Emme
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2001
- Messages
- 1,825
I put this together for those of us who want to print it off for ideas. It's not perfect but I hope some of you can use it!! Enjoy! 
Grilled Chicken salad- purchase the pre made salads. Buy the ready to serve chicken (which by the way is good and comes in many seasonings) Mix and serve. Add your favorite dressing.
BBQ- they make ready to serve BBQ now just add some buns or bread and your favorite side of chips and a pickle.
Taco's- ready to serve Taco ground beef with your favorite toppings.
*The pre-made seafood salads (crabmeat salads), then we'd put it on sub buns and have chips.
*Cold chicken fajita wraps - use that pre made chicken, buy tortillas, add any topping you like (veggies, cheese) and voila, a fun "wrap"
*Taco Salad (okay, we cooked for this one, but if you didn't want to cook, all you need to do is go to a Wendy's and buy some Chili (99 cent menu) and add it to your salad.) Yummy!
What about pre-packaged items that just need hot water: Hot Chocolate-packets
Hot Apple Cider-packets, Cup a Soup, Cup a Noodles -add a purchased chicken breast or leg.
How about those boil in a bag meals? (also min rice comes in boil in a bag) they area already precooked the boil is usually just to heat them up. Why not fill the sink up with hot water/ or use your coffee makers hot water to warm these babies up.
Here's a little list
eli,turkeyDeli, hamDeli, salami, Lettuce, Tomatoes, OnionRanch dressing, Italian dressing, Bag of mixed vegetables, Rotini salad from deli, French bread and Cheese
With all of this you can make:
Sub sandwiches, Mixed vegetable pasta salad, Cobb salad, Mixed vegetables dipped in ranch, Chicken Salad (for sandwiches), Crab Salad (for sandwiches), Orange Jell-O Salad
Fruit Salad, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad
Additional cooler items: Mayo, mustard, butter, Individual drinks including OJ, Capri Suns (some frozen), 1-Qt containers of milk (frozen), Water (some frozen), Beer
Other food items I store in large Rubbermaid tubs include chips, snack crackers, granola bars, Pringles, Combos, licorice, suckers, gum, cereal, bread, sandwich buns, peanut butter, jam, coffee.
Tomato and mayo sandwiches, PB &honey on tortillas, plenty of fresh fruit,
baby carrots with ranch dressing for dip, individual applesauce, puddings, and fruit, cereal, bagels, sausage balls (Bisquick recipe).
How about instead of all those sodas/colas/cokes, make some great sun tea, or instant teas. They come in so many different flavors now. Instant Kool-aid would work to, as would crystal lite.
Chicken Salad in a packet, Tuna Salad in a packet both do not have to be in the fridge.
Spam, Bread, Pringles
Fruit ( apples, oranges, bananas)
How about sandwiches made with pita bread. Cut the pitas in half, open and place either precooked chicken strips or deli lunchmeats inside, top with ranch dressing( the HV Ranch individual cups work well when traveling). Top with a little bagged salad mix if desired. You could also make these with tortillas, rolled up.
When WDW went up to $10/day we bought an electric cooler at Sam's. You can plug it in either the car or a regular wall socket. We paid $70 and got our money back on the first trip.
In it we put: yogurt express (frozen), cream cheese, fruit (grapes, apples), milk, juice boxes (frozen), chicken salad, grilled chicken, taco beef, prepared spirelli pasta
raw veggies, pimento cheese, several vacuum packs of deli meats, cheese, salad greens/tomatoes, etc, mayo & salad dressing.
We use these to prepare breakfasts (yogurt, bagels w/cream cheese, cereal & milk, fruit.) and lunch or supper (chicken salad po-boys, tacos, taco salads, sandwiches, chef salads, and pasta salads. I also buy all sorts of different breads, rolls, etc. to make the sandwiches different each time. If you freeze things like yogurt, deli meat and juice boxes they will stay frozen for quite a while in our cooler.
For breakfast
Cereal bars - they have them in kids favorite cereals and
For Mom and Dad - Kellogg's Special K with dried strawberries or blueberries.
