This post in written in collaboration with MONTyBOCA.  Special thanks to Chef Corso for partnering with us!

For our most recent camping trip to Conconully State Park in Washington State’s Okanogan region, we partnered with a chef! No, he didn’t come along with us, and cook all of our food.  That would have been a dream! But Chef Corso from MONTyBOCA put together a meal plan for us, and we tested out several recipes for him.

With MONTyBOCA, Chef Corso is on a mission to elevate the meals we enjoy outdoors.  He wants us to think beyond boring oatmeal packets, and dehydrated backpacking meals.  Rather, MontyBoca is inspiring us to cook real, healthy, delicious meals.   Meals that fuel us while we hike, bike, camp, and generally explore the world outside.

MONTyBOCA Quick Facts

• MONTyBOCA has a library of recipes for every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert).
• All recipes are 10 ingredients or less.
• Meals are ready in 30 minutes or less.
• Recipes are filled with fresh ingredients, but also factor in weight and packing constraints.

MONTyBOCA Meal Plan

During our cabin camping adventure, we tested 6 recipes for Chef Corso.  In short, we were not disappointed.  After the first recipe we tried, we couldn’t wait to get started on the next creation.  Each meal just added to the adventure!

We aren’t afraid of cooking with fresh ingredients while camping, but we also tend to stick to our same go-to meals.  Did we end up bringing more food items than we usually do? Yes.  But with the variety of delicious, fresh foods we were able to make, it was worth the extra space we needed.

Below, I’m sharing each recipe along with our notes (edits, thoughts, tweaks), and photos.  If you click on the recipe and photo, it’ll take you straight to the MONTyBOCA website where you can learn more! 

Honey Cashew Kettle Corn

This was our very first experience with a MONTyBOCA recipe, and it sure gave us a taste and got us excited for what was to come! If you click the recipe above, you’ll see that it’s part of Chef Corso’s “Trailgate” snack (riff on tailgate) category.  These are simple snacks that cook up quickly, and best enjoyed as a group (it’s more fun that way)! Great for devouring shortly after arrival.  Trailgate snacks give you the energy and push needed to finish setting up camp.

Notes: 

• This pot of popcorn was gone before we knew it! We loved the combination of sweet and salty, and it was substantial enough to tide us over until dinner.
• Be 100% ready and prepared (measured & prepped), because things happen fast with this recipe!
• Our cashews scorched a bit.  Know your stove.  Ours runs very hot.  Lesson learned.
• Lightweight, and so easy to pack!

MONTy Minestrone

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant on cooking up a big pot of minestrone soup.  Would my kids actually eat more than a bite? Turns out I had nothing to worry about! This soup is flavorful, filling, and full of healthy goodness.  If you click on the recipe, you’ll see that Chef Corso has several other soups, that I’m now super excited to try.

Notes:

• I prepped all the veggies ahead of time.  This helped keep the hands-on time to a minimum.
• We suggest cooking on low longer than suggested so that the green beans can soften more.
• To drain or not to drain, that was the question.  Usually I drain beans, but when we ended up having to add more water to the soup, I realized that probably wasn’t right for this recipe.

Garlic Parmesan Bread

Can you believe we’ve never thought to use our skillet to toast things while camping? I don’t know what we were thinking! This Parmesan bread was the perfect accompaniment to the Minestrone soup.  Can’t really go wrong with garlic and olive!

Notes:

• The french bread we bought was not ideal (too crumbly and hard to cut), but we made it work, and it was delicious.  A baguette or pre-sliced bread would have worked better.
• Because of the crumbly bread, we opted to chop the garlic, and sprinkle it on top of the bread rather than rub with the garlic clove.
• Since we had it on hand, we used grated Parmesan.  Shaved would have elevated the meal even more!

Dirtbag Eggs Benedict

While I love Eggs Benedict, I wasn’t sure what my kids would think of the dish.  Maybe they’ll end up ordering it for brunch now because, they both really enjoyed this version! I was intimidated with the sound of the meal, and there were quite a few steps involved.  However, as we went through each, I realized how very simply it came together.  We appreciated Chef Corso for getting us out of our comfort zone, and providing us with a delicious, filling meal to kick off a day of adventure.

Notes:

• We mixed the green onions into the eggs, rather than just sprinkling on top.
• We used regular eggs rather than powdered eggs.
• Conveniently found ham in our local grocery store that was already chopped. Definitely recommend this time saving step.

Not Boxed Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of our camping lunch staples.  Easy to throw together, and a crowd-pleaser.  We’d never made it Chef Corso style though, and now we are never going back to the boxed variety! The steps are very similar for making both versions, but the Not Boxed Mac & Cheese is whole lot more tasty and flavorful.  Plus, it’s made with real food!

Notes:

• As Chef Corso suggested, we jazzed up our mac & cheese with bacon, green onions, and Parmesan cheese.  Each of these ingredients happened to be leftovers from other meals, so it was very convenient!  We also loved that nothing went to waste.
• We used regular milk instead of milk powder since we had it on hand.
• We appreciated the generous portions provided with this recipe.  Everyone was happily able to go back for seconds.  

Blueberry Lemon Rice Crispy Bowl

When I first browsed the MONTyBOCA recipe library, the Blueberry Lemon Rice Crispy Bowl was one that really stood out! Even if Chef Corso hadn’t put it on our menu plan, I knew I had to try it.  The lemon, and fresh blueberries had me craving a taste, and I knew my kids would love how it all came together with marshmallows. This recipe was just as delightful as it sounded.  The banana chips gave the dish a lovely crunch, and a touch more sweetness.  Delicious blueberries bursting in our mouths, with the added nostalgia of enjoying a rice krispy treat, all while spending time together around the campfire was a pretty special way to end the day!

Notes:

• Easy one pot meal that was a great motivator and reward for the kids.
• Portions were generous here as well for our family of 4, and we were able save some for the next day!
• We bought more blueberries and banana chips than were needed for the recipe, and those turned out to be great snacking items throughout the trip.

MONTyBOCA Final Thoughts

With our MONTyBOCA meal plan, we were more creative with our cooking.  I can say with confidence that the four of us (mom, dad, 7.5 year-old, and 4.5 year-old) thoroughly enjoyed each recipe.  Not only will these become part of our next camping adventure meal plan, we also plan to use them at home!

Along with the recipe library, Chef Corso has seasonal and themed recipe packs.  All the planning, right down to the grocery store list, is completed for you making organizing a trip a breeze!

Go browse the MONTyBOCA recipe library for yourself.  Then come back here, and in the comments, let me know which recipe you are dying to try!

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