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With Spring Break quickly approaching, we're trying to get everything ready to head out on vacation! And as we're budgeting for the trip, I realized that the price of feeding our three hungry kiddos on the road will be astronomical, so I'm looking for a few ideas. What suggestions do you have for easy meals on the road?
We're staying in a cabin that includes a kitchen, but as I tried to come up with meals to prepare with only a few ingredients and not too much prep work, I realized that frozen pizza and spaghetti are about all I can come up with! (And it looks like the only grocery store in the town we're heading to is The Hungry Moose Market . . . do you think they'll take coupons?)
So send me your tips! What great meal plans do you prepare when away from home? Do you cook while traveling? Or what are your favorite ways to out inexpensively in other towns? (I just checked Restaurants.com and it looks like they may have one offer where we're at!) Leave a comment to share, and enter to win this weeks $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway.
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I always take muffins that I make from scratch for breakfasts (along with cereal), lunch meat for lunches. You make chicken salad and easily store it in a cooler!
1) whenever we go camping we either have hobos (basically potatoes, cheese, onions, veggies, and field roast – a type of fake meat – wrapped in tin foil) or tasty bites! (http://www.tastybite.com/shop).
2) done!
4)done!
We don’t change much from how we eat when at home. Since most of our vacations are roadtrips, I plan our menu and prep items to cook later including freezer items (transported in small insulated freezer chest on wheels). We also pick up specials in local groceries and plan 2 meals out (1 fast food with coupons) and 1 finer dining stop with a coupon or discounted certificate purchased online before leaving home. We usually bring 2 pans to cook in and the rest is provided by hotel where we stay.
lots of sandwiches with salad
Great post!! I love all the ideas! I will definitely be re-referencing this when we travel this summer!
I pack the crockpot!
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We either pack a meal or plan ahead where we will eat and print out some coupons before we go. My husband and I once ate at Chili’s for $5!
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We like to take the family fried chicken meal from the Publix deli with us… it’s 8 pieces of chicken, 2 pint sides (we usually go for the southern potato salad and baked beans) and a 4 pack of Hawaiian rolls. All you have to do is heat up the beans and you’re all set. I usually skip the roll, and we sometimes add another take away item from the deli… my kids are a bit bigger than yours! We also tried to remember to bring a picnic set of plates, cups and tableware, as we once ended up with a kitchen, but no plates or silverware!
We don’t eat out on vacation, maybe that is because our oldest is 4 and youngest is 10 months not worth money and well embarrassing moments in public. WE have a foodsaver which also helps a lot. For breakfast I will bake our bacon and sausage (best thing ever if you have never done, bake at 350 until done on a cookie sheet and I put mine on a cooling rack on the sheet pan so we get rid of some gease) and then I just put in ziploc bags ready to be used. I make up my pancake and biscuit recipe and put into ziploc bags with the milk/egg ratio on outside of it with a sharpie. I take fresh fruit and eggs, the kids to the omlet in a ziploc bag which they love. For lunch it is sandwich/hot dog. I will make enchiladas and bbq pork for some dinners. My favorite thing to do is grill chicken before we leave and then we have that for faijitas, chicken alfredo, chicken salad, stir fry, etc. I just have to take the sides to help and I will use the same veggies on many of those so I just either take frozen ones or the ready to eat washed fresh ones that steam in their own bag. Vaccumm sealing really adds to the life of everything and we freeze our water bottles and juice in cups to keep the cooler cold and not loose any space. Hope this helps!!!!
We never eat breakfast out. Usually it’s cereal, Poptarts, donuts (hey! it’s vacation!) and as a treat Dad will make a pancake breakfast. The best meal to eat out is lunch – same food, reduced prices and we’re usually out and about doing something. Otherwise, it will be a picnic lunch, which the kids love – sandwiches, sardines (my husband loves them), pb & crackers, fruit, cookies. For dinner, it’s best to take casseroles and other items you’ve frozen and prepared ahead or you could put a Boston butt in the corck pot (take with you) and have BBQ. We also do more convenience box prepared meals – instant potatoes, a canned vegetable. If you have a campfire or grill – make it hamburgers & hotdogs! I pack lots of snacks to take along – you can make cookies/brownies ahead, granola bars, raisins, cheese & crakcers, grapes and we munch on these throughout the day. We NEVER buy sodas when we’re out – I always take a 12pk along (sodas!) Another idea, depending on your family and how big of eaters they are – prepare a big breakfast and eat around 11:00 and then we’ll have dinner around 4:00 (some places it’s still lunch or wait just a little bit for Early Bird specials) and then maybe 8:00 we’ll have popcorn and snacks. Have a great vacation and please let us know what you plan or how you did! Love you on Facebook and grateful I can keep up with you there!