Lunch; Jerky-beef-turkey, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, granola bars, fruit leather
A treat for the kids, I packed some lunchables and we took them into the parks few times! I didn't get the ones with the drinks or "snack" because they are much more expensive and it's really not worth the extra cost
I made up a batch of sloppy joe filling, put it in a heavy freezer Ziploc bag, and froze it solid. The morning of our flight, that solid frozen hunk of meat helped keep other things cold. Then, second night at Disney, I warmed it up and put it onto buns we'd bought on our grocery store run
I found bringing a jar of spear pickles makes it seem more fun and less like "just sandwiches". You can get them in dill or my favorite bread and butter.
I have found fig Newton's; especially the single serve packs make a great breakfast and travel well
There are HUNDREDS of "just add hot water" meals if you just head to you local camping store.
We really like the "It's Pasta Anytime" meals. They don't require refrigeration and can be heated in the microwave. There are also Dinty Moore (sp?) meals that are filing. We also have eaten the lunchables and find them to be a great snack to share! Another good options are various soups (get the ones with the pop-top so you don't need a can opener) and canned spaghetti.
I have done in the past several budget week long beach trips where we had a microwave/ frig only in the room and learned to do anything in a microwave, so if a microwave in the food court is an option you are in great shape!
As for the room, the hot water from the faucet is often warn enough to heat at least a little, canned foods, still in the can, such as canned pasta, Spam, ect. Just leave the drain open and run the hot water over it for a little while.
As for the coolers keeping cold, If you are driving and can pack your cooler at home, freeze a huge block of ice in a container that's shape will fit well in your cooler. This will melt very slowly and keep everything cold.
Another suggestion is to eat your simple meals by the pool. Even a cold sandwich tastes better when eaten in a fun location.
We're big on the salad in a bag when traveling. Sometimes we grab a rotisserie chicken and veggie platter too. One snacky meal we do is a salad with chicken salad on crackers with cheese. We make the chicken salad with a can of chicken, small jar of Miracle whip and pre-measured from home baggies of relish and diced onions
I've also made a layered Mexican dip in a square Rubbermaid container before leaving home. Simply refried beans, sour cream, avocado dip, green onions, black olives, tomatoes, shredded cheese and lettuce.
I noticed in Wal-Mart the other day they now carry precooked taco meat. Thinking we will try that before our next road trip.
Another thing you can do with the chicken salad is to stuff a tomato.
Oh my favorite without cooking: RESERVATIONS
Drive to the local grocery store and pick up....., One preroasted chicken (in the warmer by the deli), One bag of salad, A couple of packets of dressing (near the deli), A warm vegetable (from deli). You can have a hot meal for 4 people for about $10.00
The salad ideas, sandwiches from seafood salad with pickle spears and the chicken salad on crackers are ones we would really enjoy. Something to help cool us off from the hot crowded parks.
We have also tried the Taco meat from Wal-Mart and it is very good. You could use it with a bag-o-salad and have taco salads or just spread out some nacho chips on a paper plate and open a can of refried beans and some more bag-o-salad and make supreme nachos (another yummy)
We really like Goober, it is peanut butter and jelly in one jar.
DS also like to roll up lunch meat and insert toothpicks and slice into small pieces and cube cheese and open a can of black olives and some smoked oysters (he even asks Santa to bring this, go figure) for a "Party Tray" you can make most of it before you hit the parks and know it will be waiting for you.
If you want to make something with canned fish but don't want to mix it with mayo (which needs refrigeration after opening and can go bad quickly without it), then salmon is a "wetter" fish (that is, contains more oil) than tuna. Also, mixing a little relish to either tuna or salmon enhances the taste and texture without having to add mayo.
If you do want mayo for anything see if you can find those little packets like you get in restaurants. They don't have to go in the fridge since they are sealed.
Tortilla wraps are great for sandwiches because they stay good for a long time compared to bread.
Bring a few spices with you. A little bit of a different spice can change a regular meal to something special.
