Meal Schedule
Six days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner—with who buys, cooks, and cleans for each.
🖨️ Print the laminate-ready Meal Schedule sheet · Task Sign-Up sheets
Table of Contents
- How It Works
- Week at a Glance
- The 3 Hot Breakfasts (who buys, cooks & cleans)
- The 3 Cold Breakfasts (per family)
- Lunch — Every Day, Self-Serve
- Dinners — Host Brings & Cooks; Two People Clean
- Day-by-Day
- Desserts (all week)
- Standing Snack & Drink Pantry
- Decisions Not Yet Made
- Tips for Feeding the Group
How It Works
- Dinner = group meal. One host family brings the food and cooks the whole dinner; two assigned people from other families clean up.
- Breakfast = 6 total: 3 hot, 3 cold.
- Hot (Thu, Sat, Mon): an assigned crew buys + cooks; a different crew cleans.
- Cold (Fri, Sun, Tue): each family brings its own cold breakfast items.
- Lunch = per family, self-serve, every day. Each family fixes and cleans up its own. Two people set food out; two put it away.
- ⭐ = make-ahead item (Meal Prep guide). 🍕 = eating out; 🛒 = a supply run is built into that day.
Coffee station, snack pantry, and the sign-up sheets are on Camp Jobs & Chores.
Week at a Glance
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner (host) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7/1 | (on the road) | (on the road / snacks) | Brats & hot dogs 🌭 (Zuelke) |
| Thu 7/2 | 🔥 HOT: eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, cinnamon rolls ⭐ | Self-serve sandwich/lunch bar | Burgers & dogs + corn (Harris) |
| Fri 7/3 🛒 | ❄️ COLD: own items | Self-serve (grilled cheese / mac) | Taco bar / walking tacos ⭐ (Younger Smiths) |
| Sat 7/4 | 🔥 HOT: pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs 🎆 | Self-serve picnic + chips | 🎆 BBQ: pulled pork + chicken ⭐ (Older Smiths) + fireworks |
| Sun 7/5 🦇 | ❄️ COLD: own items (grab-&-go) | 📦 Pack your own family lunch | 🍕 Pizza out (Meramec cave day) |
| Mon 7/6 | 🔥 HOT: biscuits & gravy, eggs, hashbrowns ⭐ | Self-serve (leftovers welcome) | Spaghetti + green beans + salad (Older Smiths) |
| Tue 7/7 | ❄️ COLD: own items (pack-up) | (on the road) | (home) |
The 3 Hot Breakfasts (who buys, cooks & cleans)
Egg count rule: 2 eggs per adult, 1 per child, per egg meal → with 7 adults + 5 kids that’s 19 eggs every egg breakfast.
| Hot breakfast | Menu | Buys + cooks | Cleans up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 7/2 | Eggs (19), bacon (2 pkg), large hashbrowns, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (4 pkg) | Zuelke & Harris | Younger & Older Smiths |
| Sat 7/4 | Pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs | Younger Smiths | Zuelke & Harris |
| Mon 7/6 | Biscuits & gravy, eggs, hashbrowns; bagged donuts for the kids | Older Smiths (buy + cook + provide) | Younger Smiths |
On the two Smiths-cook mornings (Sat & Mon), all four families can pitch in to cook and clean if needed. One Older Smith wants eggs + hashbrowns with the Monday biscuits & gravy.
The 3 Cold Breakfasts (per family)
Fri, Sun, and Tue are cold and self-serve—each family brings its own cereal, milk, yogurt, bagels, fruit, etc.
Day-1 Walmart run: after we set up Wednesday, a Troy Walmart run can grab milk, yogurt, and any cold-breakfast restock for whoever needs it.
Lunch — Every Day, Self-Serve
The same simple kit every day; pick what you want:
- Options daily: sandwiches · grilled cheese · mac & cheese · leftover day.
- Every family fixes its own and cleans up its own.
- Two people set the food out; two people put it away (sign up on the Task Sign-Up sheet).
- Every family brings: one loaf of bread + one or two large bags of chips to share (large bags, not individual—bring chip clips so nothing goes stale).
- Out for the day? Whoever isn’t back at camp at lunch packs their own.
- 🦇 Cave day (Sun): everyone packs their own family lunch for Meramec.
Shared lunch staples (sign-up — who already has these?)
The reviewer’s list of common items to spread across families—ideally things someone already has on hand:
- Peanut butter (smooth), grape jelly, strawberry jelly
- Deli turkey, deli ham, deli corned beef, sandwich cheeses
- Tuna (for tuna salad) · hard-boiled eggs (a quick egg-cooker is coming—make some ahead)
- Fruit, celery, baby carrots
Other families: add your own favorite sandwich/lunch items. Sign up for staples on the Task Sign-Up sheet.