Northwest BBQ, most cabins have gas grills. Cedar Plank Salmon, Baked Potatoes and Salad. This is what we have for BBQ when ever we visit my family in Washington state. You can get cedar planks in the grill section of walmart or most grocery stores.
2 lbs Salmon
1 Terriaki 10 min marinade
6 Baking Potatoes
Baked Potato Toppings
2 Bags Salad
Salad Toppings
Fill the sink with water and put your planks in the water to soak, aprox 30 min. Cut the fish in serving size chunks (you can fit more on a plank this way to save money and smaller peices cook faster) and throw them in a zip lock back with marinate about 15 minutes. Poke the baked potatoes and put in the microwave until done. Wrap the potatoes in foil for the grill. Put the fish on the planks and then on the grill and put the potatoes on the grill with it. They will cook about 15 minutes. While they are cooking make your bagged salad. Sometime we have baked beans or sauted squash, zuchini, tomatoes and mushrooms with it but it is not needed. Anyway it is quick, 45 minutes from the time you start soaking the planks to done. It is also healthy and really good.
Yummmmm! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
We have a beachhouse (inherited!) and I’m the only woman there with 2-3 men and 3 kids every weekend in the summer. I don’t want to cook every weekend, I want to have fun instead. I make meals like from the book “Fix, Freeze, Feast” ..the basis is that you make about 3-4 meals at a time with bulk ingredients, freeze 2 and eat one..homemade convienece food..that you usually store in gallon sized ziploc bags in the freezer. This concept saves me time and money. We don’t go out to eat but maybe once all summer! This does require an oven at the vacation place, or at least a slow cooker. I subscribe on FB
We’re getting ready for spring break and I’ve been setting aside easy, free or cheap meal ideas that are in easily packed containers (like boxes and plastic jars). After making up a menu I realized I already have every meal except one covered, which means we’ll just go out for that one. As for the meals I planned: I got free V-8 soup last week and will use that with bread/rolls for an easy meal, zatarains red beans and rice with sausage added (I’ll get when there), pancake mix that only requires water that was free a month or so ago (I normally make my own from scratch, but this is way easier on vacation). Some of these are items I wouldn’t normally buy (because they’re more box mix type meals), but because they were free or super cheap and easy to pack and prepare, I’ve been setting them aside so we save a ton. It is also healthier than the mac and cheese my kids would beg for at a restaurant AND so much easier with little ones who have a hard time sitting still and waiting when they’re hungry.
I use e-mealz.com while on vacation. I already subscribe to their meal planning service, which is only $5/month. When I find a week’s menu that I LOVE, I save it and use it again on vacation. Their recipes are always delicious, family-friendly, and easy to prepare. The grocery list comes with the recipes and is organized so I can find everything in any grocery store. I actually PREFER to cook with e-mealz on vacation! It’s healthier, faster, and MUCH cheaper!
Maybe try spliting meals in resteraunts and just carrying “fillers” in the car. Fresh fruit, chips/crrackers, ceral bars. When traveling we always take breakfast meals…never dine in a resteraunt for those. When traveling 6-10 hours it is possible to just pack a picnic lunch. Sandwiches, etc…
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Restaurants.com is a great way to eat out cheaply – I always search the website to see what is available before we leave. As far as easy food – sandwiches and frozen dinners are easy.
We took a cross country trip about 4 years ago from Alabama along all the southern states to Oregon. We packed bread, pb & j and luncheon meat and chips. We would eat maybe a pop tart or cereal for breakfast and eat a big meal at lunch (cheaper) and my kids were still just at the age we could get some free meals for them. If we were low on food, we would try to find a hamburger place BUT out West alot of times there was not food to be found. (We ate lots of vienna sausages, pb & crackers & squeeze cheese – not healthy but food).Depending on where you go, sometimes I will go ahead and make up fajitas with everything peppers, onions & chicken and freeze them. Also you can freeze taco meat and you still have time for it to thaw out in the cooler before you get to your destination and just cook when you get there. Hope this gives you some ideas.
