Healthy camping meals: what are your recommendations?

[Pitstop Penny]

Hello one and all! I am so fricking excited. It is less than a week until we embark on our longest adventure in the van. We are off to Switzerland and I am keen to plan some healthy meals, rather than the usual crap we cook!

Weekend trips are fine for naughty bacon and beef burgers smothered in cheese, but as we’ll be away for a fortnight, I’m keen to have some healthy meals prepped.

What do you tend to cook? I’m thinking fresh chicken or Turkey fajitas and fish cooked in foil with veg or salad. But what else? Ideas very welcome!

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

Halloumi grilled in the ridge monkey with cous cous is a good summer salad option to fall back on. Doesn't take up much space, long storage dates and useful to fall back on once you've seen the price of groceries in Switzerland. A jar of sun dried tomatoes is a good cupboard staple to add flavour to salads. See also pine nuts.

 

[California_Ocean]

This is yummy ...

Recipes | Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas | Gousto

Quick and easy dinner recipes to cook at home. Explore our online cookbook of recipe ideas, with a wide range of tasty meals to choose from.

www.gousto.co.uk

Aubergine and pine nuts roasted in the ridge-monkey then use one burner for the pasta - make the sauce on the other burner.



Kitchen set-up for gourmet camping meals ... lol ... ever wondered what the VW odd black strap is for?

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Why not avoid too much preparation before you go and get inspired by local Swiss foods when you do a shop. Maybe an open air cheese fondue one evening might be a nice experience. Washed down with a nice White of course. Have a great trip

 

[BeeBee]

Dried pasta, easy always. Jar of black olives , jar of Pesto and pkt of Pine nuts.
Will keep you from starving … lol

 

[Melanie Day]

We have just had chicken curry. Sauce from a jar, chicken fresh from the supermarket, tinned vegetables, hard boiled egg, packed rice.

Other stuff doesn't tend to be healthy!
We have brought porridge oats on our trip but have had croissants, bacon butties and sausage baguettes so far!

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Barbara]

Tins of tuna, sardines, olives, sweet corn and beans . cous cous. A growing lettuce and herbs. Don't forget oil and vinegar as dressing. I also like to take a jar of mustard.

 

[AJQ]

Great question! We're largely vegetarian with fish occasionally and I'm always on the look out for new recipes that work in the van.
Here's a veggie recipe we use a lot, it's one pan, which has to be good, right?

Braised Courgettes Recipe With Cannellini Beans | olivemagazine

The stove does all the work in this easy one-pot with courgette, cannellini beans and Parmesan. Hands-on time is minimal – as is the washing up at the end

www.olivemagazine.com

It's really yummy, much nicer than it sounds, and it doesn't need anything that you can't usually buy when you're out and about.
We've found some things (halloumi I'm looking at you) impossible in supermarkets in France and Spain.

 

[Barbara]

Great question! We're largely vegetarian with fish occasionally and I'm always on the look out for new recipes that work in the van.
Here's a veggie recipe we use a lot, it's one pan, which has to be good, right?

Braised Courgettes Recipe With Cannellini Beans | olivemagazine

The stove does all the work in this easy one-pot with courgette, cannellini beans and Parmesan. Hands-on time is minimal – as is the washing up at the end

www.olivemagazine.com

It's really yummy, much nicer than it sounds, and it doesn't need anything that you can't usually buy when you're out and about.
We've found some things (halloumi I'm looking at you) impossible in supermarkets in France and Spain.

Just saved a copy of the recipe, will try at home as I have a surfeit of beans.

 

[Barbara]

Hello one and all! I am so fricking excited. It is less than a week until we embark on our longest adventure in the van. We are off to Switzerland and I am keen to plan some healthy meals, rather than the usual crap we cook!

Weekend trips are fine for naughty bacon and beef burgers smothered in cheese, but as we’ll be away for a fortnight, I’m keen to have some healthy meals prepped.

What do you tend to cook? I’m thinking fresh chicken or Turkey fajitas and fish cooked in foil with veg or salad. But what else? Ideas very welcome!

