Need suggestions for easy & inexpensive meals to fix while at WDW...

[iluvtig2]

We will be staying 7 nights at Vistana Villages. We are splurging on a couple of different celebration dinners, and need to conserve elsewhere.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

iluvtig

 

[luvs2plan]

There's always speghetti with ready made sauce, garlic bread and bagged salad. Manwiches and chips, grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. I make terriyaki chicken in the microwave and put the sauce on rice. You could do hoagies. Tuna fish casserole would be fast just take the time to heat through. Chicken pillows with pillsbury cresents and cream cheese is easy. Macaroni and cheese with hamburger patties or some kind of meat. Taco's would be fast. If you need more ideas let me know and I'll keep thinking. Hope this helped a little.

 

[MineeBaby]

My all time favorite college cuisine.....RAMEN!!! It actually can be very tasty...have fun!

 

[travelitis]

My family loves the hot sandwich I make on garlic bread. You can pick up the ingredients at a deli, and no real cooking is required - just assembly. Get a loaf of frozen garlic bread and use a variety of meat and cheese. Wrap in foil and bake per instructions on the bread. Serve with spaghetti sauce (Prego, Ragu) for dipping. We often use pepperoni, ham, monterrey jack and/or mozzerella. You could also do roast beef, onions, peppers, and mozzerella. You can buy premade meatballs and bake those and the bread at the same time then assemble the sandwich adding cheese and sauce. The possibilities are pretty limitless, but you can use pizza toppings as inspiration.

We're driving, so we're packing most of the food. Our grocery here has excellent BBQ beef briscuit and some other pre-cooked things that would be expensive to always serve for supper but much less than eating at restaurants. Another ooption is precooking and freezing.

 

[Carolinagal]

If so, I'd recommend you bring some stuff frozen from home.... My biggest time saver is seasoned ground beef, already cooked and crumbled, for Tacos, sloppy joes, chili-mac, etc.

Frozen soup is nice and quick. Buy prepackaged salad and bread and you are set.

French bread pizzas are fun - I cut the loafs in half and toast a bit first, then slather on the sauce from the jar, and the pre-shredded cheese, and toppings to your preference.

Crockpots can be lifesavers - here are a couple of receipes I use:

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
2 lb. boneless stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. sour cream
16 oz. noodles, cooked
Preparation: Place stew meat in crockpot. Combine soup, sugar, & garlic powder & pour over meat. A little water may be added if needed. Cook on Low for 7 to 8 hrs. or on high 5 to 6 hrs. Add sour cream to Crock Pot 30 minutes before ready to serve & stir to mix. Serve meat mixture over noodles that have been cooked according to package directions.

Crockpot Pork Chops
Ingredients
4 pork chops, lean
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
flour
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 jar sliced mushrooms
4 potatoes, quartered
Preparation

Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, & pepper. Coat pork chops with flour mixture. Place in bottom of crockpot. Add peeled & quartered potatoes. Combine Soups & mushrooms & add to crockpot. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours or on high 5-6 hours (or until pork chops are tender). If you prefer mashed potatoes, omit the quartered potatoes.

Also, I like breakfast casseroles a lot because they are quick if you make 'em at home or the night before:

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
6 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
Butter to grease pan
6 slices of Texas Toast (thick cut, crusty white bread)
1 pound spicy pork sausage, cooked and drained of fat
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they loosen up. Add the half and half, and green onions. Mix well, highly season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Butter a 12 by 10-inch baking pan. Line the pan with the bread, cutting and rearranging, if needed. Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Baked Omelet
Makes 4 to 6 servings

8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
3 ounces cooked ham, diced
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch casserole dish and set aside.
2 Beat together the eggs and milk. Add seasoning salt, ham, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese and minced onion. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
3 Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes.

Hash Brown Casserole
3 Tbsps oil
2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cups cubed ham
10 eggs, beaten
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oil in large skillet. Add hash browns, onion, and bell peppers. Cook until potatoes begin to brown. Spray 9" x 13" baking dish with Pam. Spread potato mixture in pan. Top with ham. Pour beaten eggs over all and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently stir to coat all ingredients with eggs. Sprinkle with cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy!