I love to make a big batch of chicken and bean enchiladas and take them FROZEN to the beach house. Usually it is enough for 2 nights. Also have taken a FROZEN (make at home) lasagne for another 2-3 nights worth of meals. Then we are only dealing with breakfast / lunch items and usually we eat out twice for supper. This really cuts back how much you spend at the store while on vacation. And if they are already made and frozen you just pull them out of the freezer and pop them into a cooler and then straight into the fridge when you arrive.
I know this is not as cheap as premaking homemade food like grilled chicken or hamburger patties but I like to use prepared food from the grocery store (ie barbeque pork, hot dogs, frozen grilled chicken, precooked sausage patties). It is cheaper than eating out and gives me a break so I am not “cooking” for everyone on the trip!
I check groupon and other daily deal sites for the area I’m visiting to get cheap meals.
Hamburgs, Hot Dogs, Tacos
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We stick the value menus at fast food restaurants when we’re on the road. Not the healthiest but certainly is budget friendly for us.
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While on the road we try to pack bread and lunch meat and cheese in a small cooler. Our last trip ended up taking longer than planned however so we needed to come up with a second meal. We stopped at McDonalds. We bought 6 cheeseburgers (1 for each family member) 2 drinks and 1 large fry. We had more than enough to eat and left for under $20 for our family of 6! McDonalds was not ideal, but it was cheap!
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Most dreaded chore: cleaning the baseboards… 🙁
I also try to look for the “kids eat free” deals and search for coupons. I also will bring lots of “sides” like bananas, grapes, baby carrots, chips, trail mix, etc and then purchase the “main dish” (burger, subway sandwich) for lunch or dinner.
With 5 kids my husband and I prefer staying at places with kitchens so that we can cook rather than eat out. A popular and simple meal for us is Sloppy Joes/Manwiches. The ingredients are basic and it doesn’t take long to prepare. I serve them with fries. Another is “homemade” Tuna Helper – Mac & Cheese from a box mixed with cans of drained tuna (one 5 oz can of tuna per box of mac and cheese) and broccoli. We usually have garlic bread with it.
I’ve found that for vacation recipes I have to make sure that a recipe doesn’t have too many ingredients, that it uses up all of the ingredients (don’t want half of something weird leftover) and that it uses common cookware to make.
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Eating on vacation: eating out for lunch is cheaper than dinner. Packing a breakfast casserole, or a loaf of bread, some PB&J, or some lunch meats works well too. Bring juice boxes, fresh fruit, water, yogurt, cereal, milk, oatmeal, for quick and easy breakfasts.
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The chore that I hate the most would have to be changing the sheets. However, I love crawling into a bed with clean sheets.
When we travel from TN to MA, we split it up the driving over two days. The first day I boiled water and poured it over hot dogs in a thermos to have for lunch. I brought fruit and chips along with the little packets of condiments. I made tuna and egg salad to make sandwiches for the second day along with the remaining chips and fruit to go with it. For breakfast I poured different cereals into baggies and brought along milk. I used plastic cups as bowls since I already had those for the drinks. I have four children so we didn’t have much leftover. As far as meals while on vacation, I like to bring what I can from home to save. I make tacos, spaghetti, burgers, hotdogs, pork chops, basically anything that can be grilled. I hope you have a great trip!!
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if we are driving i always bring my crockpot and meal plan that way. i hate cooking on vacation while everyone else has fun. if we fly i make lots of snacks and bring oatmeal for breakfast but put myself at the mercy of local restaurants.
On vacation I usually take as much food as I can fit in the van. With all of the Publix Italian Days sales going on right now I would suggest taking Pasta, jarred sauces, and Progresso Soup!
Breakfast, I make the pancakes and french toast ahead of time. I also pre-cook the sausage and bacon. Then all you have to do is warm it up. Can do the same with scrambled eggs.
Get some Hbrg buns and make some meat and cheese sand for lunch. Freeze them. They will thaw just in time for your lunches.
Have fun!
I have always cooked on vacation to make it affordable. We often make tortilla or english muffin pizzas using canned spaghetti sauce , cheese and veggies . Bean burittos are another good choice with chips and salsa. you can buy the refried beans, use cheese and salsa. Hotdogs and beans with Jiffy cornbread also is a good meal. Maccaronni and cheese with veggies and tuna or chicken from a can is another fast and easy meal. The end of the week was usually ommellettes or pasta using up all the bits and pieces. When we took my niece with us once this was her favorite meal:) Breakfasts can be oatmeal, cold cereal, cinnamon toast, grilled PBJ’s, with cinnamon rolls from a tube being a favorite treat. Lunches were usually soup, sandwatches, Easy rice mixes with veggies and meat added (could also use noodle mixes this way), canned chunky soup over rice or noodles, etc. I made these meals special by serving an appetizer such as cheese and crackers, veggies with dip, fruit with dip, apples and peanut butter, etc. and then always had a sweet to end it (rare at hom) such as icecream, cookies, brownies, etc. Even when given a chance my family usually opted for cooking where we were rather than going out.