A useful suggestion for the first 2 days is taking ready prepared meal that you make at home and freeze. They will defrost while you travel but also help to keep your other items cool. I freeze roasted veg such as peppers, courgettes , onions and aubergine. These then reheat well with pasta or tomato sauce. I also take a cheese sauce but this may not be so healthy.

Breakfast could be uncooked porridge oats mixed with yogurt and frozen fruit the evening before. This is like a dish I first had in Switzerland - Bircher Muesli

 

[Pitstop Penny]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone. So much inspiration! I’ll share what we’ve planned later this week

 

[Hawthorn37]

This is yummy ...

Recipes | Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas | Gousto

Quick and easy dinner recipes to cook at home. Explore our online cookbook of recipe ideas, with a wide range of tasty meals to choose from.

www.gousto.co.uk

Aubergine and pine nuts roasted in the ridge-monkey then use one burner for the pasta - make the sauce on the other burner.

View attachment 113594

Kitchen set-up for gourmet camping meals ... lol ... ever wondered what the VW odd black strap is for?

View attachment 113596

Like the spice rack! We’ve done the same using (unused) wee sample bottles !

 

[Hawthorn37]

We’ve done lots of one pot meals in the deep Ridge Monkey, which is mess free and keeps all the steam inside. Stews (using chicken, beef, lamb, fish etc., and veggie stew), curry, chilli, cassoulet etc. We use the same pan to sauté small potatoes in garlic and olive oil (salt, pepper, thyme chilli flakes and oregano) and have these with salad or bbq meals. We use the Ridge Monkey toastie pan for bread filled meals like cheese on toast, croque monsieur, tuna/mayo toastie etc. Also, no cook meals, like tomatoes and mozzarella salad, cheese salads, etc.

When travelling we nip into local grocery stores and delis to see what’s on offer, and usually find some inspiration!

On the cookware aspect, we major on using the 2 RM pans as described, a small non stick boiling pan, a larger stainless foldable pan with lid (pasta etc), and our latest has been a Cadac covered pan (sold as a paella pan) which we use on the outside cooker we have as the base diameter is probably too big for the Cali stove without burning the knobs. Outside cooker is currently a Campingaz Party Grill 400 - might replace with a Cadac or similar next year, it’s been very well used!

 

[PurpleLizC789]

We like to try to eat healthy meals but also minimum cooking. Tends to be based around pasta or rice and the following are some of the common ones:
- pasta with a tin of ratatouille, usually served with grated cheese and additional black olives
- pasta with sacla tomato & olive stir through with whatever fresh veg we have bought (onions, peppers, courgettes, mushrooms - usually just a couple)
- thai green curry made with a can of coconut milk plus 1-2 of the blue dragon curry paste pots (depending if for 2 or 4 people) with some onion & green beans plus whatever else you fancy - chicken or if veggie we add chickpeas
- pasta & pesto plus roasted veg as others have said
- I love the Gallo my risotto perfetto 4 cheese, I just fry up some onion and mushrooms first to add to it or you could add ham/bacon etc.

 

[wildslammer22]

I often make a shakshuka when out in the van, it’s a one pan dish of eggs poached in tomatoes and vegetables. There are lots of ways to vary it up by using different spices and herbs and adding cheese or sausage. Healthy, hearty and simple to make, eat with hunks of your favourite bread - it’s works equally well as a breakfast or a light dinner.

 

[Pitstop Penny]

All amazing ideas! I really can’t wait. We’re going to make the most of local shops and markets and see how we go!

 

[RockinNRollin]

At the end of the day, you've got a fridge, a water supply and a two-ring hob. Barring oven/grill based dishes, anything you do at home is pretty much possible. I would avoid anything prone to spitting, so no reducing down tomato-based currys, but otherwise the world is your lobster.

I find when camping my food standards drop; at home I'd never entertain tinned veg for example, but when camping I'll happily throw it into a curry or something and be satisfied. Condiments are your friend - basic herbs, seasoning and a hot sauce can massively pep up an otherwise mundane meal.

I keep on thinking about a ridge monkey . . .