Dinners — Host Brings & Cooks; Two People Clean
| Night | Dinner | Host (brings + cooks) | Cleanup (2 people) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7/1 | Brats & hot dogs (+ Older Smiths’ 3-bean medley) | Zuelke | sign up |
| Thu 7/2 | Hamburgers / hot dogs + corn on the cob | Harris | sign up |
| Fri 7/3 | Taco bar / walking tacos | Younger Smiths | sign up |
| Sat 7/4 🎆 | Pulled pork + BBQ chicken thighs, baked beans, pasta salad | Older Smiths | sign up |
| Sun 7/5 🦇 | 🍕 Pizza out (cave day — no camp cooking) | (out) | — |
| Mon 7/6 | Spaghetti, green beans, salad | Older Smiths | sign up |
Day-by-Day
Wednesday, July 1 — Arrival 🌭
Travel day. Keep it easy.
- Dinner — Brats & Hot Dogs Cookout (host: Zuelke) — brats + dogs, buns, ketchup/mustard/relish; Older Smiths bring a 3-bean medley. Easy after setup.
- After setup: Day-1 Troy Walmart run for milk/yogurt and any cold-breakfast items.
- Snacks on the road: chips, fruit, string cheese, applesauce pouches, water.
Thursday, July 2 — Settle In 🔥
- Breakfast (HOT) — Big Camp Breakfast: 19 eggs, bacon (2 pkg), large hashbrowns, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (4 pkg). Buy + cook: Zuelke & Harris · Cleanup: Younger & Older Smiths.
- Lunch — Self-serve sandwich bar (per family).
- Dinner — Burgers & Dogs + Corn (host: Harris) — hamburgers ⭐ + hot dogs, sweet corn on the cob, veggie tray.
Friday, July 3 — Taco Night ❄️ 🛒
- Breakfast (COLD) — own items (cereal, yogurt, bagels, fruit).
- 🛒 Midday supply run: a couple of adults run to Troy for water, bagged ice, and restock during the hottest hours.
- Lunch — Self-serve (grilled cheese / mac & cheese are easy wins).
- Dinner — Taco Bar / Walking Tacos (host: Younger Smiths) — ⭐ pre-cooked seasoned meat reheated, rice, tortillas, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream; crush-the-bag walking-taco option for the kids.
Saturday, July 4 — Independence Day 🎆 🔥
- Breakfast (HOT) — Pancakes, Waffles, Bacon & Eggs (go red-white-blue with berries). Buy + cook: Younger Smiths · Cleanup: Zuelke & Harris (all hands welcome).
- Lunch — Light picnic + chips (there’s a feast tonight).
- Dinner — 🎆 BBQ (host: Older Smiths) — ⭐ pulled pork + BBQ chicken thighs, baked beans, pasta salad. Eat a bit early, then caravan to the Troy Rotary fireworks.
- Dessert: s’mores + a red-white-blue treat.
Sunday, July 5 — Cave Day 🦇 (pizza out)
Big day trip to Meramec Caverns near Sullivan—stay cool underground.
- Breakfast (COLD) — own grab-&-go items; coffee to-go. Eat fast to beat heat & crowds.
- 📦 Lunch — Pack your own family lunch (sandwiches, chips, fruit) for the road/cave.
- 🍕 Dinner — Pizza OUT on the drive back—no camp cooking. (Spot TBD—see below.)
Monday, July 6 — Last Full Day 🔥
- Breakfast (HOT) — Biscuits & Gravy, Eggs, Hashbrowns + bagged donuts for kids. Buy + cook + provide: Older Smiths · Cleanup: Younger Smiths (all hands welcome).
- Lunch — Self-serve; clear out leftovers.
- Dinner — Spaghetti, Green Beans & Salad (host: Older Smiths) — ⭐ make-ahead meat sauce; simple, one big pot, easy cleanup. Finish the watermelon.
Tuesday, July 7 — Departure ❄️
- Breakfast (COLD) — pack-up: own items; eat down what’s left.
- On the road: leftover snacks, water.
Desserts (all week)
- Everyone brings a dessert item — cookies and the like.
- Older Smiths: bake brownies, bring Rice Krispie treats to make over the fire, and Little Debbie snacks.
- S’mores bar one or two nights (which nights = TBD).
Standing Snack & Drink Pantry
Available all week (everyone shares / restocks):
- Snacks: the shared large chip bags (clip them!), applesauce pouches, string cheese, trail mix, fruit
- Fruit & veg: watermelon, apples, bananas, grapes, baby carrots, celery, green beans
- Drinks: water (lots), 2% milk, coffee, soda; beer for the adults
Decisions Not Yet Made
Fill these in as a group (most live on the Task Sign-Up sheet):
- Lunch staples — who brings smooth PB, grape & strawberry jelly, deli turkey/ham/corned beef, sandwich cheeses, tuna, fruit, celery, baby carrots
- Daily lunch set-out (2 people) and put-away (2 people)
- Dinner cleanup — 2 people for Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Mon
- S’mores bar — which one or two nights
- Sunday pizza spot (near Sullivan vs. back toward Troy)
- Each family’s specific cold-breakfast items
Tips for Feeding the Group
- Feed little kids a few minutes early to head off hangry meltdowns.
- Cook once, eat twice: make extra at dinner for next-day lunches/leftover day.
- Host cooks, two other people clean—keep it fair.
- Keep a “kid plate” default (plain version) at every dinner.