Cooking at resort/TS ideas

[jm106]

I see many people suggest cooking in their resort or time share. We have 4 day stay WBC which I am going to try to add a day or 2 to.) I am wondering how much cooking we would really do being busy with activities (but not packed since its only 1 disney day this trip.) I love to cook but I also enjoy room service and pool side/dining out but costs add up.
What are your favorite meals to cook that do not require a ton of shopping?
Trying to think of what to pack as far as seasonings, spices and non perishables(we eat mostly whole foods but I know I can modify if I can get ideas.)
We will have some busy days and trying for some resort time as well.
TIA

 

[greenclan67]

I see many people suggest cooking in their resort or time share. We have 4 day stay WBC which I am going to try to add a day or 2 to.) I am wondering how much cooking we would really do being busy with activities (but not packed since its only 1 disney day this trip.) I love to cook but I also enjoy room service and pool side/dining out but costs add up.
What are your favorite meals to cook that do not require a ton of shopping?
Trying to think of what to pack as far as seasonings, spices and non perishables(we eat mostly whole foods but I know I can modify if I can get ideas.)
We will have some busy days and trying for some resort time as well.
TIA

One of our favourites is getting a pre cooked whole chicken, grab grated cheese bags, shredded lettuce bags, tomatoes, peppers, sour cream and wraps for tacos, fajitas. We will have these for dinner one night and a lunch. We also buy lunch meat, buns, pickles, veggies & dip. The nights we eat in we eat smaller meals. Plus I can't handle the sodium from rest food all the time. I also do stir fry. I bring rice from home, buy my veggies & meat and a stir fry sauce, dbl it and use it for a lunch and dinner. We stay for 2 weeks thoug . Good luck.

 

[CanadianChickie]

We just make breakfast (toast, cereal, yogurt, eggs, fruit). Pack lunches (fruit, veggies, sandwiches or wraps) and eat out dinner. I do like the pre-cooked chickens for sandwich meat. The first time we went I found we spent too much on groceries and then did not use it. Usually we go for 10-12 days, our upcoming trip is only a week so I've pre-made a small grocery list as do not want to over spend. If the airline we are using did not charge so much for luggage I would bring some foods from home which I have done on other vacations where groceries are pricey (Bahamas)

I am on holidays so do want to eat out a bit! I find US serving sizes are so large we often can use leftovers for lunches or will eat the leftovers for dinner every few days. I don't want to spend a lot on ingredients to cook that will then be left over as only use a portion.

Our friends who were on a tight budget just did really simple meals like hot dogs, frozen pizza, pasta etc which I personally do not care for.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

The first time we went, we ended up bringing a LOT of food home in the cooler. The second time, I just got simple breakfast and snack food, the stuff to make spaghetti one night, and some chicken nuggets / fries. The night it rained cats and dogs, we ended up sending me to buy overpriced frozen dinners at the main bldg. If you want to make muffins (we do this fairly often) take your own tins or get disposable ones at the store.

This time, I think I will do the same as last time, except adding sandwich stuff. The sandwich stuff will easily go home in a small drinks cooler and will save me from the rainy walk if we run out of "real" food. Restaurant leftovers will also figure into our menu if we eat at the resort.

 

[jm106]

I also dont want to spend a lot and have it go to waste. We are flying so I cant bring perishables back home. I appreciate the ideas. Thanks.

 

[coastgirl]

We also take advantage of ready-to-eat foods. Part of the fun of travel is restaurants, but I also enjoy trying grocery store items we wouldn't usually. We are from Canada, so find a lot of things we can't get at home. The only thing I bring from home is our brand of tea bags, which has a stronger flavour than we can generally buy elsewhere. We'll be in a house for a week, and have located a bulk food store where we can pick up a few things like spices, baking powder (for homemade pancakes) and things like that for a fraction of the cost of a grocery store package. You probably don't want to bother with that, but for our week it'll be worth it (and probably fun to check out a store we haven't been to yet!).

 

[HopperFan]

I agree it's very easy to over purchase food, even when we try not too. Think about foods that have multi-purposes. We like breakfast a few times so eggs are a good one, as days go on and if we think we won't need breakfast again we hard boil them and toss in our backpack for the park or one evening make some egg salad we can have sandwiches. Tomato and Lettuce are good multi-purpose for tacos, salad, sandwich toppers. Bacon can go with breakfast or a BLT. While we don't necessarily want to cook we want foods there that can be a meal if we head in early or dodging some rain or just plain pooped. Pringle type chips are good cause we can toss the container in our backpack to the park with sandwiches knowing they won't get crushed but we can also snack on them back a the condo. Bread is good for toast, sandwiches or we even wrap it around a hot dog instead of a bun.

