I'm looking for suggestions on what type of food to pack for our vacation. We will be going to a hotel with a full kitchen so we can make anything, but I don't think it will be easy to bring just anything.
So what are some ideas you have for healthy yet easy foods to bring on vacation? We don't want to cook a full out 45 minute meal every day, but we also don't want to go out to eat 3 times a day. We are hoping that bringing our own food will save us money.
One thing I am worried about are foods that are supposed to be refridgerated. Sure we could bring some frozen prepared meals or frozen dinners, and sure we want to bring eggs and milk, but will those items last in a cooler for a 4 hour car ride?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
[question posted by vivasuzi]
responses and comments:
Ok heres what I do. Milk and eggs will make a trip across country as long as you add ice everyso often and pour off extra water from the cooler. I like to prepare my meals at home before I leave. Whether its camping or going on a road trip. Make up meals and then vacuum seal or use double zip baggies. Make as many meals as you can and then freeze them. They will provide some of the ice for your cooler and when you want to eat you just take and microwave the bags or put them in boiling water to heat. Use paper plates and everything can be tossed when your done eating. If done right you can plan each meal this way if you are willing to do some work in advance. Keep in mind that "full-kitchens" don't always include a full-sized refrigerator. You may have to keep the cooler handy for some things, but wouldn't it be nice to know that before you leave, all the meals are already prepared? Nice to see you vivasuzi and have fun on the trip. [DrMario]
We will probably bring our own pans and utensils b/c even if they have something there, I wouldn't know if I trust it to be clean. We shouldn't need many pots anyway :) I'm thinking of preparing a bunch of "microwave" or no-cook meals :) [vivasuzi]
Great point about the full kitchens having small refrigerators. That's always been my experience too. Or, full kitchen will be small fridge, two burner cooktop and a small microwave (no oven). I also look for accommodations that have a kitchen, though, to cut down on expense. They're generally awkward for cold storage. One thing that helps is to bring your dry goods/non-perishables and pick up the perishable items locally. I bring along the cereal, granola bars, oatmeal, oatmeal bars, muffins or muffin bars, instant coffee, canned sandwich spreads or meats that don't require refrigeration unless open, peanut butter, soups, juice, bread/wraps, fruit cups or puddings, pretzels/nuts or some snack foods, condiments, etc. (those vending machines or mini bars will kill ya LOL). Needless to say, breakfast is always covered LOL Actually, I always plan for breakfast and/or lunch in the room and, IF I'm going to go out to eat, it'll be at dinner. [thinkingoutloud]
The places I'm looking at actually specify what is in the kitchen including saying "full-sized" fridge, so i think I should be ok in that aspect. I keep forgetting to see if there are any stores local to where we are staying. The only trouble with that is... once we did that in florida and the local grocery store was so high priced! There were no chains around where we were. I'm definitley going to fill up the car with boxed and canned foods though. Thanks for the list of foods, that helps me think about what to bring. It's hard to plan for a week of food away from home. We will probably eat out once a day still, but at least it's better than eating out 3 times a day! [vivasuzi]
I´m sure that in 4 hours drive you will have a supermarket to buy some things. Eggs don´t have to be refrigerated and neither does pasteurized milk. Take (or buy on the way) enough to have every breakfast at the hotel. That means saving a lot and it´s nice. I make omelettes out of anything and it takes a few minutes to make them. Happy vacations [atacamaval]
You are right, I have to map my path and see where I will cross stores. I don't know why I thought I'd have to bring them all the way from home. We are going to try to do breakfast every day and then either lunch OR dinner every day. So eating out once a day still. We may eat out twice in one day if we are out the entire day, but if I can cut it down to 1 meal out a day that would be a big step for me! [vivasuzi]
Well, this might not be all that healthy but when we use to go camping (in a cottage with a refrigerator), I use to make a big batch of potato salad or macaroni salad and we had that to eat for a few days. It would go with just about anything you make including hamburgers, hot dogs, lunch meat. It lasts for quite a while as long as it's refrigerated. Don't know if that's what you had in mind but it worked for us and there was quite a few people. Also, you can always cut up vegetables (carrots, celery, radishes, mushrooms, green pepper, etc.) and keep them around for snacks. They also sell low fat dips which I'm sure you know already. Eggs do last for quite some time as long as they are refrigerated, so does milk and cheese. The four hour trip with ice should do fine with them. Have fun on your trip, hope this helps a little anyway. [Kashmeresmycat]
Well I don't eat chicken but my husband would appreciate something like that. He buys frozen cooked chicken strips that can be microwaved so I think I'll pack that. Seems like a lot of you go camping and bring all this food. I've been camping when I was younger, but I was never the one that had to worry about the food so I never even thought about where the food came from :) [vivasuzi]