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Sweeping…If I could find a way to keep floors clean and not have sweep that would be lovely.
We always vacation in the TN mountains and rent a cabin with a full kitchen. We usually will eat lunch out only once and that is to eat at Fanny Farkles in downtown Gatlinburg. We always eat breakfast at the cabin, bacon and the bottled pancake mix (all you do is add water), also I will buy the frozen biscuits and make tomato gravy and bacon. I will not go to the grocery store there since the only one is Walmart in Pigeon Forge and it is typically more expensive…in fact, the only thing we have EVER bought at that Walmart has been snow chains. For lunch, we have sandwiches or the skillet sensations meals…super easy and not too heavy. However, we always eat dinner out and we will take in a couple of dinner shows. I always take a cooler with drinks and frozen cold food and normally a box with dry or canned food. We stop just north of Atlanta and buy some fresh fruit and veggies at a farmers market.
We stay where breakfast is provided and I add in milk, microwavable bacon, etc. For lunch, I love to pack lots of Publix deli chicken tenders. They are good cold and I bring Publix dipping sauces for the kids. Add in fresh fruit like grapes, bananas, or apples and a wedge of cheese. For dinner, we will go out and usually have enough left overs for the next night’s dinner. So, we usually eat out every other day at least. To keep cost down when dining out, eat appetizers in your hotel room like bakery bread dipped in EVOO and spices, cheese and crackers, or nachos and salsa. We bring lots of boxed juices and bottled water. If you want the experience of eating out but even cheaper, do the opposite. Eat out for an appetizer and then go back to the room for dinner.
You are on vacation, so eating out a little is lots of fun. After all, look at all the savings we do each week!
I think your safest and cheapest way to eat while vacationing is to only focus on two meals a day and snacks. Let the kids have fun and pick out their very own cereal for the vacation, milk is usually ALWAYS available somewhere and take some fruit that travels well like oranges and apples. For lunch, you can usually stock up on bread, sandwhich meat and condiments. Again, let the kids get involved by having them pick their favorite chips or crackers. Snacks always travel best. For dinner, just enjoy vacation and eat out!
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I think breakfast is one of the easiest things to take with you when you travel. Cereal, donuts, pop tarts, breakfast bars, make sausage biscuits ahead, freeze and then just reheat.
Lunch you can make sandwiches, wraps, sloppy joes, hot dogs. Make soup and freeze to take with you.
Dinner I brown hamburger meat and cook chicken ahead and freeze. Then it makes mealtime prep easy.
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most dreaded household chore – doing dishes.
We don’t cook while on vacation, I try to search for restaurant deals, like happy hour, kids eat free, internet coupons before vacation.
Tacos can be a fairly easy vacation meal. You should be able to get reasonable portions of all ingredients for cheap. Hamburgers or something on the grill would be good too–it would let you stay outside for longer!
You can also consider cooking something for 3 or 4 suppers and then using your last day there as a leftovers meal.
But it is vacation, and if you’ve budgeted for it you should definitely go out to eat at least once!
I love to cook on vacation. I try to find recipes that some items can be put together at home. When I am making breakfast I will put all of my dry ingredients together for biscuits or pancakes in a plastic container. This is easily transported. I have also packed a few meat items in a marinade to be frozen before my trip. Then I pack them in my cooler so when I get there I have my meat marinated and ready to go. Vegetables can be easily transported in their frozen bags as well. I also like to cook many meals ahead of time to put into the freezer and these transport easily.
Do I cook on vacation!!! We do a family vacation the week of Spring Break to a lake on the GA/AL line. When I say family, I’m talking the 3 of us (and a friend with my daughter) plus 12 other family members. We all have campers and spend the week crappie fishing. I cook at least twice a day for the 4 of us plus we do some large meals all together. I normally do cook and freeze stuff like spaghetti sauce, brunswick stew, veggie soup, and chili a couple of weeks before we go to have to just throw in the crockpot for lunch. I put it on when we head out in the mornings and it’s ready at lunch. I will be married 20 yrs the end of March (our anniversary normally falls one of the days during that week) and would not trade the family memories we make every year for anything.
