Groceries for one night, 2 adults + 2 littles. Sat dinner on the charcoal grate, Sun breakfast on the stove, lunch stop on the drive home. Need = buy it, Have = already in the pantry, Ignore = skip, Packed = in the cooler or car.
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Saturday dinner — grill
Ground beef, 1 lb (80/20)
N/APACKED
4 patties — form them at home, stack with parchment, bottom of the cooler. Or a 4-pack of pre-made patties
Hot dogs, 1 pack
N/APACKED
Easy for the littles — slice lengthwise, then into small pieces. Leftovers are tomorrow's snack
Burger buns, 4-pack
N/APACKED
Hot dog buns, 8-pack
N/APACKED
Or skip and use burger buns for everything
Cheese slices, 1 pack
N/APACKED
Cheeseburgers tonight, breakfast burritos tomorrow, toddler snack in between
Baby potatoes, 1.5 lb bag
N/APACKED
Halve at home. Foil packet with butter, salt, pepper — on the grate 25–30 min, flip once. Soft enough for the littles
Corn on the cob, 4 ears
N/APACKED
Shuck at home, wrap in foil with butter, 15 min on the grate. Cut kernels off for the littles
Watermelon, pre-cut container
N/APACKED
The side dish nobody has to cook. Small cubes for the babies
Tomato + lettuce for burgers
N/APACKED
Optional — one tomato, a few lettuce leaves, sliced at home in a ziploc
Campfire dessert
Marshmallows, 1 bag
N/APACKED
Roasting sticks are on the gear list
Graham crackers, 1 box
N/APACKED
Also a fine toddler snack on their own
Chocolate bars, 2–3
N/APACKED
Hershey's or whatever's near the marshmallows
Sunday breakfast — stove
Eggs, 1 dozen
N/APACKED
Crack into a mason jar or bottle at home — no shells, no broken carton in the cooler
Precooked bacon, 1 pack
N/APACKED
Just warms in the pan — no grease to deal with at a campsite
Flour tortillas, 8-pack
N/APACKED
Breakfast burritos: eggs, bacon, cheese. Warm on the second burner
Shredded cheese, small bag
N/APACKED
Or just use the cheese slices from dinner
Salsa, small jar
N/APACKED
Optional
Bananas, 1 bunch
N/APACKED
Breakfast + car snack. Buy slightly green so they survive the trip
Yogurt pouches, 4
N/APACKED
Littles' breakfast; no spoon needed. Keep cold
Instant oatmeal packets, 4
N/APACKED
Backup breakfast — only needs hot water from the coffee pot. Good toddler breakfast
Ground coffee
N/APACKED
Enough for two pots. Filters if the camp coffee setup needs them (gear list)
Half-and-half, 1 pint
N/APACKED
Or whatever goes in your coffee. Sugar packets from the pantry
Orange juice, small bottle
N/APACKED
Optional
Babies & toddler food
Formula
N/APACKED
Pre-measure each bottle's powder into a formula dispenser or ziplocs at home. Pack a full extra day's worth
Bottled / nursery water for bottles
N/APACKED
1 gallon nursery or distilled water — don't make bottles from the campground spigot
Baby food pouches, 8–10
N/APACKED
Dinner, breakfast, lunch stop, plus spares. Fruit + veg mix
Puffs / yogurt melts, 2 containers
N/APACKED
The car-seat pacifier. One container lives in the diaper bag
Teething crackers / wafers
N/APACKED
For the restaurant stop while waiting on food
Whole milk, quart
N/APACKED
Toddler milk for dinner and breakfast. Keep cold, use within the day
Cheerios in a snack cup
N/APACKED
Fill the snap-lid snack cup at home
Applesauce pouches, 4
N/APACKED
No refrigeration needed — car snack for the lunch stop
Snacks & car food
String cheese, 1 pack
N/APACKED
Adults and toddler. Keep cold
Clementines, small bag
N/APACKED
No knife, no mess. Segments for the toddler
Granola bars, 1 box
N/APACKED
Adult car food for the drive up and the drive back
Chips or pretzels, 1 bag
N/APACKED
With the burgers
Trail mix or nuts
N/APACKED
Adults only — choking hazard for the littles
Goldfish / crackers
N/APACKED
Toddler afternoon snack at the site
Drinks & ice
Drinking water, 2 gallons
N/APACKED
Fills the water jug on the gear list. Campground spigots exist but a jug at the table wins
Water bottles, 12-pack
N/APACKED
Freeze 4–6 of them Friday night — they double as ice packs, then you drink them Sunday
Beer / wine / seltzer
N/APACKED
One night — don't overbuy. Cans, not bottles
Ice, 2 bags
N/APACKED
Last stop before the park — the Winamac gas station is 5 min out. Buy it LAST so it's fresh
From the pantry at home
Butter, 1 stick
N/APACKED
Potatoes, corn, eggs. In a small container
Salt & pepper
N/APACKED
Small shakers or a twist of foil
Cooking oil, small bottle
N/APACKED
For the eggs
Ketchup & mustard
N/APACKED
Squeeze bottles from the fridge door
Hot sauce
N/APACKED
For the burritos
Sugar for coffee
N/APACKED
A few packets or a small ziploc
Ziploc bags, quart + gallon
N/APACKED
Leftovers, wet bibs, the marshmallow bag after it's opened
Gear list has bottles/bibs — this is the reminder to count the sippy cups and pack one spoon and bowl for the toddler
Sunday lunch stop
Snack bag in the front seat
N/APACKED
2 pouches, puffs, applesauce, crackers, one banana — packed Sunday morning before the car is loaded
Bibs, wipes, spoon in the diaper bag
N/APACKED
For the restaurant. Wipes are on the gear list
Refill water bottles & sippy cups before leaving camp
N/APACKED
From the water jug, before it's emptied and packed
Reminders
Cooler order — frozen water bottles and ice on the bottom, raw meat sealed in a ziploc on the ice, dairy and eggs next, produce and snacks on top. Drinks in a separate cooler or bag if you have one so the food cooler stays shut
Prep at home Friday — form the patties, halve the potatoes, shuck and foil the corn, crack the eggs into a jar, pre-measure the formula
Buy ice LAST, at the Winamac gas station 5 min from the park
Charcoal, chimney starter, foil, cook set and roasting sticks are on the gear list — this list is only what you eat and drink
Sunday lunch is a restaurant on the drive home — the littles eat from the snack bag; there's nothing to cook or pack beyond it
Whatever's left in the cooler Sunday morning is lunch-stop car food — don't throw out the hot dogs