What we actually do s don't take anything except for what we might need on the road and stuff that won't go bad. Then we find a grocery store, an actual grocery store with regular prices, and buy what we need for that week or whatever. This is what we always do because we don't want to bother with having to have ice, etc. That is a real pain. [coxjamir]
I will look at the area and see what grocery stores they have. I tried this in FL and the only grocery stores we found were WAY over priced. Since we are going to a small-town type area, I'm worried they won't have any regular grocery stores, but I'll look it up before I go to make sure. [vivasuzi]
Hi there....here's an example of what I did in our recent trip to another state with traveling time in the car for about 4 hours. I brought along our rice cooker to cook rice cooker meals. My husband and I did not go outside to eat but I cooked our own meals in our room. But I had to prepare a few stuff ahead for this trip. This is what I brought:- 1 rice cooker with a steamer insert. I packed 3 packets of rice in small plastics bags and 1 packet of macaroni tied in rubber band. (Will be cooking 4 meals for 4 days) Chopped onion, sliced mushroom, chopped garlic, mix vegetables,2 sliced sausages, 3 eggs wrapped in paper and put in a compact tupperware to prevent it from moving around so no breakage. Pepper, two cans of tune (1 in oil flakes, 1 in curry flavor), 1 can of spaghetti sauce, A piece of fried chicken meat all chopped into small pieces,2 pieces of cheese, rice ladle, 2 spoons. All ingredients are prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge in Tupperware FreezerMate Junior I and some in FreezerMate Medium I. With all these I cooked Tuna rice on our first meal + steam egg (using steamer insert) Chicken pasta in spaghetti sauce 2nd meal Garlic rice third meal Curry Tuna rice 4th meal + steam egg again using steamer insert) All the items were packed into a bag. There was a small fridge in our room so upon arrival, the first was I put all the tupperware packed ingredients into the fridge. Using the tupperware freezermates was great as after each ingredients was used up the container is washed wiped and kept. It is stackable so it was not space consuming. When we left the room, all food was eaten, all containers were washed and packed into the bag. All done in neat, clean and fast time. As the meals took only 15 minutes to cook with pre prepared ingredients. [eagle_f15]
Thanks for the tip! I do have a crockpot so that might be an option for us because we can prepare the items in advance and just toss it in when we are ready to eat. Thanks for sharing all the details, it gave me some new ideas on what to bring :) [vivasuzi]
I'd take some frozen spaghetti batches. (the sauce) The pasta is easy and quick to store and boil. You feel like you are still at home with a familiar meal, and the frozen tub actually cools your cooler as it thaws. I am assuming the kitchen has a microwave of course. Don't forget to take a Corning Ware for the sauce in the micro. The kitchen may even have such a thing? And a pot to boil water in. Mmmmm Spaghetti...I can eat it 3 meals a day if necessary, haha. Enjoy your break and be safe suzi! [plunketear]
We usually eat canned sauces anyway that don't need to be in the fridge, but spaghetti is something we could bring :) The kitchens I've been reading about say they have cooking supplies, but I still plan to bring some of my own b/c I don't know what kind of shape their supplies will be in. [vivasuzi]
I'd definitely bring milk, eggs, bread, and cereal. You can make breakfast with that already. Eating out should be okay for lunch and dinner, right? It\ll be nice to explore the town's eateries. I suggest looking for a local grocery and just buying these items instead of packing them with you. The price may not be so different. And you save yourself from worrying about spoilage on the road. [mimico]
We want to try limiting ourselves to one meal out of the hotel a day. Not only does eating out 2 times get pricey, we also get overstuffed that way. I do want to visit the local restaurants though, no point of a vacation if you don't visit the culture of the area :) [vivasuzi]
You can bring eggs, bread, oatmeal and cereals.. don't bring lots of things as it would be too hassle for you and your family.. i bet there's a supermarket near the hotel so just buy the things you needed for your vacation.. then on lunch and dinner, it's best if you go out with your family.. it's always nice to try out something new.. have fun! [gracie04]
There is only 2 of us so we actually have tons of room to pack food in the car. There may not be a grocery store, I have to check on that, because we are going to a small-town sort of place and I don't know if they even have large grocery stores or only small specialty ones. Thanks for the tips! [vivasuzi]
you should probably take non perishable items(or items that will last in a cooler) with you on the way... like bread,lunchmeat,processed chese,crackers,snack foods,fruits&veggies...etc) and buy the perishable items once you get where you're going.. walmart is everywhere : ) [mindymelena]
Yes I got many of those things on my list thanks :) Actually I think I might start a new discussion. We ended up booking a room that only has a fridge, I'm gonna ask this question again for different types of food! Thanks! [vivasuzi]