cheap dining ideas...

[mrsmouse]

i'd like to begin a thread on "cheap" or inexpensive dining ideas.

we're going in april, and splurged on a 3 day cruise at the end of our stay. we need to budget, budget, buget! the beginning of our trip is 6 nights staying in a cottage/suites hotel that does have a full kitchen. ( REMEMBER, this mom is on vacation TOO!) we'll take afternoon breaks, pack snacks, etc.

Some ideas and experiences we've had in the past...

breakfast will be easy from the suite, cereal, bagels, eggs maybe.

we discovered Jungle Jim's at Crossraods last visit and greatly appreciated the $1.99 kids' meals and 1/2 price drink specials. has anyone been there recently for a price update?

also, there was a delicious italian restaurant at Crossraods, also, "paesanos" I think? We discovered that with a wdw4adults coupon back in '98. no more coupons, though. :( but, they were pretty reasonable as i recall.

i'm wondering about other GOOD off-site restaurants or pizza or chinese food places.

also, any few ingredient easy & quick meals to prepare at the hotel?

can't wait to hear your ideas?

thanks in advance!

[MulanMom]

Offsite we've enjoyed Pebbles and Pizzeria Uno, located at the Crossroads. Long ago, there was a place along 192, north of I4, that was called Fiorello's (?). Had good pizza and Italian food there, nothing fancy. Don't know if it's still there.

Sharon

[hockey mom]

We like chilis, ok I like the 2 for 1 margarita deal. For a family of 5 our bill is never over $40.

[Pink Flamingo]

For a cheap, quick & easy meal what about spaghetti with some garlic bread & a salad? You could buy a jar of spaghetti sauce & a thing of frozen garlic bread. Add a bag salad & you have a filling meal (lots of carbs too to keep that energy level up).

[2minnies]

We've purchased Orlando entertainment books for our visits. We get our money back easily with the buy one - get one free coupons. Visit www.entertainment.com for more info.

[Girls Scout Leader]

You failed to mention if you were driving, flying, or have you own transportation while there. If you are flying and being picked up by disney transportation, try mailing yourself a package ahead of time. Start a month or so before you go, that every time you grocery shop, add another box of cereal, crackers and "canned cheese", Little Debbie, granola bars or milk & cereal bars, zip top bags for packing in snacks, etc. A week before you go, mail it to your resort with a "keep for guest so-and-so arrival date..." Saves space packing or time at the grocery stop. :)

[mrsmouse]

great ideas! let's keep this up!

BTW we're flying. i thought to order from netgrocer.com and have some groceries delivered to the resort... but not mailing them to myself!

the pasta dinner is also a great idea!

any others?

bumpin' this up for more!

[MulanMom]

Regarding the pasta dinner, we do that as well, but with a twist. We will usually splurge a little and buy the fresh pasta and fresh sauce available in the gourmet section of the store. Though more expensive than a box of sphagetti and a jar of Prego, it saves money over eating at a restaurant yet it still different than what you would have at home.

Another thought, on vacation, we often find we get a lot of leftovers, which are great for lunch or dinner later in the week. We usually have a lunchbag with ice or frozen juice boxes in it within a diaper bag or backpack while touring, so we can usually stuff a leftover in there if we know it'll be a few hours before we'll be back to the room.

If you are a wine lover, bring your own bottle opener. We've found sometimes they are either missing or are very poor at opening the bottle (rendering the cork useless as a stopper top).

Sharon

[danacath]

You can also try bagels for lunch for a break from the usual sandwich fare. You can make a meal out of bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit and baby carrots. For supper, we've done individual Banquet pot pies. They're so cheap and so easy! I usually nuke some extra frozen veggies and add them to everyone's pie to sneak in some extra nutrition. ;) Add a can of chilled fruit or jar of applesauce to finish the meal and you're all set. Another easy meal is canned soup and bagged salad and/or fresh fruit. Again, I would add some of the frozen veggies to the soup, too, to give it a boost. Obviously, a lot will depend on whether you're cooking for picky eaters or not. My 3 kids are great eaters, so that alone makes mealtime a breeze. Anyway, hope this helps!