We drive so can take some, and can easily pop in to the grocery there, which we did last time because we were in a hotel for a couple nights before checking in to WBC so we didn't want food in the car the day time between.

 

[jm106]

Thanks again, you have given me some good ideas. If I am going to bother cooking, I want decent meals more then quick stuff but Ill try to come up with some fast things too. We arent going to pack lunches if we are out all day but would like a snack or meal for when we get back from gatorland(assuming half day) and on days we are hanging at resort. Typically if we are at a resort we do a nice breakfast but a bit later and then some snacks(veggie and fruits, cheese, fresh salsa and tortilla chips, that type of stuff.) Once we get our plans nailed down I am sure it will be a bit easier to plan meals. Our MK day(only wdw day) will be a quick breakfast and then eat in park all day.

 

[HeatherC]

We actually go for at least ten days so we plan a couple hang out at the resort days. On those days, we like to get some nice steaks and grill them. I either throw some baked potatoes in the oven or buy pre-made mashed potatoes to go with it along with a bagged salad.

Rotisserie chicken is easy and we make that with some instant couscous and veggie and dip.

Also like to pick up fried chicken from Publix and eat it cold at the pool with some coleslaw.

Will also throw a couple chicken breasts on grill and serve sliced over a Caesar salad with a load of French bread.

I find it is just as easy to make something quick than rely on hot dogs or Mac and cheese.

 

[Brian Noble]

Breakfast is the main in-villa meal for us. Scrambled eggs with Canadian bacon, pre-cut fruit, toast, etc. We might also do toaster waffles, but we've gotten away from that in the last few years, and moved towards cereal instead. I get the kids the variety packs, because we don't typically buy sugary cereals at home. Good coffee is key! For a stay as short as you are thinking about (4-5 days) that's probably all I would do.

For a longer trip, we might have one or maybe two meals "in". For those, I don't cook so much as I assemble.

If we decide to take a night off and stay in, I will often run out and get a pre-made chicken, a couple of simple vegetables (frozen is fine), a salad kit, and some garlic bread. Pasta and a salad is also in my rotation---either with cut pre-cooked chicken, cooked shrimp, or meatballs, depending on the mood. If I'm feeling very ambitious, I might make fajitas or something similar; that's easy because the seasonings come pre-packaged. I've also done steaks on the grill once or twice, with sides similar to the pre-cooked chicken. Finally, there is always pizza delivery.

 

[jm106]

Thanks for the help. Plans changed so now we are driving not flying which helps with taking/getting groceries. We are also skipping Disney all together so we will have more resort time therefor more time to cook meals. It isnt exactly the trip I hoped for but we will make it great.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Good coffee is key!

Amen. We never travel without our favourite brand from home. The first thing packed for every trip is a supply of Tim Hortons single-pot packets. Food is easy and cheap (whether cooked in the villa or groceries from Publix). Good coffee is a much more difficult task!

 

[bankr63]

We cook pretty much everything in unit due to food allergies. If you are very into whole foods, I would mention the nearby (if driving) Whole Foods at Turkey Lake and Sand Lake Rds. They have a good selection of specialty items, although I find we go there less now as Publix has pretty much everything we need now. Agree with all the PP's, we menu plan mostly around a limited number of multi-purpose foods allowing us to stretch simple ingredients across many meals. That way your not abandoning or packing home a lot of groceries at the end of the trip. We are also summer campers, so have some small portable spice containers that pack easily.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

If you are driving and doing resort days, a crockpot is a must-take for "real" meals. It doesn't require a lot of time or babysitting, and you don't heat up the condo from the oven.

Easy chicken tacos/burritos: place 3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a crockpot with a large jar of salsa. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. 30 min before serving, shred with 2 forks. It's best to drain the chicken before putting it in taco shells or on tortillas. Heat up a can of refried beans and cook a packet of spanish rice (or make your own), and you have an easy meal. Leftovers make great lunches for the rest of the week.

Yummy pork roast: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tangy-slow-cooker-pork-roast/ I do this one a lot, and my kids love it. Serve with oven roasted potatoes and crusty bread. I usually make my own fancy white beans, which takes about 1/2 hr of simmer time, but you can go with frozen veggies in the microwave or a fresh salad instead.

