Menu/Grocery List for WDW Vacation Rental?

[MrsJessica]

I've been searching for some ideas and thought I'd just ask here! We're doing a vacation rental for a few nights at Daytona Beach and then at a house close to Disney for a week for the WDW part of our vacation. We'll have full kitchens to cook, but I'm terrible with amounts of food to buy! I don't want to waste a lot (flying, so can't take most things home), but don't want to be at the store all the time because I under-bought. I'm looking for sites with menus/shopping lists for week+ vacation stays or any ideas are very welcome! I thought this would be a more popular topic with other offsite stayers... Maybe I'm missing a thread somewhere? Help please!

 

[pooh4evr]

First thing is how often do you want to return to your room? Breakfasts are easy~ cereal, yogurt, eggs and microwave bacon, toast.
lunch ~ are you bringing stuff into the parks with you or do you plan on going back to your room? Bring in a small soft cooler with fruit, water bottles, sandwiches...

Dinners~ I would do pasta one night (quick and easy) and maybe a couple of crock pot type meals then leftovers for a night too.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We just got home from a 2 week stay at the Grande Vista. We had a full kitchen and cooked breakfast every day and either lunch or dinner daily depending on the days activities. Pool days we made lunch and went out to dinner. Days that we were out all day we had lunch out and cooked dinner. There were a couple of days that didn't go along with that plan though.

Here are some of the things we had...
Breakfast....eggs, bacon, pancakes, cereal, toast, fruit, yogurt
lunch....sandwiches, hot dogs, fruit, veggies and dip/hummus
dinner....pasta, pizza, chicken, pork chops, salad, frozen pasta bakes.
snacks....chips, pretzels, ice cream, microwave popcorn, trail mix.

I looked for simple things that could be thrown in the oven without any work. The frozen food section is your best friend in that area.....add a salad or garlic bread and you have a meal.

 

[MrsJessica]

Thanks for the ideas! I know if we go back to the house, getting everyone going again will be more hassle than it's worth... So, we'll take food with us for snacks/lunch to the parks, and also have a few ADR's. I don't mind cooking on vacation and as our trip it's right after the holidays, I figure we'll all want lighter fare anyway. Maybe making our own menu will have to be part of my "trip planning sickness" (as my husband says when I talk about It too much )

 

[kymom99]

Who will be going with you? Just you and your children? How old are they? I ask because maybe you could give each person the "job" of planning a meal or two. That would be a great lesson in nutrition and would ensure everyone feels they had a say in what they will be eating. Could be a fun family activity.

We stayed at a beach apartment this past summer. One night I picked up fried chicken from the Publix and then drove thru Wendy's for baked potatoes. Easy and inexpensive. Publix has a nice deli with prepared meal items.

We are easy breakfast eaters: cereal, milk, peanut butter toast, eggs, etc. were all quick and easy. I bought bread, deli meat, etc. for lunch when we were there. Buy some margarine and a can of Pam and you can make anything. Will you have access to a grill?

 

[MrsJessica]

It'll be my husband and me, plus my parents and sister staying in the house with hubby's parents coming over for a few meals. No children for us... Yet We will have a grill, I almost forgot about that! They were looking forward to grilling by the pool, even though it'll be January... Thanks for the ideas! I did find this thing by Kraft I believe - 5 in 1 Bag - it's a shopping list for getting five meals out of one bag of groceries. I'll have to tweak some as we've got some allergies/special diet sort of things and want to keep things healthy as WDW is the last week of a 3 week vacation. Oh, the calories!...

 

[dpswift]

Breakfast ideas pancakes and french toast both easy, inexpensive and a step up from cereal and bagels.

When we rented a condo a few years ago we bought some things that we normally would not such as fresh fruit bowls, and cooked chickens. We had fruit, shrimp and potato salad for a meal.

I wish we had a grill. That will make it easier for you. I would not plan on crockpot meals. Suppose you got there and they did not have one.

As far as shopping we planned out what we would need for each meal and tried to buy small amounts. As much as you do not want to shop daily you should plan on a second trip to the store partway through.

 

[ready123go]

As far as over-purchasing groceries, just know it will happen. Make peace with it.

We go often enough that I know how much we use, and I still over-purchase. That's because your schedule changes - you stay in the parks a couple of extra hours, you decide not to go into the parks that day, but hang out instead, etc. I tell myself to look at the big picture - I spent less $$ (and ate healthier) overall, even if I did have to throw out some stuff. Don't like doing it, but it's part of the vacation costs and I'd rather over-purchase a little than under-purchase and have to run to the store several times. Orlando traffic starts getting heavy around 11:00 am. I'm on vaca - don't make me drive in that!

