Easy non-perishable in-room meals?

[kohlby]

We'll be at the Dolphin for the first half of our trip. And though we'll have a car, there's not a lot right near the Dolphin for running out for dinner. (We're off-site for the second-half). We figure out as we go for dinner. Any ideas of easy dinner ideas of food we could bring from home? The Dolphin does not have microwaves in the room. I have three kids, so it has to be something that they'll all eat too. (We can't just alter our meal times in the parks and/or eat more there, as my middle child needs to eat regularly and is not a big eater at any one time). We're bringing cereal and fruit for breakfast in our rooms. And I'll bring bread/peanut butter/fluff for sandwiches since my eldest often gets hungry for more food a couple hours after dinner and eats far more food than me.

 

[maxiesmom]

Will you have a fridge? If so, do sub sandwiches. You could also do salads.

 

[kohlby]

I haven't figured out the fridge status. In the past, the answer was no as they loaded it with the mini-bar things. Now they stock it depending on what you want. I'm not sure if we get one if we don't want anything stocked. However, we will drive down with a very small cooler, so we can use ice to cool small items. A block of cheese wouldn't take up much room, but one usually won't eat cheese. And two others will want a "real" meal so fruit/cheese/bread won't work - though that would be perfect for me! We won't have enough room in the cooler for salad items in our mini-cooler.

We will have a coffee maker, so we have hot water. I'm not sure what's out there for meals that just need hot water these days. We tried Raman and it was a failure on our last trip. I'd prefer not to go super high sodium if possible too.

 

[POOHsie]

On the ground floor of the Dolphin is Picabu, open 24 hrs. You grab a tray and it's sort-of cafeteria-style ordering. It's simple food, and you can get it wrapped to go. You can also order take-out from The Fountain on the ground floor. Just speak to the host/hostess at the entrance. We've stayed at the Dolphin, and did take-out from both. I think this would be easier than trying to supply your own meals in-room. Prices are not bad. You will have an under-the-counter fridge in your room.

 

[Mad4Dizne]

There are a few things close by you could consider. If you go to the Boardwalk Inn General Store, you could buy sub/sandwich fixins and not have top worry about storing them as you could go there and bring to your room. The Beach Club also has a store in the Marketplace with similar cold cuts, cheeses etc. I don't know if you want to keep to a certain dinner budget or not but you could get take-out pizza. They have whole pizzas available to take-out at the Boardwalk pizza window or you could do Giordanos to pick-up or delivered to the resort.
If you wanted to drive or take the bus to Downtown Disney there are many economical choices such as Earl of Sandwich and if I recall there are some lower cost options (chains) around that area.
When my parents had a car onsite we would send someone to Publix to get Rotissere chicken and bags of salad, cherry tomatoes and salad dressing and bread and there was dinner.
We try to not eat all meals in the restaurants more to eat more healthy than anything else but it certainly can save $$$ as well.
I think in your hotel or sister hotel one of the restaurants has some economical family size choice of meals like a Rotissere chicken dinner, might be worth checking out. Have a great trip!

 

[sayheyrenee]

If you have the coffee pot/hot water, Mac and cheese and ramen noodles that come in cups are easy as you just add water.

If there is a mini fridge, you can ask them to empty it completely.

 

[Southernmiss]

I think non perishable and low sodium makes it difficult.

I bring a suitcase full of add water type meals. Yakisoba meals (taste better than ramen and are found on the same aisle) just add hot water. Also on that aisle are individual mac and cheese cups, mashed potato cups (with a variety of flavorings) and tuna or chicken salad kits.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Pepperoni and string cheese.

Trail mix and nuts

Carrot and celery sticks with dressing

Hummus and chips

 

[kohlby]

We will get food from Pikabu at least once - but we don't want to forced to rely on it over and over. We are going a different time than year as normal and don't know what to expect for touring. So, we could end up back in our room at dinner time every day - or rarely. I want to plan for it so we're not stuck with Pikabu once again. (We're early nighters though and have found that eating dinner in our room gives the kids extra relaxing time before bed). Last time, we kept getting Pikabu which meant repeating foods quite a bit and spending more than I would have liked. The kids ate a lot of rotisserie chicken since there wasn't a lot on there they would eat otherwise.

I'll try the Yakisoba before we go to see if they'll eat it. They do like soba noodles and there was an awesome sauce, called Yaki sauce, that our grocery store no longer carries but two of the kids loved it. I'm sure that's high on the sodium, but it still might be worth looking into.