[Thumper's Dad]

Get a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts, bag of frozen 'stirfry' veggies (some even include a sauce/seasoning packet) and some Minute Rice.

A bit of thawing, brown and slice up a couple chicken breasts, a quick boiling of water for the rice and a few tosses in a hot lightly oiled skillet and you have a quick, nutritious and delicious stir-fry supper. Add a bagged salad and cookies for dessert and VOILA!:bounce:

Another idea: if you can get access to a crockpot (send or take your own?), just throw meat, veggies, canned soup or sauce, etc. in the pot in the morning before you leave and set it on low to medium heat. Supper is ready when you get back. You can even use a chuck roast, carrots, potatoes, can of whole tomatoes and some onion. Hey, what's wrong with pot-roast on vacation?:)

[mrsmouse]

Thanks for all the great ideas! There is a great thread from Belle that is worth adding to this thread. Thanks Belle!



http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=149446

[momof2boyz2girlz]

I just remembered, when we went to blizzard beach I saw a woman with a bag of bagels, and a jar of goober(peanut butter with jelly stripes) and she was making sandwiches right there with a plastic knife!!! I had never thought of that but kids hate soggy pb&J and this was a quick, cheap and easy way to feed them there(not to mention time saving since the lines are long for food).

[Super Mom]

Check out the Orlando Sentinel website for printable coupons for local restaurants. When we went in October there were pages and pages of coupons. You can also get lots of coupons for local restaurants when you call for the orlando travel guide that they advertise on tv.

[disney0928]

We save a lot on our drinks during the day. We stay onsite, and have the refillable mugs, so we use those anytime we're at the resort. We then take them to the parks with us, and rinse them out. The counter serve places will give you free cups of ice, then we add premeasured Kool-Aid lemonade mix and some water from the water fountain. Cool, refreshing, and FREE! Plus, I only buy the drink mix when it goes on sale buy-one-get-one-free. You wouldn't believe how fast the cost of drinks add up during the day in the parks!

We also stay at FW a lot. Cabins and tenting both. Having the grill or the full kitchen in the cabin is great! Meals we do often are: spaghetti, chicken fajitas in the Reynolds bag, and english muffin pizzas. Plus the standard cook out fare.

[juicefruit00]

Thumper's Dad

What a great idea. It sounds like a great idea to mail my crockpot to my resort. While we are at the parks the food will be cooking. That is what i do while we are working anyway.

[karyn]

mrsmouse

How about franks with mac and cheese with fresh or canned pineapple. Maybe cheeseburger/ hot dog night with fries and a bagged salad might work. Fairly cheap and very easy.

[mrsmouse]

What great ideas!!!

I decided to collect some things before I go... if my grocery bag gets too large I'll mail it down there.
I found individual filter coffee packs at my Odd Job for $0.25 a pack. I've also set aside a couple of my daughters' favorite easy lunches, the Easy Mac and Ragu microwave pasta packets. Why buy a whole box down there when we might only use 1 or 2? Also, those lunchable dessert packs, cookie and brownie with icing and sprinkles, were on sale for $1.34 for 2! When I have to say no to the bakery cookie or to dessert a dinner... voila! I never buy those regularly. I think I'm going to have to have a few ideas for meals , see what the kitchen has to offer as far as pots, etc., and what I find easily at the grocery store. Do they have whole roasted chickens in Goodings?

Also, I came across a coupon book I must have reuested from Holiday Inn Maingate East website. In it I found coupons for restaurants like Houlihan's and Pizzaria Uno for kids meals for free or $0.99! Also, pizza coupons for Dominos and Flippers(I guess a local pizza joint, never heard of them but their prices are right!).

Thanks again! I'm waiting a bit longer to copy and paste this.

[karyn]

I believe i have seen chickens in Goodings plus alot of other goodies.. They are more expensive than Publix but if that the place that is convenient for you than go for it. A soup / sandwich night might work also. The left over cold cuts might work for a snack or lunch in the park the next day if you bring a cooler bag . Have fun!

I see you might ship. If you don't have much luggage i just pack a sturdy box , label with your flight and don't seal it until they inspect at the airport.I tell them it is a condo box. I know it's work but it saves you from going to UPS. Our box was always there on the arrival. I did this going to Florida and Grand Bahama Islands.