 

[jeanneg4of4]

one of our favorite meals. chicken fetticini alfredo, real easy. I buy frozen already cooked chicken cut in strips , heat them up add a jar of alfredo sause. cook pasts. throw together. add a bag of salad and some garlic bread. a real nice dinner takes about 20 min. to make. WE are also staying at vistana and would like to know of some meals to make . We are not taking a crock pot or anything else to cook with from home.I want to try and come up with somethings that is quick but more like a homemade dinner (since we will already be eating hamburgers, chicken strips, hot dogs, breaded chicken sandwitches ).I already know how to do frozen fast and fattening.If anyone has a secreat receip to pass on my family would love it.

 

[Joyfulsnuff]

Luvs2plan- how do you make chicken pillows? I have never heard of them. Thanks!

 

[BWVDenise]

I was wondering about the pillows, too.

 

[RobinMarie]

Easy, inexpensive and full of protein:

Quiche! I do a crustless one, but you can use a frozen crust if you must.

 

[KimOhio]

I was wondering what chicken pillows were too can't email you though thanks

 

[anniemaysmom]

We are staying at Fort Wilderness Campground, and will have the RV but still this is what I have planned:

*We are bringing several types of those "already cooked" meats like Chicken, hamburger patty, turkey patty, chicken fried steak. They are frozen and come already cooked you just have to heat them up and maybe add a sauce or a bun.

*Also, in the freezer section the Uncle Bens (I think) rice bowls come in a family size bowl. The choices are similar to Hamburger Helper and they also have a family size mac-n-cheese.

*In the non-freezer stuff there are several different brands of "Oven Bakes" these are meals where you just add the meat and mix it all up and put in the oven. We like the ones with noodles or rice the stuffing unes get a little gummy.

*Also in the cold section (near the hot dogs/bacon) are packages of already cooked chicken breast (cut fajita style)(like for salads and stuff) but you could whip up a fajita seasoning and bring tortillas.

* Oh and we like the Marie Callandars chicken pot pies. They can cook in the microwave in about 10 minutes and they still have the crispy topping.

*I just saw at the store yesterday....Campbells makes a microwavable soup can. It is like those lunch bucket things you can get for kids (with the plastic lid to cover the metal part). There are full size cans of different Campbells soups. You just pop the top and put the plastic lid back on and heat...then you could add that to something and tasty it up.

Okay I have just revealed too much about my eating habits LOL

Anyway good luck.

 

[babygarrettsmom]

OK, please register my request for the chicken pillows too!! They sure sound good!!

Michele

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.............................Isn't Vistana a timeshare place, so you should have full kitchen. That means same food as at home. For simplicity, get a Stouffers Lasagna big size that serves like 10. I like ramen, and there are many ways to kick it up a notch! Add eggs, it's great, and you can actually put the ramen into bowls, and then add the mixed egg to the ones that want it,and it will still cook in a few seconds. Green onions, one 39 cent bunch, will do at least two of these meals. Add in kamaboko, for those that know about japanese food, or one small package of imitation crab, or imitation lobster, they are both made with pollok fish, one six ounce package is plenty for all four people. For the meat people, go to the deli and get 6 ounces of diced chicken breast, or turkey breast. You easily have a meal for four for under $5.00.!!

 

[sharbear]

Since alot of people have requested chicken pillows I'll give you my receipe. It is very good and easy to make.

1 3oz. pkg. gream cheese, softened (this is very important)
3 T. Margarine, melted
1 1/2 c. chicken, cooked or canned (i always use canned)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2T. milk
1T. chives, chopped
1 sm. can mushrooms, drained
1 can crescent rolls
seasoned bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350. Blend cream cheese and 2T margarine until smooth. Add the next 6 ingredients, mix well. Seperate crescent dought into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal; roll to make bigger. Add enough bread crumbs to mixture so not runny, but not too stiff. Add mixture to the 4 crescent rolls, pull 4 corners together and twist; seal edges. Brush tops with 1 T. melted margarine and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 mins. or until golden brown.

