Inexpensive-healthy-food in room?

[kreckl]

We are staying in a studio and will have a microwave and toaster. Looking to have some healthy meals and snacks. Is this possible??? Feel like we eat a lot more sweets during our trip so hoping to balance things out. 2 adults, 2 teen boys. Thank you!

 

[uccats97]

Of course it's possible. You can bring your own groceries, run to the local grocery or have a grocery delivery service bring them to you. We do snacks like Kind bars, fresh fruit or canned fruit in 100% juice, nuts, etc. As for eating healthier in the parks, there are options everywhere. You might have to look a little closer at the menus and have the willpower to pass on the comfort foods. It can be done! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[AnnaS]

Plenty of salads - add some turkey cold cut meat. Make your own tuna fish sandwiches or sometimes we add the tuna (solid white) straight from the can (drained) on to our salad instead of turkey. Lot's of fresh fruit. Look at some frozen fish sticks or meals. Hard to find some that are low in sodium without a lot of creamy sauces on them.

 

[kreckl]

We won't have a car, and are doing a split stay so delivering/ packing refrigerated food might be an issue. I know we can get our luggage transferred but I am guessing food will be trickier. We usually bring granola bars, Luna bars, instant oatmeal ( but since our last trip we've been only eating steel cut oats at home and now nobody likes instant). At the parks we eat very well, just usually don't fuss about treats and desserts at all so there's more than usual.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Shelf-stable fruit (apples, bananas, oranges/clementines, pears, mangoes, papaya, even a whole pineapple) with a jar of PB/almond butter/Nutella for dipping should fit the bill. I wouldn't fly with it myself (I always grocery shop), but it's a very easy thing to grab and pack if you need to (I'd do carry on for the fruit, so they wouldn't get squished)...

 

[loves to dive]

All the quick service places in the resorts have fresh fruit, it's not usually a huge selection but it's there. The microwave and the toaster are the only thing you are going to have (and a little bar sink) that is different than a regular room, so whatever you usually do is going to be what it is. The fridge in a studio is no bigger than the one in a regular room so space is at a premium. We don't snack much, we tend to just eat nice healthy meals and drinks loads of water (and an adult beverage or two since my son is 35) but when we do, I always take trail mix type in a plastic bag. When we've stayed in studios and even a 1 bedroom, we pretty much found the kitchen useless for us. I don't cook on vacation and since we can always find healthy good for you things to eat in the parks, I just don't want to worry about lugging the stuff from home and back. It might be possible to cook your steel cut oats in the microwave, experiment at home and see how it goes.

 

[Marionnette]

We are staying in a studio and will have a microwave and toaster. Looking to have some healthy meals and snacks. Is this possible??? Feel like we eat a lot more sweets during our trip so hoping to balance things out. 2 adults, 2 teen boys. Thank you!

We won't have a car, and are doing a split stay so delivering/ packing refrigerated food might be an issue. I know we can get our luggage transferred by am guessing food will be trickier. We usually bring granola bars, Luna bars, instant oatmeal ( but since our last trip we've been only eating steel cut oats at home and now nobody likes instant). At the parks we eat very well, just usually don't fuss about treats and desserts at all so there's more than usual.

Are you going to make lunches and/or dinners in the studio? TBH, cooking in a studio can be a challenge, especially if you do not want to have groceries delivered. Your only option would be to have food shipped to you, bring it in your luggage or buy it there from one of the marketplaces (every DVC resort has one).

The DVC marketplaces have a limited selection and they are pricey.

Shipping limits you to non-perishables, which means no fresh fruit, vegetables, yogurt or meat/seafood.

You might be able to pack some perishables in your luggage but it adds weight and is not a good option if you have to pay for every checked bag. You could carry on some items, but that would be at the expense of your clothing and other necessities.

May I suggest that you do the following? Get grocery delivery to your first resort. Use the baggage transfer service when you go to your second resort. Ask them to keep your perishables cold. They should be able to do it. A lot of people change DVC resorts mid-trip.

IME, you can eat cheaply, or with convenience or healthy but it is very rare to be able to do all three when staying on property without a car.

 

[kreckl]

Lol! I've tried! Its and exploding mess even if I keep my eye on it! This trip we are bring a friend for ds, so I am trying to get more creative AND save a little. I will pack english muffins and peanut butter, too, but am sure I'm just not thinking of other things~ Thanks for the feedback!

If we can cover breakfast and some snacks it would be helpful. My kid always wants something before bed.

 

[Marionnette]

Another thing to keep in mind is that studios do not come stocked with a large supply of dishes, bowls or utensils. All of them are disposable with the exception of your coffee cups, so you cannot wash them. If you're staying on DVC points (instead of booking through Disney), you will not get daily housekeeping and those items will not be replaced, You're going to want to pack or bring extras.