Hope, I would love it if you could post that pizza casserole for me to see! I am going to the beach in a couple of weeks and would love to make that for dinner! Thanks!
We do the opposite of most people; we go out for lunch & eat sandwiches or frozen pizza for dinner. Lunch prices are usually cheaper than the dinner menu, plus there is not as big a wait for a table.
I hate putting away dishes. I always make my kids do it.
We will bring our crockpot for dinner meals and eat out for lunch. We also have lots of fruit and fresh vegatables in the fridge for snacks.
Bring a crockpot it’ll save you a headache
Most dreaded chore, mopping! With all hardwoods and tile it is quite a chore.
When we head to the beach, we do cook. Mainly because we want to spend every minute we can out there. Then, we come in shower, put on pajamas and have dinner. Loads of fun in the evening watching movies and having game nights.
We never do anything hard. I am known to stock up on a stoffer’s lasagna, maybe a couple of frozen chicken pot pies. But, I also prep a casserole or two here and carry it down frozen. I just buy the basic staples when we get in town. Lunches are sandwiches, hot dogs and homemade pizzas. The kids enjoy the laid back atmosphere!
Plus, we have been known to enjoy some of the scenic rest stops to stop and have picnic lunches for one of the meals when we are on the road there and back. This is no matter where our destination is. If the weather is good, we prefer this over a restaurant as it gives a chance to move outside for a bit! Restaurants just mean another place the kids are supposed to contain themselves. The rest stops are a great place to take a few minutes and throw around a frisbee while I get everything set up.
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cleaning the showers!
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While on vacation, we eat breakfast and lunch at “home.” My husband usually insists on eating dinner out to give me a break…or is it to get a break from my cooking? Hmmm. Before leaving on vacation, I do research on good local restaurants with nice deals such as kids eat free. Local blogs are great for that!
Dusting is by far my least favorite household chore.
I cook almost everything on vacation. Our typical drive is 7 hours long. I pack as much food as possible into the car.We have one of those 5 day coolers which keep things frozen a little better. I throw in eggs, meats, dairy products. My kids aren’t super picky but for lunch/dinner we have sandwiches, PB&J, Hot dogs, tacos, Salmon patties (canned salmon), hamburgers, Canned chicken with noodles, fresh fruit, spaghetti (canned sauce like Hunts or tomato paste and premeasured dry seasonings). Honestly I don’t know that I’ve ever done frozen pizza… I’d probably do a jiffy pizza crust, a can of tomato paste + seasoning, cheese and other topping because it would take up less space. I do buy the small containers of condiments and bring oil and flour and everything in smaller containers.
For the road trip in the car, I pick up some markey pantry meat sticks at target for about 3.69 and then some cheese sticks, crackers, fruit (buddy fruits are good but $$$) and drinks. We rarely stop to eat. Pre-assembled sandwiches in bags are also good.
Have fun and be careful!
We do cook on vacation – quite often. Our meals vary as to weather we are driving or flying. If driving, I pack a big cooler of things I have cooked ahead of time and frozen. For instance – I make breakfast casserole. I pre-fry and season my sausage and bacon…put other needed seasonings in a bag, throw a bag of shredded cheese from the freezer in the cooler and then all I have to buy is eggs and bread to make that complete. I also take spag sauce…and buy some frozen cheese ravioli and a bag of lettuce. I take with me salad dressing and croutons to go with it or a can of veggies. I also make an upside down pizza casserole that can be made completely and frozen in a ziploc bag. When you get there, you dump it in a 9×13 pan and buy a can of refrigerated pizza crust – roll it out on top and bake it. If you don’t take a cooler it makes things SO much harder for meal prep. Just a few ideas…let me know if you want the upside down pizza casserole recipe! Thanks!
please share this upside down pizza recipe?
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I would like the upside down pizza recipe also
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I know everyone’s wanting your pizza recipe Hope, so I’m sending you an email now hoping you’ll see it and send it on over (sounds fabulous!)
Me too, please!
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The one bonus at the Hungry Moose market is no sales tax! We go to Bozeman at least once a year. Have fun! It is a LONG way to travel with kids! It took us 14 hours to get home last winter after our flight was cancelled the day prior! We went to Bridger Bowl to ski. You’ll have a great time! It is SO beautiful there.
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The cabins we go to in TN have grills provided so I always prep grilling food like burgers, kabobs, etc. before we go so I can I just throw some food on the grill. I also prep items for a breakfast casserole before we go so I only need to combine things and pop it in the oven. Enjoy your trip!