And nothing says KISS like just deli meat sandwiches / BLTs / Cold chicken clubs with just chips and fresh fruit. I always buy a ton of the "eat as is" produce and almost none of the "must cook" produce.
Love your list (bacon, eggs, ice cream). Totally on it. Thanks!
I have a few ideas, but they're all over the place, so bear with me!
If you're bringing frozen items, let that be the last thing you pack before leaving. Put everything in the cooler as closely together as you can get it. If there's any gap in the top, add a folded towel on top and close the lid--and do not open it until you get inside the condo! I just have a cheap cooler from Walmart, and everything stays frozen for me until we get there. I have a 10-hour drive, and I've never had an issue with thawing--last year my stuff was in there for a total of 20 hours.
Yup! Totally agree. I've done this many times and it always works. When the kids were little, one was allergic to eggs so I made and brought everything, everywhere.
I always grilled or roasted a bunch of chicken, pulled it off the carcass and froze flat - we ate it plain, on sandwiches...everything. I did this with so, so many foods and just froze it all flat.
jennasmommyinMS said:
Be sure to add coffee filters--the ones at WBC are the cone style, and it's a full size pot.
Thank you! I've got the coffee ready and will get the filters. Ditto disposable cups. Thanks for all your great tips! Trash bags are ready, Finish powerball tabs....non perishables are in a bin in my "staging"/packing area.
dja14 said:
Last year when we vacationed on the cheap I used it for my 'test' for our Fl trip. I learned hamburgers were easy but made a huge mess. Clean up is what I hate.
Yes, yes yes!
Thanks for the deets on chicken with sweet and sour sauce. My five will love it and it's just me and my mom with them.
Taco meat (50/50 meat with lentils) is ready to go!
dja14 said:
We have also talked about grilled some chicken breasts and freezing them.
I've always done that and it works great.
dja14 said:
I also made a big breakfast casserole but no one would eat it reheated.
Ahhh, mine will so I have made two. Thanks for your tips!
sk8jdgca said:
There are just 3 of us (me and 2 teens) we went through 2 dozen eggs, 2 loaves of bread, two large bagets ( they were $1 at Walmart) 3 packs of carved lunch meats and 5 bottles of Indian River orange juice. Bought a bunch of cheese, bacon, crackers, bob Evans mashed potatoes, already made macaroni and cheese some fresh veggies and fruit
Dollar tree was good for snacks, they has the same frozen lemonade and Italian ices that cost big bucks in the park for $1
Great reminder about dollar tree. Thanks for your helpful list!
sk8jdgca said:
On our last night we did a "chopped Orlando" game were the kids had to make dinner based on what was left over...it was fun!
That is SO COOL! I'd love to do that and we have a few who might be up for the challenge
you will be surprised how little people actually eat while on vacation.
I've been generally surprised by the opposite. I guess because we do meals rather than snacks - well, three meals and one snack.
It's not my favorite thing to do (even at home) but with our family size and our income my choices are cook a little or never go.
Yup. YOu got that right!
momof2gr8kids said:
What we did when we stayed at WBC was take a couple of hours on our check in day (we were just chillin anyways..) to do some meal prep work.
Yup, I'll cut where I can (pre cut produce) but there is no way around having to do a little if we want to eat well.
I was pretty overwhelmed (by work) when I wrote the initial post). Am now feeling like I can tackle more cooking - and have started already. Thank goodness for big freezers!
momof2gr8kids said:
In fact, heading to a restaurant when we were all exhausted was more of a hassle than having a swim and hot tub and picking at stuff from the fridge. And as a PP said, if it allows us to stay longer, I'll gladly prepare a quick healthy meal in my condo then head to the pool rather than waiting in line for a table with an exhausted family.
THIS
And your yogurt parfait sounds great. Thanks!
I don't mind cooking at home, because I enjoy eating healthy. The thought of eating out for a week straight makes me feel bloated and fatigued. I've been teaching the kids to realize that food is fuel. If you put quality fuel in, you will run better. Frankly, the minor inconvenience of taking a few hours out over a week long vacation to prep and cook healthy meals is So worth it to have 4 happy, healthy, energetic kiddos!
100% agree with what you said. It's how we eat at home and how we do and feel best when we eat (mostly) on vacation.
Love all the suggestions and hearing how different folks optimize their meal planning / cooking / eating / touring time based on their own needs.
You've all been super helpful!