 

[AnnaS]

When we stay in studios, I bring our own plastic bowls for our cereal. I hate using the paper ones. We also bring a knife. Can't cut much with the plastic ones.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Frozen steel cut oats are often available in the microwave breakfast section of grocery stores, so if you do decide to try delivery, that is an option. As for making them portable, this is my method when I bring them to work for my breakfasts:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups liquid (I mix it up with milk or water or milk and water or water and apple cider. If I use cider, I don't need to add sugar.)
Whatever dried fruit I want (or skip).
Cinnamon to taste
Cook on low for 2 hours.

Then I portion them out for the week. (This makes 4 portions). When I get to work, I put it in the microwave for a minute or two to heat up. It has never exploded on me.

Another healthy breakfast that I take to work is chia seed pudding. A cup of soy milk, a bit of vanilla, 2 tbsp chia seeds and a spoonful of low sugar preserves or canned/fresh/frozen fruit. Stir well and let sit overnight. You can use cow's milk if you like as well, or add yogurt for a bit extra protein.

 

[robinb]

We always stay in studios (but we also always have a car). We usually toast bagels and/or english muffins for breakfast along with yogurt, OJ and coffee. We also buy some fresh fruit to keep in the room as well as cheese and crackers. We have also cooked an entire dinner while staying in a studio. We used the free grills to cook steaks and tofu and purchased veggies in a microwavable bag. I second the idea of bringing plastic bowls with you. I purchase some of the disposable Glad/Ziplock bowls that can double as containers for produce or that can be microwaved. I also pack a small sharp knife in my checked bag along with a small cutting board. Since you said you like steel cut oats, you can purchase some of the "quick" steel cut oats that can be easily microwaved in a bowl. Also, while you can't wash the paper plates, I will often wipe off the plates if I just used them for breakfast and reuse them.

I would have groceries delivered and Disney will keep your perishables cold between resorts.

 

[kreckl]

I didn't know they could/would keep perishables cold- that will help a lot! And I also didn't know about the grills- that might be a fun option and I will have to find them at out resorts. Thanks so much for all of the helpful suggestions!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

If you run out of the disposable plates, etc. at a DVC villa, just go & ask for more...never been an issue for us. Also, the grills are certainly a great option!

 

[hsmamato2]

You can buy steel cut oats in those little packets for travel, easy to heat up with some water from the coffeemaker or in a microwave- I bring almond milk in a 32 oz box,and buy some regular milk at gift shop for others in the fam. Also pack our cold cereal choices,along with baby carrots and mini singles packs of hummus. You can also pack single serve bags of pretzels easily- along with my tea and stevia sweeteners. You could easily pack a suitcase with sturdy breads like english muffins (whole grain) and p. butter,I think about foods that are good for hiking when looking for decent travel foods to pack in a suitcase.... pack some sturdier fruits,granola bars,(I like Kind bars) healthy crackers,whatever your family likes. We don't eat more than breakfast in our room, plus the occasional snack, so I don't overpack this stuff... But I do bring along our silicone camping bowls that we rinse and reuse,and some plastic ware for eating....takes up almost no extra space-(we like to relax in the morning in our room)

 

[T00dles]

Right! Where are you staying? Some resorts have gas grills. You can check out the grill tools. I would just cook up a bunch of chic breast then eat later.
Also we were thinking about having some citrus delivered from Hale groves when we're down there in March.
Getting groceries moved is totally doable. We had a ton of food lasy Feb and the only thing was we put the bananas in the cold stuff. Our bad. And we didn't move any frozen. Just make sure to save bags to put food back into for the move!

 

[MommaBerd]

I don't fly very often - can you take pre-made food on the plane? Maybe in a checked bag? I make ahead a TON of really hearty muffins that my kids love to eat, and I freeze them. I only make them when we go on vacation, so they're sort of special because of that. We use them for breakfast and for snacks.

 

[wenrob]

We won't have a car, and are doing a split stay so delivering/ packing refrigerated food might be an issue. I know we can get our luggage transferred but I am guessing food will be trickier. We usually bring granola bars, Luna bars, instant oatmeal ( but since our last trip we've been only eating steel cut oats at home and now nobody likes instant). At the parks we eat very well, just usually don't fuss about treats and desserts at all so there's more than usual.

This doesn't help with the portability issue but rice pot for your steel cut oats, it's the only way I cook mine now. You can get them for as little as $15. Buy there and leave it after? But you don't have a vehicle. Delivery maybe?

We're Disneyland people traveling from Vegas so for us it's easy to bring what we need. Peanut butter, sandwich thins, protein bars etc. We can't bring fruit but it's plentiful in CA. This last trip we discovered that we could use Prime Now as well. If you have Amazon Prime you might want to check into that.

 

[robinb]

Right! Where are you staying? Some resorts have gas grills. You can check out the grill tools.

Some of the grills are charcoal ones. I'm not sure if the resort sells charcoal or if you need to have a small bag *and* a lighter delivered.

 

[kreckl]

We are staying at BL, AK, and BC.
" I make ahead a TON of really hearty muffins that my kids love to eat, and I freeze them. I only make them when we go on vacation, so they're sort of special because of that. We use them for breakfast and for snacks."
Care to share your recipe??