make our off-grid kitchen functional:

• Appliances: ARB 50 quart chest fridge, Induction cooktop, Bear electric grill (our favorite cooking appliance), a two-burner propane camp stove, electric and stove-top kettles, single-serving Ninja blender, and a 3 quart Instant Pot.
• Cookware: Cast iron skillet, stainless steel pot with steamer basket, and a cake pan (used primarily for efficient dishwashing).
• Organization: Kelty chef roll bag for utensils.

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The Nomadic Pantry: Staples & Produce

Space is a hot commodity. We avoid “one-off” ingredients and focus on versatile items that create multiple meals.

Category	Must-Have Items
Pantry	Avocado Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Oats, Nut Butters, Quinoa, Rice, Beans, Pasta/Sauce, Curry, Canned Tuna, Bone Broth, Protein Powder, Hot Sauce, Pecans or Walnuts, Fresh Sourdough Bread, Tortilla Chips.
Produce Basket	Onions, Garlic, Potatoes, Apples, Bananas, Avocados.
Fridge	Eggs, Butter, Salsa, Almond Milk, Cheese, Deli Meat, Mayo, Mustard, Fresh Berries, Fresh Veggies.

Pro-Tip on Condiments: To save fridge space, we only stock items used frequently. If it’s only for one recipe, it doesn’t make the cut.

What We Eat: A Daily Breakdown

Breakfast

We typically fast until 10 or 11 AM and then cook a hearty breakfast. This keeps us fueled for the day and often eliminates the need for a large lunch.

• Avocado Toast: Sourdough topped with mashed avocado, “Everything Bagel” seasoning, and two fried eggs.
• Chilaquiles: Tortilla chips tossed in Herdez salsa verde, topped with scrambled eggs and avocado.
• Omelettes: Using our electric grill, we fill omelettes with whatever is on hand—a favorite is beets, feta, and pesto. The electric grill makes omelettes easier than ever.
• Protein Pancakes: We use Kodiak gluten-free mix with almond butter and honey to avoid the midday sugar crash. Top with fresh berries.
• Breakfast sandwiches: Fried egg, ham or bacon, American cheese, and mayo on fresh sourdough bread.
• Oatmeal: Made in the Instant Pot and then topped with fresh fruit, almond butter, and pecan pieces.
• Yogurt bowls: Plain Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit, pecans and hemp or chia seeds.

Lunch

Lunch is usually a simple affair to keep us moving. Mark typically opts for a sandwich. I make a protein shake with protein powder, almond milk, and hemp seeds using our Ninja single serving blender.

Dinner

• Chickpea & Veggie Curry: I like to keep a few jars of ready-made curry on hand as it makes for an easy yet delicious meal.  First, I’ll make rice in the Instant Pot then set it aside.  Using the Instant Pot again (to limit dishes) I use the saute setting to cook the veggies, then add a can of drained & rinsed chickpeas and a jar of curry.  With the addition of rice, this usually keeps us fed for two or three nights.
• Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta: A veggie medley sautéed in butter and fresh garlic, tossed with fresh lemon juice and served over Banza gluten-free pasta for extra protein.
• Nachos: Layers of corn chips, enchilada sauce, refried beans, shredded cheese, and avocado heated through on the electric grill.
• Loaded Sweet Potatoes:  We use the Instant Pot to cook our potatoes then top with black beans, salsa, and cheese.
• Tempeh Quinoa Bowls: Crumbled tempeh, quinoa, veggies such as carrots, snow peas, and onion, topped with Kung Pao or Sweet Chili sauce.
• Salads: Salad kits are great when you want a quick and easy meal.  By adding a can of tuna or some rotisserie chicken they make for a hearty entree.
• Sous-vide heat-and-eat entrées: When I know we have a lot of driving days ahead of us I’ll pick up one or two heat and eat entrees (we like those by Kevin’s Natural Foods). These are delicious, easy, and filling. We usually serve them with a side of rice or quinoa.

Why we limit raw meat: Cooking raw meat in a camper is messy, can smell up the trash, and attracts wildlife. We aren’t vegetarians, but we prefer pre-cooked or shelf-stable proteins (like tuna or rotisserie chicken) to keep camp clean.

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Fueling the Journey: Driving Day Strategy

Properly feeding ourselves on travel days is vital.  It is all too easy for us to disregard cooking when we are focused on errands and finding our next destination; but if we don’t eat well the morale in our cab inevitably disintegrates as the day goes on.  If unexpected hurdles arise, as they often do on travel days, putting off eating makes things all the more challenging.  Here’s how we try to avoid getting hangry:

1. Never Skip Breakfast: Even if cleanup is a chore, breakfast is essential for a smooth start. Greek yogurt served with fruit is an easy and filling breakfast for driving days.
2. Accessible Snacks: We keep Aloha bars, Chomps jerky, and trail mix within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat.
3. Easy meals for long travel days: We keep dehydrated meals or simple chips and salsa on hand for those nights when we arrive late and are too tired to cook.

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The Secret to Our Setup: Powering an Off-Grid Kitchen

Running an induction cooktop, an electric kettle, and an Instant Pot in a truck camper requires serious juice. For us, off-grid cooking is made entirely possible by our EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus and 220 watts of solar panels. This portable power station easily handles the high wattage of our electric kitchen appliances without draining our camper’s main battery bank. It is the silent workhorse behind our setup, allowing us to camp deep in remote areas for longer stretches while still enjoying fast, efficient meals without constantly burning through propane.

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Download Our Camping Meal Plan

Want to see how this looks in practice? Click here to download our free infographic: One Week of Camp Meals.

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Whether we are boondocking high up in the Colorado mountains for the summer or camped off-grid on a remote beach in Baja for the winter, mastering our truck camper kitchen has been one of the most rewarding parts of our six years on the road full-time. Efficient off-grid cooking doesn’t have to be complicated, and finding the right balance of gear and simple ingredients means we don’t have to compromise on what we eat while living our nomadic lifestyle. We’d love to hear how you handle camp meals in your own rig. What are your go-to one-pan recipes or essential overland kitchen tools? Drop a comment below to share your tips and favorite meals!