I am not a talented cook, so what I make is fairly basic and from ordinary ingredients.  When we are caravanning, we are on holidays, and I do not intend to spend good touring time working in the kitchen.  We also do not spend a huge budget on food. 

We are on the move most days, and when staying at one place we usually to do walks or day trips so we often spend a long day away from the caravan, and may return rather tired.  I like cooking food to make good healthy meals with little preparation time and minimal washing up. Recipes are adaptable to what is on hand. Very few convenience products or prepared meals are purchased as these are often high in salts and sugars. 

Breakfast: 

If we have been driving all day rather than doing anything energetic, or if our day has been too exhausting to want to cook and eat a big meal, packet instant soup is our stand by; accompanied by toast, crumpets or freshly made damper.  Scrambled eggs or baked beans on toast are other quick and easy options when stopping late and tired.

Cooked meals are similar to our normal meals at home, although when travelling we rarely have roasts or other longer cooking time meals due to time constraints, and I prefer to use only one or two pots to minimise washing up.  We have not invested in a thermal slow cooker such as Dream Pot.

For easy storage in the freezer and quick cooking we carry more mince than other meat; I cook one pot mince and vegetable meals for simplicity often served with rice or pasta.  Dehydrated vegetables are ideal cooked with mince when the supply of fresh vegetables has run out.  See more tasty ways to use mince.

If there is enough mince and vegetables left over, we can have jaffles the next evening, or with frozen puff pastry make a pie.  I also prepare mince and vegetables to take with us when camping away from the caravan for a day or two and have hot jaffles ready soon after coming back from a sightseeing walk.  If you have a camp fire (weather permitting) jaffles are an ideal easy to cook meal.  If you are travelling with your children they will love making jaffles on an open fire.   

Baked bean jaffles or baked beans on toast on days when a large meal is not required.  

Stir fry meals such as chicken and vegetables, served with rice or with two minute noodles stirred through the sauce before serving.  A packet of instant cream of chicken or mushroom soup dissolved in half a cup of hot water with a little soy and/or chilli sauce added poured over the stir fry and brought to the boil before serving makes a tasty addition. 

Sausages cooked either in the large fry pan, or outside on a camp barbecue.  Sometimes steak or chops if they have been recently purchased cooked similarly.  Hot vegetables or salad vegetables to accompany. 

Curried sausages are quick and easy.  Cut the sausages into bite sized portions and fry with sliced onion.  Add diced potatoes and other vegetables; which can include carrot, peas, corn kernels, mushrooms, cauliflower or what ever is on hand.  Cover with water, add some soy sauce and a few teaspoons of curry powder according to taste.  Simmer while cooking rice then thicken remaining water with a spoonful of cornflour. 

Canned tuna or salmon can be used to make a kedgeree with left over cooked rice and a few vegetables, made into fish patties or fish mornay. 

Rice can also be used for sweet corn and rice patties using canned sweet corn or freshly cooked corn kernels from a frozen packet.  Left over boled rice is ideal.

Frozen fish fillets fried and served with mashed potato or wedges cooked in the oven. Fresh fish if we have been successfully fishing even better. 

Vegetables (any available) and ten minute pasta and sauce mix cooked together then topped with grated cheese and browned under the grill is nice meal without the need for meat and is quick to cook.   

Zucchini Cheese Puffs are another meat free alternative.  Mix together one grated zucchini, a cup of grated cheese and a cup of self raising flour with two beaten eggs, adding pepper and salt to your taste. Place tablespoonfuls of mixture onto an oiled oven tray or a heated oiled stove top frypan or barbecue hotplate.  Bake in oven at 200° for twenty minutes or turn during cooking in pan or on hotplate.    

We have yoghurt with canned fruit for sweets most evenings, or just fresh fruit when available.    

Method

Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

In another bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla and zest until well blended; whisk in sugar until smooth. Stir in zucchini, then add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in walnuts and fruit.

Half fill oiled or lined loaf tins, cup cake papers or muffin trays.  This will make three loaves or three dozen cup cakes.  Use one third of recipe for one loaf.

Cooking

Bake in a moderate oven (around 180°c) until a cake tester inserted in centres comes out clean.  Large loaves will takes 60 – 90 minutes whereas cup cakes will takes 20 – 30 minutes.  It is easier to remove this soft cake without it breaking if using silcon bakeware. 

Can be iced with lemon icing (icing sugar, softened butter and lemon juice) if an iced cake is desired. 

Being a moist cake, it will keep well over a few days (if it doesn't all get eaten first), or it can be refrigerated or frozen.