Cooking on vacation

[ronandannette]

What about a meal delivery service like home fresh or something? I’ve never done them but they ship all the groceries, recipe and disposable cooking pans or whatever to you and supposed to be good and easy. I’ve seen people say they schedule them for vacations and such. Could be something to look into.

Not sure if you're considering a meal subscription service OP but check the fine print before you buy. Many of them will have a weekly delivery schedule you need to opt out of and having tried several, NONE offer cooking pans or utensils.

Why don't you like pre boiled eggs? I love them and they taste the same as if I make them. I have a walgreens in my building at work (well we used to , haven't been there in a year, LOL) and I get a two pack every morning. They're fresh and good. Maybe you had some expired ones or some that dont get the turnover that I see. I've been know to make cubicle devilled eggs for lunch. mayo and mustard packs in my drawer, mix in a paper cup and salt and pepper. People would come to be with their two pack of eggs and ask me to turn them into devilled eggs LOLOLOL

Totally agree. Life's too short to waste it peeling eggs.

 

[TraceyDisney2008]

Go to Costco and do bagged salads and fruit trays with their ready made meals. Tacos, lasagna, pot pie, chicken, Shepard’s pie and stuffed peppers I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Cynt]

Remember you are on vacation too. I'll never forget our 1st multi family Disney trip. 1st day after we arrived we went to Walmart for our grocery stop. I had a list of all the items we needed to purchase because we had already assigned breakfast duty to each family. We decided to make big hearty breakfast, snack thru whatever park and leave parks late afternoon for an early dinner out somewhere. Half way thru the grocery shopping everyone wanted to leave me. I was like NO! I don't even go to the grocery store on vacation. I'm doing this for you and your kids. What I learned on this trip is my sisters are like me. NOBODY wants to cook on vacation. Since then we don't even attempt to cook.

I said all that to say make sure the other families WANT TO COOK ON VACATION. Don't assume because you think it's a good idea that everyone else thinks it is a good idea.

My other advice is everyone is grown. Let them figure out how and when they're going to eat. I know it sounds harsh but I eat 3 square meals a day. My baby sister and her daughter snack all day no real food. My 1st sister feeds her kids and eats salads all day. My 2nd sis drinks coffee all day and eats a little lunch and big dinner. My 3rd sis is vegan. So yeah everyone is responsible for feeding their own fam. It works great!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Walking taco's are a fun easy meal.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Baked potato topped with a can of Tyson chucked chicken, zesty ranch dressing and crushed Dorrito's.

 

[_19disnA]

Remember you are on vacation too.......

I agree. Growing up, I remember my mom used to say that her idea of being on vacation was she didn't have to spend time in the kitchen and part of what she enjoyed was going out to eat.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Big plate of nacho's. We use any type of nacho chips, drain a can of chunk chicken or bag of cooked strip steak, drain a can of Fresh Like fiesta corn that has corn, pepper, black beans, top with cheese, sour cream, taco sauce, diced tomatoes.

 

[LovesTimone]

We are taking an extended family vacation of ten people ranging in age from 1 to 88. Staying in a villa. I'm thinking we will be eating in the room for a lot of meals. Does anyone have any ideas for easy to put together dinners to feed a crowd?

I really first off would talk to everyone, and figure out where everyone is at on the cooking while on vacation aspect...and figure out who is going to do the cooking and the clean up... and who is going to pay for what... would be the first thing to sort out..

Make sure you have paper plates, and extra plastic cups, napkins, paper towels, plastic utensil.... less clean up for sure.... you can bring these with you.

You can get pretty creative with some nicer snacks, and having a fridge full of drinks is always nice...

Breakfast options - cereal, milk, juice and fruit, maybe some danish rings for something sweet, feel like pulling out the toaster bagel and cream cheese, toaster pastries, pop tarts, frozen waffles or french toast sticks, don't forget the syrup ... Going for the the pots and pans... breakfast sandwiches, biscuits or English muffins with scrambled eggs and cheese... if you want bacon or sausage to go along with it, while I have never used it, our friends like the micro-wave kind, just don't over cook these...