Fancy white beans: chop 1/2 onion and 1/2 bell pepper small. Saute in olive oil with 1/2-1 tsp ground rosemary. Drain 1 can cannelini beans, add to pot. Also add 1 can chicken broth and 2 TBSP ketchup (calls for tomato paste, but ketchup is easier and works fine). Simmer until reduced, about 1/2 hr.

An internet search will pull up all kinds of good slow cooker recipes, so you can find one that works for your family.

 

[jm106]

Thanks. For the idea. Not sure we want to bring crock out but I'm not really a fan of crock pot means. Something to keep in mind though, as it would at least be less prep at dinner with prepping before we go out. I know we would want to grill of they are close enough.

 

[cmrdgrs]

A family favorite that is very quick and easy is creamed chicken over biscuits. Not very low-cal, but pretty quick and easy to make.

I pre-measure out the dry ingredients for the biscuits at home (either from scratch) or you can use Bisquick. Easy to fit in a quart size bag and take in a carry-on or check w/your luggage. When you arrive all you need is milk to finish the biscuits. I also bring a folded piece of parchment paper for the oven. I have been known to pack my own cookie sheet in my checked luggage for this, but the resort usually has a roasting pan, you can use that to cook the biscuits in too. Bisquick cooks at 450 for approx. 10 minutes. They are drop biscuits.

The white sauce is easy too (for a large crowd double). 2 tbsp of butter (or margarine), 2 tbsp of flour (bring from home) and 1 cup of milk. Thicken in micro 5 - 10 minutes on 7 or 8 power (you will need a wire wisk). Stop and wisk every 3 minutes. Add pre-cooked warmed chicken to the white sauce and serve over biscuits with a veggie. We like asparagus, but any veggie your family likes will go with the white sauce. I also pack travel salt/pepper and bring paprika for this dish (again a small amount in a baggie). You can have this on the table in 30 minutes and pretty easy clean-up.

I also bring dry pancake mix or a pre-measured Bisquick for pancakes in the morning. Just add milk. I bring a smaller version of syrup that I put in my checked luggage and throw out what we don't finish in WDW. I try to pre-measure anything I bring, so we use it and it doesn't come home with us. There is work in the front end, but I feel it is worth it for the savings on the back end.

 

[jlhill4444]

We usually spend one evening at the grill and cook things for dinner the whole week- we grill chicken breast, hot dogs and turkey burgers and we eat those for the next 4-5 days, sometimes for lunch also. We like to take multiple trips, so to do that we eat a lot of meals at the condo. We also pack lunches and snacks to take to the park. I have been making a pasta salad using only a balsamic dressing so it will not spoil. I also take wraps, sandwiches, bagels and peanut butter/nutella, cheese sticks, pringles, boxes of crasins, halo oranges, and apples. We freeze water bottles and drink them, refill from a fountain and add water flavoring to mask the nasty Florida taste. We make a large salad at the beginning of the stay and have that with baked potatoes, and our grilled meat, for dinner in the evening. At WBC there are grills located about every two to three buildings. Sometimes only one or two of the four grills will work, so there can be a wait during busy times. We like to grill in the afternoon so there is not rush, while the kids swim at building 3. If we run out of food, we can always stop to get more, so we buy less than we think we will use. This usually works and we have not had to make a second trip to the store yet. ;-)

 

[jm106]

Thanks again for ideas. I have time to think about it but do have a few meal ideas we likely can do fairly easily but still a nice meal. I also think I will pick up some hearty snacks because we may be running around and not be back at a typical meal time(or want that option.)
I probably will roast or grill chicken because it can have so many uses, make a nice salad and fruit salad.
I have a gift card for a restaurant in Orlando so one night we will do that for dinner so it only leaves us 2 nights in Orlando but we have 13 night trip/ 5 different locations! (3 nights at a friends home.)

 

[5 Mickey Fans]

We have stayed at WBC as well. We had breakfast in the room each day and had a few dinners in. We were always so excited to get to the parks each day that we did not have a big breakfast. Mostly cereal and frozen waffles.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

When we stay at WBC, we do a lot of grilling -- chicken and beef fajitas, burgers, pork chops, steaks, etc. We also get lots of whatever produce is in season. For breakfast, we get bagels and other goodies from Panera; and then fix breakfast burritos or sandwiches, if we want something hot. We all enjoy shopping at Whole Foods, as we do not have one at home.