[momof2boyz2girlz]

Here is a little trick I use all the time that makes for quick and easy meals. When you buy ground beef for tacos, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce etc., as soon as you get home brown it all. Then drain in a colander, run hot water over it and let the water drain out. Then put it in a ziploc(in the amount you would use for dinner) and freeze it. Then when you want to use it, you just put it in the pan and add manwich or taco seasonings etc. It only takes a few minutes extra for it to thaw out. This is also a calorie saver since you drain and rinse every bit of fat off of it. I do this often when ground chuck is on sale. It also takes up less room in your freezer than freezing it in the package uncooked.

[wmears13]

Here's an idea we did this summer:

Grab a bag of Ceasar Salad (includes lettuce and dressing), a bag of already prepared chicken strips, and a package of flour tortillas. Put some salad mix on the tortillas, add some chicken strips and top with dressing. Wrap 'em up. Now you have the hotel room version of Chicken Ceasar Wraps!

[pooh2001]

We have done a simple dinner of 2 cans of tuna, some mayo (no refrig - throw away
left over from a small jar), and some fruit (and bread if you wish). Total cost - under
$10.

We do the tuna dinner twice a week. Major savings.

ALWAYS - Breakfast in the room (bagels, cereal, pop tarts).
My only exception is if we acquire Cindy's for breakfast and our last
breakfast before we leave.

Bring our own water bottles and most snacks.
Use the refillable mugs program.
We also bring our own paper goods to the hotel.

I hope the above gives the budget wise some ideas :)

[roadtripper]

Hi all--
My sister-in-law just turned me on to a cheap, easy, delicious breakfast ( I would even cheat and have these for dinner). She buys blueberry muffin mixes and mixes them with milk until they are pancake consistency, and makes blueberry pancakes! They are so good, you don't need butter or syrup or anything...but by all means, indulge, you're on vacation! I plan to pack my electric fry pan for these babies (we're driving from MA in fifteen days whoo hoo!)

[mrsmouse]

Those chicken ceasar wraps sound so good and sooo easy!!

Thanks so much everybody!

[loriandmatt]

i am a big crockpot fan!!!

I took mine to disney last fall (we drove) and saved a bundle. (We did eat some meals out, but the few meals we ate in the room or from the crock pot saved us lots of cash!!)

some simple things i make in my CP....

- meatballs and sauce....have meatball subs one meal and if staying in place with a fridge, have the leftovers another meal over spagetti.

- Mac and cheese (we add ham to ours to make a one dish meal) cooked noodles, jar of cheesewiz and a bit of milk OR subsitute cheesewiz with velveeta.

- mexican chicken...(a bit of prepwork here, but a nice filling FUN meal) cooked, cubed chicken breasts (@3), large jar of salsa (as hot or mild as you like), can of cream of mushroom soup, some chicken broth or water. Line bottom of crockpot with tortilla (sp?) chips, pour chicken mixture of above ingred over chips, top with another layer of chips. CP on low for as long as needed. (when prepairing, add more or less water/broth depending on how long unitl you eat. if going to be gone for very long - may want to add more water or broth so it won't dry out) We serve topped with grated cheese with a nice side of chips for scooping, but could also be served over rice. Serves @ 6

good luck and hope these helped a bit.

-lori

[Mrs. Snowgod]

Sweet & Sour Meatballs - buy the fozen pre-made italian style meatballs, or Kielbasa if you prefer. Make a sauce of Chili sauce and grape jelly (equal parts). This stuff is so good, people can't believe you make it with grape jelly and chili sauce. If you prefer a milder version, you can substitute ketchup for the chili sauce.

[DeeP]

Snowgod,
Your post made me laugh. I make the Sweet & Sour meatballs every Christmas Eve for our family party and people rave about them. I orginally got the recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook and used to make the meatballs homemade then one year I was running behind and just used the frozen and everyone still raved about them, so now I just use the frozen meatballs! I am almost embarrassed to tell people the recipe when they ask because it is soooooo easy! I just melt the chili sauce and grape jelly in the crock pot and then dump in the frozen meatballs, stir it all up and let it cook. By the time the party starts the meatballs are ready and every year they are all eaten up without one left over!