 

[BeerMe]

As far as over-purchasing groceries, just know it will happen. Make peace with it.

Yeah. Tell me about it!

 

[ready123go]

pps make a few good points:
- Purchase some partially prepped foods (i.e.-cut fruit, broiled chicken).
- Don't plan on having a crockpot or grill, unless the rental specifies they have one.
- Plan on a second trip to the store.
- Plan on spending more on condiments than usual (always a cost overrun for us).
- Eat a few unusual meals to eat things up: Dinner for breakfast, breakfast for dinner, etc.

I find the hardest thing to get at WDW is vegetables. We like veg ALOT, so I buy the frozen Birdseye Steamfresh vegetables and their rice, as well. Freezer to micro to table - voila! If you have chicken from the market or buy a couple of Turkey legs in a park (bring double Ziplocs) dinner/supper is done!

If you have time before you leave, do a couple of weeks worth of 'test runs'. See how much you go through in a week - multiply that by the number of adults. Then subtract the meals/snacks you think you'll eat in the parks. Remember that, right now, you might be eating lunch at work and figure that into the equation.

Planning is half the fun, but it also helps minimize glitches (and trips to the market - lol).

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

I find the hardest thing to get at WDW is vegetables.

Yep- so true~

When we travel to WDW and stay off site, we always drive now and we bring raw veggies that we love:
baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, broccoli florets, grape tomatoes, colorful sweet pepper strips- all prepped and packaged separately in zip bags.
I have plastic bowls with lids that we refill from the bags with an assortment of veg for lunches.

We also buy a 6 pack of light ranch dips with foil tops- one for every day.

Add to that hummus and whole wheat pita chips.
(I take whole wheat pitas and cut them into 8 wedges each with a scissors, bake them at 250 for 20 minutes and then let them cool until crisp, then pack in zip bags for dipping in the hummus.)

And then we pick up whatever fresh fruit is in season when we are there.
Grapes, strawberries, oranges, kiwi- whatever.

That's a lot cheaper than eating lunch out and we noticed that the folks around us at the water parks eyeing our lunch with envy.

 

[DawnM]

We normally aren't as concerned about nutrition while at DW!

Breakfast:

cereal, granola bars, frozen waffles, something easy.

In park lunch:

Sandwiches, pringles can, cookies in ind. packages, crackers in ind packages, string cheese, nuts, dried fruit, whole fruit, trail mix

Dinner:

steak and potatoes, hamburgers (purchase frozen premade patties), frozen pizza, pasta. Purchase a full week of premade salad to add to all dinners

Snacks:

string cheese, crackers and cheese, PB and crackers, those little hostess nasty cakes, etc....

 

[mrsabbott]

Loving this thread!! We will be staying in a condo with a kitchen ( just found out) and we are driving so we will bring some food with us and also go to the store at least once while there.

Hubs isn't a vegetarian, he eats some chicken and fish. The kids and I all eat vegetarian so only eggs and dairy for us. We are also trying to eat clean, but I realize that this is vacation and we will be a little lax on that when we go.

Here is my food plan:
Breakfast- cereal, cereal bars, oatmeal packets, fruit, eggs, milk, and juice. This will be brought from home although we may pick up milk at the store. I may buy some no icing pop tarts for the kids. They love those but I rarely buy them.

Lunch- pb, preserves, wheat bread, cheese slices, sandwich meat (for DH), pickles, mustard, baby spinach/salad fixings, dressing, hummus, veggies, fruit. We also tend to eat leftovers for lunch so any from the night before will be fair game!

Snacks- granola bars, fruit and veggies, crackers, baked chips, popcorn, dried fruit, yogurt, string cheese, fruit snacks and roll ups (another treat for the kids).

Dinner- potatoes (baked or fried), Mac n cheese, veggies, garden burgers, chicken breasts, fettuccine and Alfredo, black beans/taco fixings, frozen pizzas.

A lot we will bring, some we will buy there. I do plan to eat out some while there. That is when I will throw any semblance of healthy eating out the door and really enjoy myself!!

 

[ready123go]

We normally aren't as concerned about nutrition while at DW!

Not necessarily as much about nutrition, as it's about the other end, you know - fiber!

 

[cluvsdisney]

I also wanted to suggest bringing some favorite herbs & spices in little ziplocs so you can season your meals without buying extra.

 

[kymom99]

Since you are a mixture of couples, you could each take a night to plan a nice dinner. Years ago my family went to Gatlinburg and rented a chalet. Each family planned a meal and brought all the fixings. I can remember we brought chicken to grill one night and my mom made spaghetti sauce for pasta another night. Planning all that was part of the memories I have of our family having that time together. My husband and I weren't married yet and he got some good points for his chicken!

