Salinas / Monterey KOA Blog
North 101: Take Exit 336, Vierra Canyon Road, make right at light onto Hwy 156. Proceed to next light, make a right onto Prunedale North Road. Go to stop sign, turn right. KOA on left. ***except RV's OVER 30 feet***
RIGS OVER 30 feet... please: Take Exit 337, San Miguel Canyon Road. Proceed to light, go left on Prunedale North Road. Go about 1 mile. KOA on right.
South 101: Exit 337, turn right on San Miguel Canyon Road, go to light, turn left on Prunedale North Road, go about 1 mile KOA on right.
Late Arrivals: There will be an Envelope with your last name and site number at the night registration area outside of office. Inside the envelope will be a map to your site and everything you might need for your stay. If you have reserved a cabin, the keys to your cabin will be in your cabin. Please come to the office before 10:00 am the following day to register. If you have not come to register by 10:00 am the following day, we will register you, and charge any remaining balance to the credit card on file, and send your receipt to the email provided when registering. The WiFi codes and restroom codes will be sent via email or VM. For security reasons, we no longer leave them in envelopes at night. Late check-ins without a paid reservation will have to call posted after-hours number to get codes.
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You don’t need us to tell you that RVing is a great way to see the country, enjoy the outdoors, and escape your routine. By bringing along much of your daily needs, you can spend every night in a different location and undertake a new adventure every day.
One of the many benefits of RV travel is the ability to cook for yourself. You can save a lot of money by doing this, as cooking on your own can be much less expensive and healthier than paying to eat at restaurants or grabbing fast food.
In addition to that, if you have any travelers who are particular about food, by cooking your own meals you are assured of accommodating personal tastes and food allergies. Plus, you may find yourself with few dining options to choose from when RVing, especially if you’re traveling in remote areas.
If the thought of planning your camping trip and planning meals on top of that has you feeling stressed, we are here to change that. Though some people consider cooking a stressful part of RV camping we are here to show and tell you that it doesn’t have to be.
Here are ten of our top meal-planning tips to help make your RV cooking experiences easy, delicious, and cost-effective.
Cooking in an RV can be simple or as complex as you want to make it. As with most activities, being organized makes all the difference. Planning is especially important when traveling in isolated or remote areas.
Cooking everything inside the RV can get boring, but planning to cook everything outdoors on a grill, camp stove, or campfire puts you at risk of weather challenges. For variety, choose meals when planning menus that you can cook by different methods, such as a slow cooker, fry pan, or campfire.
Meal planning for RV travel includes gathering recipes that lend themselves well to RV and campout cooking. Choosing recipes that use many of the same ingredients is especially convenient.
To help spark some ideas of what meals to plan, be sure to check out the KOA database of recipes (more on that below).
Plan out your entire trip menu for the best results, especially if you’ll be away for a week or less. This makes it possible to save space by stocking your RV with only the cooking tools and ingredients you know you’ll use.
Many RVers planning for a trip of two weeks or more will lay out a one-week menu and then repeat it as many times as needed with a few changes. For example, Week 1’s grilled chicken and potatoes may be altered for Week 2 to fried chicken and french-fried potatoes, or Week 1’s baked apples may take the form of apple pie or cobbler in Week 2.
For each meal, determine what you’ll need in terms of cooking vessels, utensils, spices, and ingredients. Summarize the results by combining or removing duplicates, and there’s your meal-planning packing list.
Some ingredients that must be kept cold or frozen may need to be purchased while on your trip. However, you should pack all ingredients that you can in advance. Depending on your menu, some may be difficult to obtain near your destination, and you may pay a lot more for whatever you can get.
If you are not planning the menu for your entire trip in advance, pack those additional items you are likely to need that can be difficult to find. For example, if you strongly prefer a particular brand of hot sauce or steel-cut oatmeal, you are probably better off stocking them before you go.
Many family recipes can be adapted to cooking in an RV or over a campfire. However, if you don’t want to do that or are just looking for some new options, you’ll find hundreds of recipes on the KOA website:
Most of these were contributed by KOA members who have used them on their RV camping trips, so you can be assured that they are not just delicious but also easy to prepare.
Most RV refrigerators can be operated off the battery while driving and then off the electrical hookup once you park. Some of today’s RVs are even equipped with solar panels or portable power stations for use when a hookup isn’t available.
However, you want to plan some meals that don’t require refrigerated foods. This makes you less dependent on refrigeration overall and lessens how often the fridge door needs to be opened while on the road.