Lunch - Sandwich bar - bread, or sub rolls, deli meats and cheese, condiments, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes, chips and dip, maybe some pre-made salads like potato or macaroni... maybe some carrots sticks to go along with it... PB & J for the kiddos...

Dinner - Taco or Nachos bar, Salad and Baked potato bar is a new family fav.

Order pick-up - Pizza is always a go to choice, BBQ Sonny's or Bubba Lou's both great options, and don't forget about Chinese.

Publix- Fried chicken, or Rotisserie Chicken and sides - Publix has alot of other options just check what they have to offer out on line...

Olive Garden - Pan of Lasagna or Baked spaghetti, (ask or order a large container of extra sauce just trust me on this) comes with salad and bread-sticks - Most of the chain restaurants offer some type of family meal deal...

Snack are the best, the sky is the limit on these... I have a bunch of appetizer recipes that are simple to make, only a couple of ingredients, really easy yet are super yummy... like buying store bought spinach and artichoke dip, adding a some parm to the top and warming in the oven serve with some pita crackers or chips... or buying the pizza crust or flat bread, even english muffin will work to use up any leftovers, a jar of pizza sauce( or if you have extra sauce say from olive garden), and some shredded cheese, and pepperoni in the bag and you have a pizza... You can get really creative, left over rotisserie chicken with jarred Alfredo sauce, you can add some onions and tomatoes from the sandwich bar...

I think that if you really plan ahead and stick to a plan... and don't go in all willy nilly... you should be fine...

 

[RUDisney]

I thought of another idea that is EASY.

When I was promoted earlier this year, one of my vendors sent me a catered dinner, via the internet for myself and my family. They put money on www.ezcater.com and I was able to select the restaurant/caterer that I wanted and also the menu that I wanted. For $150, I was able to purchase dinner for 10, even though there were only 4 of us. I think 10 people was the minimum order.

You can search for catering options in the area you will be staying and have dinner delivered to you. Grocery stores will often do this. I've sent many a catered dinner from grocery stores to bereaved families.

Catered meals are not as much as buying individual dinners for everyone and will be much easier for any of those cooking. You can select what time you want to receive the food. Easy peasy.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Costco is the way to go. Either go to Costco or use Instacart. We did this and popped into the oven, crab cakes, fish, fries. If you don't have an oven they have premade salad, sandwiches, fruit, chicken , lunch meat and so many quick options for the microwave.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Costco is the way to go. Either go to Costco or use Instacart. We did this and popped into the oven, crab cakes, fish, fries. If you don't have an oven they have premade salad, sandwiches, fruit, chicken , lunch meat and so many quick options for the microwave.

 

[TwoMisfits]

So, midway through our vacation and cooking is working out great. We made meals which we could do simply, which did not feel "cheap", and which didn't duplicate what we'd order in the parks. We spent $280 at Aldi's the 1st day, and will probably need to do a final $40-$50 trip (this included alcohol, paper products, and some forgotten toiletries, although I brought a few of my food items, so cost evens out for food/paper products only).

So far, not counting breakfasts, we've done 4 dinners and 1 lunch in (5 days) - side dishes for dinners were double fruit with the day's selected "chip" (popcorn, pretzels, tortilla chips with pico, potato chips). Fruits have been fresh cut watermelon, strawberries, red grapes,. fresh cut pineapple, sliced apples, and sliced pears (bananas have been breakfast). Our main meals so far were...