 

[luvs2plan]

Sorry for the delay. My recipe is basically like Sharbear's. I use a large can or chicken or about 1 c. of chopped cooked chicken mixed with 3 oz of cream cheese and 2 tbls of butter or margarine. Mushrooms or chopped nuts could be optional. I leave my cresent rolls in triangles and fold like a diaper and just make sure it's all wrapped. Dip in melted butter and roll in Pepperidge Farm herb dressing. I have used bread crumbs before also. Then thin cream of chicken soup to gravy consistency to put on top after baking till browned. My mom used to do tuna fish turnovers that are made a lot the same way. Using tuna and a raw egg and some onion, put in a square of cresent rolls and bring corners to top. Bake and top with cream of mushroom soup. I really liked them but DH won't eat cooked tuna. Here are a couple of other recipes we like:
Zucchini Casserole
1 lb. hamb. browned with 1 tsp oregano and 1 tsp garlic salt
Add 1 c. uncooked minute rice
Boil 2 zucchini, sliced

Layer half of zucchini, half of hamb. mixture, half of a small tub of cottage cheese. Repeat. Top with a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 c grated cheese. Bake covered 35-45 min. I have made this the night before and popped it in the oven when ready.
Meat loaf could also be made the night before and wrap potatoes to bake at the same time. I love to slice left over meatloaf and heat in frying pan to put on a sandwich with mustard and/or mayo. the next day.

Chinese Sundae's
2 c. cooked rice
2 cooked chicken breasts cut up and added to gravy consistency cream of chicken soup
chopped celery, pineapple tidbits, coconut, slivered almonds, chinese noodles, maraschino cherries, green onion, tomatoe, and grated cheddar cheese.
Layer any way you like with what you like. Some of them sound weird together but it's really good.

Taco Salad
1 lb hamb. browned, add pork n beans and taco seasoning.
Layer hamb. mixture on frito's then, lettuce, tomatoe, onion, grated cheese, sour cream and salsa.


Shepard's pie would be a fast and easy casserole with frozen mashed potatoes or instant. I have also slice hot dogs lengthwise almost through and topped with mashed potatoe and a little cheese. My dh and ds also like sliced beef from the deli warmed in au jus mix. I get hoagie rolls from the bakery, slice and spread on some garlic butter and warm and brown cut side down in pan. Spread just a little creamed horseradish and put on beef. Dip in au jus. Hope this helps.

 

[disynut]

Here's another variation to the chicken pillows, if anyone's interested:

3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
cream cheese(you can use regular or the herb)
shredded velveeta
1 can of pillsbury croissants
Italian dressing

I usually cook the chicken breasts in a little olive oil, and at the end of cooking I pour in the Italian dressing and let the chicken simmer a little and even tear it apart a little with a fork.
While the chicken is cooking, open the croissants and put the triangles on a baking sheet. With fingers, spread the dough out a little. Then I spread on some cream cheese, sprinkle some Velveeta, then put some chicken on, and then work the dough around the edges to meet.

My family really likes these and they are easy.

Also, we've found that after we've already eaten burgers and high fat stuff during the day(we love the snacks more than anything at Disney-why are their Rice Krispie Treats so much better than mine?lol) we are happy with sandwiches back in the room, or maybe a frozen pizza. We do also keep breakfast stuff and snacking stuff, like popcorn.

Have fun-I'm enjoying reading these recipes for ideas for at home!

Jen

 

[TandyR]

In our April trip we did:

Fish, rice and salad
Shrimp Alfrado with Garlic Bread
Quesadias
Mickey Pasta w/ sauce, salad and bread sticks
Mickey Mac & Cheese and veggie burgers

We also did waffles, pancakes, and homemade breakfast sandwhichs for breakfast.