If your RV refrigerator doesn’t run while driving, keep a re-freezable ice pack in your freezer and move it to the fridge whenever you leave the hookup. Or purchase a bag of ice and put it in the refrigerator while driving to help keep the contents cool.
Are you planning on boondocking? That’s a little trickier. If you plan to camp without RV hookups, you’ll probably want to invest in a high-quality cooler engineered to keep food and drinks cold for 4-7 days at a time. Well-known brands of these coolers include Yeti, Rtic Outdoors, and some Coleman models.
The cooking vessels, utensils, and dinnerware that have proven popular with RVers are listed below. Let these inspire your menu selections, but remember, only bring along what you need to prepare your chosen meals.
Pro tip: For a yummy breakfast treat, place refrigerated, ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls in a greased cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven, cover, and cook over the campfire or on the camp stove, grill, or RV kitchen stove until done. Add icing, and enjoy!
You’re going RVing to escape your everyday routine and to sightsee and relax, right? So cut down on time needed for cooking by doing as much batch prep in advance as you can.
Do several of your planned recipes use ingredients such as chopped onions or minced garlic? Prepare these before you leave and bring them along in sealed containers. The same goes for cutting meat into strips or tenders.
Consider cooking one or two entire meals in advance to allow for heat-and-eat meals on days when you don’t feel like cooking. As a bonus, some recipes tend to taste better after a day or two in the fridge than when first cooked, especially those containing pasta, rice, or beans.
Certain foods freeze exceptionally well. If your RV has freezer space, consider making foods like pancakes, muffins, or pies in advance and freezing them in individual portions to thaw as needed.
Some convenience foods are also perfect for RVing because they are so versatile. Rotisserie chicken, for example, can be used alone as a meal entree or combined with other ingredients to make a different entrée or sandwich.
One common factor in all RVs is a relative scarcity of storage space. Fortunately, food storage doesn’t have to take up a lot of room.
Above all, keep things organized so you can grab what you need without having to search all over the RV to find it.
Kitchen cooking and prep space are at a premium, even for those with a large or luxurious RV. For successful, hassle-free cooking, choose simple meals that don’t require numerous ingredients or steps.
With the many recipes available specifically for RV and campout cooking, you’ll find plenty of easy-to-prepare meals for just about every taste.
And don’t forget the campfire! Unless you’re parking the RV in an area that prohibits fire pits or charcoal grills, take advantage of having access to a fire or hot coals to grill meats and vegetables and enjoy beloved cookout treats such as roasted marshmallows and s’mores.
Even when designed to make enough for just one meal, some recipes will result in leftovers. Of course, you can use the leftovers as-is for another meal, but that can get boring fast.
Consider ways to use leftovers to vary your meals. For example, use baked or fried chicken to make chicken salad or a casserole. Combine leftover meatloaf with taco seasoning, and you have the seasoned ground meat needed to make tacos, nachos or taco salad.
In addition to delighting your taste buds, finding creative uses for leftovers reduces food waste – good for your wallet and the planet!
Have you bought a new RV or rented one that’s new to you? Before the trip, take some time to review the kitchen area and appliances. See what you have to work with and ensure you know how to operate everything. Consider what adjustments you may need to make to your food preparation and cooking habits.
You don’t want to find out on that first glorious morning of your trip that you don’t know how to work the built-in coffee maker – or start dinner that evening only to discover that the stove’s highest setting isn’t hot enough to deep fry your newly-caught fresh fish.
Plan and create menus in advance for the best experience with RV cooking. For trips longer than a week, consider making a one-week menu that repeats with some changes.
Batch-prepping ingredients, choosing simple recipes, and making creative use of convenience foods and leftovers will minimize the time, expense, and stress involved in cooking without sacrificing taste or variety.
Become familiar with your RV kitchen and be prepared to adapt your food preparation and cooking habits as needed. To ensure you have enough storage space, stock your RV with only the cooking vessels, utensils, spices, ingredients, and dinnerware required to carry out your menu plans.
RV meal planning and cooking ensure that you’ll have tasty meals that accommodate any allergies, are healthier than many restaurant options, and save money compared to eating out.
Don’t let the stress or fear of meal planning stop you from getting out there and adventuring. Using the ten tips outlined above, you’ll have a far better food experience and may discover that you enjoy this aspect of RVing as much as the travel itself.
That doesn't mean this area has to always be empty. When you start reviewing camping options, your history will display here to help compare sites and find the best stay. You will be able to share your stay information with friends or family and save it for a later time if you have a KOA Account.
Make checkout easy by booking all your reservations at once. Add your sites from different campgrounds into your shopping cart* and then choose checkout.
