{If you like this post, check out Meal Plaaning On Vacation, Part 2: Save Money, Eat Healthy, and Stay Out of the Kitchen!, what our meal planning looks like when we go camping and how we plan to eat healthy foods on road trips. }
You will often find me in the kitchen the day before we go on a trip. I am cooking and baking, preparing in advance what I would usually make over the course of several days for many meals. This is true for trips to the beach, camping trips, and to a smaller degree, even being on the road to visit friends and family.
I have three small children so I have to balance their needs with my kitchen goals, but my kitchen island is my base of operations for the day. Part of the day they pitch in and help, and part of the day they stay busy playing or doing other activities to keep them occupied.
Before this kitchen work day, we decide what kinds of foods we would like to eat for each meal (not just dinner). I get several ideas to make a general framework of options rather than a strict schedule of what we will eat when.
Next, I make a thorough list detailing what I need to buy, what I need to prep, and the meal ideas themselves. List in hand, we make a grocery store run together.
The point of a vacation is to relax and savor time together as a family. And while I enjoy cooking, I do not want to be in the kitchen a lot when I am on vacation– I want to be splashing in the water with my kids and taking walks on the beach with my husband.
Remembering this helps me to create those lists of what to buy and what to eat. I want fast, convenient food without sacrificing nutrition. We prefer not to eat out for a majority of our meals because it’s not easy on our bodies nor our wallets to do so. At the same time I know that we will default to grabbing something out if what is available at “home” isn’t simple, fast, and appealing.
I am willing to spend the extra time in the kitchen and a little extra money at the store buying healthy convenience foods because I know it will be worth it.
Before the Trip Preparations
What to Make:
- fresh salsa
- cookies (chocolate chip pecan and white chocolate and cranberry)
- everything bagels
- pie dough (freeze)
- angel hair pasta (freeze)
- corn tortillas, to fry later for taco shells (freeze)
- flour tortillas (freeze)
- yogurt
What to Buy/Pack:
(*items we already had on hand)
- hummus
- fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, grapes)
- frozen fruit for smoothies*
- milk
- eggs
- maple syrup*
- spinach
- cheese (cheddar, parmesan*, feta*, and babybel)
- tortilla chips
- lettuce
- heavy cream
- fresh vegetables (brussells sprouts, cauliflower, snap peas, bell peppers, onions)
- vacuum packed sourdough bread loaves (one of my newest favorite finds at Costco!)
- snap pea crisps
- salami*
So what meals does this list translate into? Below is a basic idea of our menu plan for the week. We also ate out a couple of times for dinner and for lunch.
General Meal Plan for Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Breakfasts
- everything bagels, (usually as bagel sandwiches with egg and cheddar cheese on a buttered, toasted bagel), and green smoothies
- french toast and bacon (we bought a loaf of bread and bacon while we were here)
- veggie omelets and sourdough toast
- eggs and breakfast buffet (choice of leftover pancakes from home, leftover french toast, the last bagel, pie for the boys)
- eggs, bacon, and sourdough toast
Lunches
I wanted food that could be prepared in a short amount of time when we got back from the beach.
- Hummus with carrot sticks, snap peas, and pita chips; green smoothies
- Avocado, spinach and cheese quesadillas; grapes; tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole
- salami, babybel cheese, snap pea crisps, grapes
- salad
Snacks
- yogurt with fresh strawberries
- fresh fruit
- snap pea crisps
- cookies
Dinners
The goal was to enjoy lots of fresh seafood while we could!
- fish tacos and corn on the cob
- shrimp and scallops pasta primavera; strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert
- bratwurst with peppers and onions, roasted cauliflower and brussells sprouts, and garlic sourdough toast
- red drum (caught by my father-in-law!) and vegetable sides
Many women meal plan as a way to serve their families by saving money, by providing healthy food around the table, and by preventing the stress that can happen when you don’t know what to cook. Meal planning on vacation serves the same purpose.
No two families eat the same foods all the time. As wives and mothers we need to figure out what best serves our own families in the various seasons of life that we find ourselves in. I share this list to hopefully give encouragement that it can be done (to whatever degree you’re able) and to hopefully give you some ideas in case you are in a meal planning rut.
As always, take what you find helpful, feel free to ask any questions, and don’t worry about the rest!
{If you like this post, check out Meal Plaaning On Vacation, Part 2: Save Money, Eat Healthy, and Stay Out of the Kitchen!, what our meal planning looks like when we go camping and how we plan to eat healthy foods on road trips. }
Teresa says
Lisa, you are an inspiration to me in so many ways. We are about to take a three day trip in which I don’t want to spend a lot. I want to take most of our food from home, and only go eat out once. My question is, how do you pack your food, for the car, and the same vacation week? I’m not sure if we will have a fridge, we may just end up in a hotel room. I think most of the food will spoil even if we bring a cooler. Do you have any posts or thoughts about this part?
Teresa
Melanie Redd says
I want to come and eat on your vacation! What a great bunch of ideas and tips!
I found your post today on Modest Mom.
I’m sharing it on Pinterest and Twitter.
Hope you have a blessed day~
Melanie
Lisa says
Thank you for your comment and for sharing! I would totally share our vacation food if it meant I got to go on vacation!
Vicky McLellan says
Do you have the recipe for the fish tacos posted somewhere? They look delish!
Lisa says
I adapted the recipe from this one (http://www.organicgardening.com/cook/grilled-fish-tacos?cm_mmc=pinterest-_-OrganicGardening-_-Content-Cook-_-grilledfishtacos). They were really great– definitely a new beach tradition for my family!
Melanie says
Great stuff and I love the lunch ideas! Gonna have to try them. I look forward to the meal planning while camping. We are hoping to go sometime so that will be helpful. The veggie sides photo looks delicious! What all did you use for that?
lisaburns3 says
Melanie,
I tossed tomatoes, cauliflower and asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper then roasted them at 425 until they were just tender, about 12 minutes. It’s one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. It is incredibly simple and really makes the flavor of the vegetable shine.
Melanie says
Great stuff and I love the lunch ideas! Gonna have to try them. I look forward to the meal planning while camping. We are hoping to go sometime so that will be helpful. The veggie sides photo looks delicious! What all did you use for that?
lisaburns3 says
Melanie,
I tossed tomatoes, cauliflower and asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper then roasted them at 425 until they were just tender, about 12 minutes. It’s one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. It is incredibly simple and really makes the flavor of the vegetable shine.