We don't need low-sodium, but many packaged foods have crazy high sodium so I'd like foods that have a lower than normal sodium for packaged foods if it's possible. I'm not sure what a tuna or chicken salad kit is, so I'll look for them.

I didn't know about the Boardwalk General Store or the Beach Club's store - so thanks for that idea. I'll definitely look into that!

We do a lot of sending one adult to Publix for a rotisserie chicken sort of thing, but that will be much closer to our second hotel. (Yes, more rotisserie chicken). Sweet Tomatoes is also always a stop for dinner. But again, we're looking for the convenience of things close-by and opportunities for the kids to relax in the room longer since we're doing parks every day while at the Dolphin. I've heard DTD is a mess with the parking so I'm hesitant to just swing by there for dinner. We have waterparks and more and so we'll be at DTD for Disney Quest some the next week. We love Earl of Sandwich and will likely eat lunch there at least twice during our second week.

 

[LJSquishy]

Snacks are easy, but full meal options are pretty limited without a microwave.

The only real idea I have in my head right now is something I make frequently at home as a small meal/snack which is a banana roll-up. Take a whole wheat tortilla (I actually make paleo tortillas but whole wheat works the same) and spread almond butter on one side, sprinkle cinnamon, then lay the banana on it and roll it up. It's also delicious with diced apple instead of the banana. It's sort of a complete meal because it has protein, fat, and carbs...though for a full meal you would want something to go along with it like yogurt.

The tuna is a great idea...they do sell tuna that comes in packages (same place as the canned tuna) and is shelf-stable until opened but I haven't tried it. I guess you'd need to store mayo in the fridge then.

If it were me, I'd focus more on bringing lots of healthy snacks (carrots & hummus, apples & almond butter, trail mix, yogurt) that you can feed the kids between meals and eat meals in the parks or at The Dolphin. Share meals if it's a cost issue. A cup of Mac & cheese or yakisoba noodles is not a complete meal, nor is it healthy. Instant oatmeal is great for breakfast, though, especially if you bring raisins for it! Dry cereal isn't filling at all so they will probably be hungry an hour later especially if touring the parks unless they eat a more "real" breakfast.

 

[LJSquishy]

If you're actually driving from home, bring a rice cooker or an induction hot plate or whatever they're called. Some folks bring crock pots but I'd be afraid of getting in trouble by having it on all day when you're not in the room. A rice cooker can probably warm several things like soup maybe?

 

[DaughteroftheKing]

You could bring chips, salsa, canned beans/dip, canned queso and a can of diced tomatoes===nachos.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Canned tuna is an option, but another good one could be canned chicken. You could bring both and buy croissants and have both chicken salad and tuna salad sandwiches. You could make a nice chicken salad with a dried fruit (craisin/raisin) and/or jarred mandarin oranges and a nut (sliced almonds) with a vinaigrette (olive oil/red wine vinegar) or mayo (I'd buy the very small jar so you could use it up as a single use or maybe packets) and salt/pepper. A simpler, spicier chicken curry sandwich would use the canned chicken with curry powder, mayo, and chili oil (and a sliced nut if you like nuts). Veggie or regular chips and shelf stable fruit (apples, bananas, oranges) and you have a full meal.

And to add on to the chip idea, to make it palatable cold, I'd suggest a mango-corn-black bean salsa with pitas or tortilla chips...cold beans normally need a freshness to taste good and the following is completely shelf-stable (I eliminated the cilantro that the recipe called for b/c I think that wouldn't work as shelf-stable)...buy the mango and lime whole...

What You'll Need:

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

And a fun fruit side/dessert is to make shelf-stable lighter ambrosia...a can of drained diced pineapple, a can of drained mandarin oranges and a jar of drained maraschino cherries, tossed with some mini marshmallows and dried coconut (mint is optional) and you have a fun, very kid-friendly side. You would have to eat this in one sitting, so choose your fruit jar sizes appropriately...

 

[DisneyBrat]

Mountain House meals in camping section at Walmart they are good but sodium is a little high. Fast easy and taste good too!

 

[mousefan73]

someone once posted in a similar thread "ironing board grilled cheese"

You basically make a sandwich - can also try ham and cheese, tomatoe sauce, salami, cheese for a pizza pocket.. wrap in aluminum foil and iron it..
kinda like a sandwich grill..

havent tried it, but sounded interesting.. i might try it at home!

 

[sheetz]

I would buy a cheap foam cooler and stock it with drinks, deli meats, fruits/veggies, cheese, dips, and potato/pasta salad. Then you can supplement with some of the hot food suggestions. Maybe you could even order a delivery pizza.