1. Salmon BLTAs (microwave bacon and smoked salmon - 1/2 package salmon and 2 slices bacon per person) on bakery bread with a lemon mayo.
2. Aldi's pork BBQ with shredded cheese and grilled onions (for those desiring) and extra BBQ sauce on hamburger buns
3. Grilled Turkey bacon burgers (spouse did the grilling) with homemade dijonaise, lettuce, tomato, and avocado
4. Club sandwiches with sliced turkey breast (bought Aldis' whole marinated breast), microwave bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, and swiss/provolone cheese (for the willing)
5. Aldi's chicken breast sandwiches with honey dijon (homemade - I have raw honey and the mustard), swiss/provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado

And this morning, our down day, was my "make breakfast" day so I did scrambled eggs, tater tots, and sliced watermelon, and we split a Voodoo Donuts apple fritter for 6...time to get back to vacay, but this is doable!

 

[Disneytrippin']

We are taking an extended family vacation of ten people ranging in age from 1 to 88. Staying in a villa. I'm thinking we will be eating in the room for a lot of meals. Does anyone have any ideas for easy to put together dinners to feed a crowd?

During our last trip we met a guy who came to your room and cooked for you. He had just cooked for a large group. I thought that was a pretty cool idea. He had a hand wheeled cart with his food warmers with meals he had prepared as well.

 

[shawthorne44]

I love breakfast casseroles for feeding breakfast to a crowd.

I have a friend who is a wedding photographer. I asked about the best self-catered meals he'd seen. He said the best was fajitas using meat from Sam's. Similar serving method as a taco bar, but nicer. Best way to heat many tortillas is to make non-terrycloth large kitchen towel damp and then layer the tortillas inside and microwave for 3 minutes at 3. It steams the tortillas.

 

[TwoMisfits]

So, midway through our vacation and cooking is working out great. We made meals which we could do simply, which did not feel "cheap", and which didn't duplicate what we'd order in the parks. We spent $280 at Aldi's the 1st day, and will probably need to do a final $40-$50 trip (this included alcohol, paper products, and some forgotten toiletries, although I brought a few of my food items, so cost evens out for food/paper products only).

So far, not counting breakfasts, we've done 4 dinners and 1 lunch in (5 days) - side dishes for dinners were double fruit with the day's selected "chip" (popcorn, pretzels, tortilla chips with pico, potato chips). Fruits have been fresh cut watermelon, strawberries, red grapes,. fresh cut pineapple, sliced apples, and sliced pears (bananas have been breakfast). Our main meals so far were...

1. Salmon BLTAs (microwave bacon and smoked salmon - 1/2 package salmon and 2 slices bacon per person) on bakery bread with a lemon mayo.
2. Aldi's pork BBQ with shredded cheese and grilled onions (for those desiring) and extra BBQ sauce on hamburger buns
3. Grilled Turkey bacon burgers (spouse did the grilling) with homemade dijonaise, lettuce, tomato, and avocado
4. Club sandwiches with sliced turkey breast (bought Aldis' whole marinated breast), microwave bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, and swiss/provolone cheese (for the willing)
5. Aldi's chicken breast sandwiches with honey dijon (homemade - I have raw honey and the mustard), swiss/provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado

And this morning, our down day, was my "make breakfast" day so I did scrambled eggs, tater tots, and sliced watermelon, and we split a Voodoo Donuts apple fritter for 6...time to get back to vacay, but this is doable!

So, I just finished the trip...Aldi's, Publix, and groceries worked out great with a meal/day out strategy (except our last day, when Seaworld was so disappointing, we just bailed at lunch and came back and swam at the resort (and thus ate there)...here's our TOTAL for 6 Disney adults (I did have 1 kid, but since Universal didn't post kids meal, he never ordered them...ever...except for our 1 night at Morimoto's - but even then, I ordered him part of the app, and his meal was only $3 cheaper than mine)...

Groceries for 11 days/10 nights (so 10 full days) - $335
Meals Out cost $1520
Total spent $1855

Now, we only drank water out (but spouse bought beer/wine for the room), but the total did include 1 snack/day for the kids at our 4 Universal days, plus 2 dinner shows (Sleuth's and Pirates) and their tips. Universal dining seemed more reasonable than Disney, although we thought the $200ish spent at Morimoto's our 2nd-to-last night was fully worth it!

