One of the best parts of winter for many people is food. Once the temperatures drop, we immediately go to our favorite warm, heavy foods. This is one of the easiest ways to stay cozy during the harsh winter months. If you’ve ever had a winter RV road trip, you’re well aware of just how cold it can get and how hard it can be to stay comfortable when you’re away from home. During your road trips, even those in the winter, you might tend to go for easy foods, like sandwiches, but this does nothing to keep you warm.

The key to a great winter RV road trip is to bring your favorite winter comfort foods along with you. Of course, not every meal will be something you easily whip up in a rental RV. If you want to make the most of your winter road trip, try making these dishes and recipes.

Breakfast

On frosty winter mornings on the road, the last thing you want is a bowl of milk and cereal or a granola bar. Your road trip breakfast can affect you for the rest of the day, so you want it to be something warm and filling that will give you energy until lunch. Something that’s just as easy to make as a bowl of cereal and as convenient to bring when traveling is hot granola or oatmeal. All you need for this is a packet of either oatmeal or granola and whatever milk you prefer to warm up, but even water will suffice.

You could cook up some classic eggs and bacon if you have a stovetop, but this is something that could be done over a fire pit, too. If you’re bringing a pan for eggs and bacon, you may as well bring supplies for hotcakes, which for some might be a store-bought powder mixed with water. This also gives you a chance to shop locally wherever you’re traveling. If you’re not a big breakfast person, or you’re in a rush, buying fruit from a local market is a great, healthy breakfast choice.

Lunch

Even after a warm breakfast, you’ll eventually be ready for lunch. Many of the best winter lunches can be made before your trip, so you don’t even have to worry about making it, just simply heat it however you want. You can make a large dish of meals like macaroni and cheese or chili that are great for warming up everyone on your trip. When you aren’t in the mood for something so heavy, homemade soup made in advance or canned soup are also perfect for lunchtime. All of these can also be bought already made from the store if you aren’t much of a cook.

There is nothing quite like a hotdog cooked over an open flame. It gets that perfect charred taste and can easily be cooked to your liking in a matter of minutes. If you will be at a campsite with a grill, you can cook the hotdogs that way, but you can always cook them over the fire as long as you don’t forget the roasting sticks.

Just like burgers and dogs are a staple at any backyard cookout, they should also be a staple at the campsite. They are quick and very easy to make. These as well can be made over the open flame on a grill grate or on the grill. They will satisfy everyone, just don’t forget the buns!

You can also always heat a warm sandwich in just a couple of minutes as well as long as you have a grate to go over the fire, or a charcoal or portable grill. These would also go great with a side of soup.

Dinner

During your regular everyday meals, you probably look for one pot meals to make it a little easier on yourself. Fortunately, this is also easy enough to do on an RV trip. There are dozens of roasts and other meals that can be made in the same pot that is perfect for traveling during the winter. You can start the crockpot in the morning and dinner will be ready in the late afternoon. If you are going to set the crockpot up outside, make sure to bring extension cords for a power source.

There are also several different meals with dozens of flavor combinations that you can make over the fire. With a pie iron or cast-iron skillet, you can make amazing meals like quesadillas and pizza, just don’t forget the toppings. Similar to lunch items, as long as you have a grill grate or grill, you can cook steaks. A great side would be baked potatoes wrapped in tinfoil and thrown in the fire to cook.

How can you get a better meal than fresh, Canadian-caught fish? Dinner can be especially easy and fun to make if you fish during your road trip. If you’re able to catch something, you can prepare it and eat it right away. This would be next-level camping and a great experience for the whole family.

You can meal plan for hours creating meals fit for magazines, but sometimes simple is best. It’s easy to overthink winter road trip dinners, but there’s no reason you can’t do something simple like a spaghetti night.

When you’re planning your dinners, don’t forget about the sides. When you’re on an RV trip, foil packets can open a lot of possibilities to add sides to your meals. You can make your favorite sides that you’d eat at home easily while traveling, like corn on the cob or potatoes wrapping them in foil packets and heating them over a fire.

You can also opt for easy sides like rice packets, macaroni and cheese cups, and steamable veggies. Most RVs come equipped with microwaves to cook easy sides like these. You can also utilize a pot on a stovetop for sides.

These additions to winter meals can make a huge difference and are a big comfort when you’re out in the cold. You might even choose to heat these if you’ll have a long wait in between meals to help hold you over.