 

[Hawthorn37]

Agree about condiments, herbs and spices. They make a massive difference and with a good selection you can adapt your recipes to whatever core ingredients you find locally, without needing to plan ahead.
In terms of chucking in odd ingredients - what the client doesn’t see, the chef gets away with !

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

We do cook when we’re away camping in the van but not every day. Our preference is to find a nice pub/cafe/restaurant for our main meal of the day and then just snack in the van for other meals.

 

[Barbara]

We’ve done lots of one pot meals in the deep Ridge Monkey, which is mess free and keeps all the steam inside. Stews (using chicken, beef, lamb, fish etc., and veggie stew), curry, chilli, cassoulet etc. We use the same pan to sauté small potatoes in garlic and olive oil (salt, pepper, thyme chilli flakes and oregano) and have these with salad or bbq meals. We use the Ridge Monkey toastie pan for bread filled meals like cheese on toast, croque monsieur, tuna/mayo toastie etc. Also, no cook meals, like tomatoes and mozzarella salad, cheese salads, etc.

When travelling we nip into local grocery stores and delis to see what’s on offer, and usually find some inspiration!

On the cookware aspect, we major on using the 2 RM pans as described, a small non stick boiling pan, a larger stainless foldable pan with lid (pasta etc), and our latest has been a Cadac covered pan (sold as a paella pan) which we use on the outside cooker we have as the base diameter is probably too big for the Cali stove without burning the knobs. Outside cooker is currently a Campingaz Party Grill 400 - might replace with a Cadac or similar next year, it’s been very well used!

Re: "When travelling we nip into local grocery stores and delis to see what’s on offer, and usually find some inspiration!"

I like to do this too, part of the travel is to try local things. Unfortunately I am inclined to buy things then think later how to cook them, for example when staying in Abbeywood, London I brought Okra in Woolwich and had no idea how to cook them. The vegetable stalls in Woolwich are fascinating, I did resist buying the strong peppers.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Re: "When travelling we nip into local grocery stores and delis to see what’s on offer, and usually find some inspiration!"

I like to do this too, part of the travel is to try local things. Unfortunately I am inclined to buy things then think later how to cook them, for example when staying in Abbeywood, London I brought Okra in Woolwich and had no idea how to cook them. The vegetable stalls in Woolwich are fascinating, I did resist buying the strong peppers.

I did resist buying the strong peppers.

Dangerous in the confined space of a Cali

 

[RockinNRollin]

Unfortunately I am inclined to buy things then think later how to cook them, for example when staying in Abbeywood, London I brought Okra in Woolwich and had no idea how to cook them.

Okra cooked well is superb, but it a minefield for the inexperienced cook, seemingly turning to a gooey stringy mess without the slightest provocation. The key; wash it, dry it, slice it, let it dry out overnight (tricky in a van perhaps) before frying it. Add water back to it and it'll turn back into a sticky mess again.

 

[Alied]

We have just had chicken curry. Sauce from a jar, chicken fresh from the supermarket, tinned vegetables, hard boiled egg, packed rice.

Other stuff doesn't tend to be healthy!
We have brought porridge oats on our trip but have had croissants, bacon butties and sausage baguettes so far! View attachment 113605

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatal

We have just had chicken curry. Sauce from a jar, chicken fresh from the supermarket, tinned vegetables, hard boiled egg, packed rice.

Other stuff doesn't tend to be healthy!
We have brought porridge oats on our trip but have had croissants, bacon butties and sausage baguettes so far! View attachment 113605

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

What an excellent stove the Primus Tupike is.

 

[66tim99]

These are the best pasta dishes we've found. Not cheap and not that easy to find (I buy them at Eataly in Liverpool St, and struggled to find them online), but honestly, if you were served it in an Italian restaurant you'd be happy!
I always have a couple in the Cali cupboard, and they are only 15 mins start to finish.
Serves 3 apparently, so perfect for 2 greedy adults... and an ideal base for adding any veg you have around for the last few mins.

 

[Californication69]

Would be good if somebody make an excel spreadsheet with items at the top, and you click on the tick boxes of what you have left over and it tells you what you can make with those items.
Need an Excel Wizard….