For those wondering, we ate at:
Table service (6):
Sleuth's Mystery Show
Pirates Adventure Dinner Theater
Cowfish (Universal City Walk)
Confisco (Universal IOA)
Morimoto Asia (Disney Springs)
Best Shabu Shabu World Noodle+Pho (Orlando - it won by default by having a coupon and being a mile from my resort - good food, awful ambience - worth what we paid, which was under $100 with a 25% tip)...

Counter Service
Fast Food Blvd (aka Krusty Burger & the Bait Shop)
Burger Digs
Publix To Go Section (I didn't put this in groceries b/c the night we were gonna get White Castle, it was packed...so this was our backup option - we all went in for the meals, not groceries)

Snacks
McDonalds (when the fire alarm goes off at 4:45am at your resort, it's time to see the world's biggest site)
Voodoo Doughnuts (Universal City Walk) - just go for the vegan apple fritter - seriously, just do it and thank me later!
Hop on Pop Ice Creams on a Stick (Universal IOA)
Harry Potter Frozen Butterbeers and Lemon Drink (Universal Studios)
Chill (Dole Whips) (Universal IOA)

I'll add up the rest of the budget later (tickets, car, pet sitting, etc)...one thing I will add - the lack of service people in Florida made dining at home, ESPECIALLY with allergies, VERY desirable. Allergy ordering (outside of City Walk and Morimoto's) was pretty miserable, well, as was any type of wait for dining. So one meal out was all that we wanted, and we averaged just about that (and a little less, but did I mention the waits, and then the extra waits with allergies)...

 

[helendarack]

in addition to the fact that you will cook, look for food delivery at home, otherwise you will get very tired of cooking

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Go to Publix and get already made chicken and subs (you can call these in ahead or online). Better yet do an online order at Publix, they have tons of salad options and ready food options. They have cold sandwiches made that we took to the parks. They have lots of fruit options already cut up. We did this and it worked out great. We did also get frozen battered fish and fries and put in the oven. Think really easy so you can enjoy your vacation. Paper plates is the way to go too.

 

[Disneytrippin']

I haven't made these on vacation but breakfast quiche is easy and can be prepared ahead. Just reheat in the oven. Just get premade pie crusts. These are a hit when we have people over for breakfast. I usually have sliced cantaloupe and some other fruits to go on the side with it.

I thought it would be cool if we posted recipes for our suggestions.

Here is one recipe I like to use but, there are different ingredients you can throw in of yours if you like:

For each quiche you will need:

• 1 crust Pillsbury Pie Crust (They come in 2 Count), softened as directed on box
• 1 cup half-and-half or milk
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (3/4 cup)*
• 1 cup shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion, if desired

1) Heat oven to 350°F
2) In medium bowl, mix half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper; set aside. Layer bacon, cheeses and onion in crust-lined plate. Pour egg mixture over top.
3) Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes; cut into wedges.

* To save time you could also use precooked bacon or use Hormel Real Bacon bits. I just make the effort and use real bacon myself.

And, for those who think this is too time consuming, remember there is always somebody up before everybody else. So, that person can whip this up throw it in the oven and then shower while it is cooking. Secretively this is an excellent way to get everyone else up....the smell of delicious bacon always works!

 

[Disneytrippin']

Taco bar is a standard

That is a great idea. I will have to add that to one of our days. There will be 7 adults and 2 kids so this trip will definitely include some meals in the room.

 

[SarahandPaul]

We just did a two week RV trip with 11. Taco bar was very popular. Also purchased tortellini, precooked chicken strips and jar alfredo sauce...kids ate that all up! That would be super simple to withhold chicken to help the vegetarian. There are lots of breakfast casseroles that can be assembled the night before and cooked while the gang is getting ready for the day. We also did make your own sub sandwich with lots of meat, cheese and veggie options. Spaghetti and hamburgers are a standard option as well. We did a group of 14 at Disney and found that we tended to eat the "dinner" meal at lunchtime on a nap/pool break and have something small from counter service at dinner time....just in case that idea works for your group!