 

[mayday51]

and the other posters are making salient points. Remember during your planning process that there are lots of "extras" that will contribute to overall costs. Spices, butter, oils, condiments...they all add up, and you use only a fraction of them over the course of a vacation. We were shocked at how expensive olive oil was at Publix!!
Depending on the type of vacation rental you're using, there may be some items already in the kitchen. We've rented villas before that had a nice selection of spices left by other guests. And we've also rented villas that are very bare-bones. Check it out before you go to the store. Also, if you're coffee drinkers, don't forget to buy coffee. Check out the coffee maker when you get to the rental--you want to get the right shape (basket/cone) of filters. And if anyone uses sweetener in their coffee, you want to put that on the list too. Can you tell I'm a big coffee person?!
We generally try to eat healthy, too. It's not going to win any awards for healthfood or anything, but we have found the Zatarains Jambalaya mix is pretty good, inexpensive, and a crowd-pleaser. If you get turkey keilbasa, and some peppers and onions to put in it, a couple boxes of mix will feed at least 6 people.
Publix frozen pizza is really quite tasty, and is only $3.99.
Also, steer away from meals that have a lot of hidden ingredients. Hamburgers are a good example. It sound so simple...let's have burgers! But the thing is, you need buns...and ketchup...and mustard...and pickles...and mayo...and lettuce...and tomato...andandand. Obviously you don't NEED those things, but once you have a lot of people to please, you end up doing things like buying a whole jar of mayo for 2 people, using it just for burgers, and discarding the rest.
Plan on using up your leftovers creatively. Fried rice and frittatas are two of my favorite ways to use up odds-and-ends.
Have fun!
Mayday51

 

[queenofthehive]

Here are few tips I use when traveling when you just a smidge of something -
put cooking oil, vinegar etc in empty water bottles in just the amount you will need so not to bring the entire big bottles. Spices - put the various kinds of spices you will use in one of those 7 day pill containers so you don't have to bring tons of individual spice containers. Sugar/sweetner - but a weeks amount in a baggie. Bring foil vs saran wrap - more uses. Bring baggies of all sizes, trial size dish soap and put a weeks amount of dishwasher soap in a baggie. That is all I can think of for now...

 

[MrsJessica]

If you have time before you leave, do a couple of weeks worth of 'test runs'. See how much you go through in a week - multiply that by the number of adults. Then subtract the meals/snacks you think you'll eat in the parks. Remember that, right now, you might be eating lunch at work and figure that into the equation.

This is a great suggestion, thanks! I was trying to guess on amounts, but we don't go until January so plenty of time to test

I knew this would be the place to ask, so many good ideas here! I'll definitely bring some of the smaller items now, such as this chicken mixed spice we love and use often. Frozen veg is great too, since it's mostly prepped but still healthy. Also olive oil as we get it from Costco, just put into a smaller bottle. Shrimp, fruit, and potato salad and jambalaya are smart, not hard but they'll feel special because we don't usually make that at home.

I like the park lunch ideas too. I'm trying to find different things to pack (grain-free) for some of us, which is sometimes challenging. I'm thinking antipasti type packs and leftovers We'll have a cooler in the car, so things should be nice and cold. Any other picnic favorites?

 

[jodifla]

We eat every breakfast in the villa, and two or three dinners. Lunch is often out because we're in the parks.

We also bring home our leftovers from restaurants and have them in the villa for lunch.

As for what we cook, for breakfast it's:

Eggs/bacon/bagels/
french toast/orange juice/coffee/
cereal/pop tarts

I normally buy a big tray of the cut up veggies with dip. That way, we have a fresh, healthy appetizers and I can use the cut up fresh veggies for dinner as well, like stir-frying the broccoli and carrots together with some onion.

For dinner, meals are often:
Fresh Florida seafood on the grill, rice and cooked veggies from the veggie tray
Steaks on the grill, baked potatoes and a bagged salad
Spaghetti and salad
Hamburgers on the grill, coleslaw and beans

We also bring popcorn and lemonade to have in the room as snacks.

Particularly when we go in the summer, we are at the villa a lot during the day using the pool and such.

Oh, and we also have wine and bourbon in our Owner's Locker as well as spices and such, so we can have cocktail hour. Also, a couple staples like rice.

We often have friends with us as well, so we like to kick back on our OKW balcony with our cocktails and appetizers before dinner.

Here's my Top 20 shopping list:
Eggs
Bacon
Bread
Bagels
Milk
Butter
Deli meat
Cheese
Beer
Wine
Big cut up tray of veggies
Cole slaw or potato salad
Chips
Dip
Steaks
Fresh Seafood
Charcoal
Bagged salad with Dressing
Baking potatoes
sour cream