Raisins and nuts go a long way to enhance a salad or a sandwich.
A little side of fruit can also enhance your meal (any meal, not just breakfast).
Cooked pasta can be warmed up by simply running it under hot tap water.
Triscuit crackers, piece of cheddar cheese, thin slice of apple and salsa. When I am at home I melt the cheese, but I take this to work and it is good without melting the cheese.
How about the pre-cooked bacon, that would be good in the salads and sandwich.
Any sandwich on a tortilla wrap -- salad dressing with cheese, lettuce and choice of meat
We always bring a large box of cereal, 4 plastic bowls, and 4 plastic disposable spoons. And a gallon of milk
Our last trip to Disney I had to be really frugal,
we drove so I piled my car up with bottled water, Disney snacks, and food for the whole week.
I bough the Lloyds bb-q and warmed it up by putting it in zip lock bags one serving at a time then heating up water in the coffee maker from the hotel then placing the zip lock bag in the hot water, it worked great and since it was a hot meal it was yummy!
Instant mashed potatoes in a cup.
We always eat cereal and fruit for breakfast and bring sandwiches and "Disney snacks" in the park with us.
If you want to keep milk cold for breakfast but don't have a fridge. Try using the bathroom sink place the milk in and cover with ice, or use the trash can but line it with a few garbage cans or put your milk carton in a zip lock bag first so it will stay clean
How about BLT's? They sell precooked bacon in most grocery stores, or you could mix jarred bacon crumbles with the mayo.
Making a meal out of cheese, bread and fruit is always yummy. Even if you buy the more expensive gourmet cheeses and a nice crusty bread from the bakery dept., it will be cheaper than the fruit and cheese plates that you buy in the food courts (especially if you take into account that you will have enough for the whole family to share.
I would also consider concentrating on nutritious or decadent snacks/desserts/appetizers. A plate of pepperoni, cheese, crackers and a glass of wine before you go out for dinner will curb your appetite. You could then split an entree, or just order an appetizer. If I give my kids food in appetizer form, they'll eat all kinds of healthy fruits vegetables and whole wheat wraps (cut rolled up cheese/meat into pinwheels) that they wouldn't touch if it were on a dinner plate.
You could make wraps-Get a tortilla wraps, lettuce, cheese, ham, and wrap them together and slice. You can also pack these up for a quick snack
How about "hot" chicken sandwiches? Buy precooked chicken or make some before you leave. Buy canned/jarred chicken gravy. Warm chicken and gravy in microwave (if available in cafe' like All-Stars) Then serve over bread.
My husband has suggested smoked salmon on crackers. The salmon comes in a sealed pack and you don't have to refrigerate it.
He also says you can eat Beanie Weenies cold, they even have pop-tops!
He also says you can eat fried chicken cold.
Another thought for those of us that are trying to low carb. Quick breakfasts/lunches are difficult to find. If you bring your La Tortilla low carb wraps with you can have sandwiches/wraps for breakfast and lunch (cream cheese, lunchmeat, veggies, precooked taco meat/cheese, peanut butter...).
How about slicing a banana into the bottom of a disposable bowl, dumping a carton of vanilla yogurt on top, sprinkle with granola, nuts, etc., then completely covering it with RediWhip canned whipped cream.
Could be a bedtime snack, or a quick tasty breakfast.
Lately my kids are hooked on the new yogurt Smoothies from the dairy section of the grocery store. One of those, along with a good old PB&J can be used for either a meal or a snack.
We use a cooler and put frozen concentrated juice and bags of frozen assorted fruit in instead of ice. Keeps everything cold and when we get there it's only partially thawed.
How about summer sausage and different cheeses that you can cut at home and bring in the cooler if driving. We also bring along some crackers to go with it!
Celery and peanut butter
Cheese whiz good to eat as a sandwich by itself or helps make a sandwich tastier!!! Plus you can put it on the celery!
Sliced chicken or turkey with gravy - put in freezer bags and freeze, dinnertime pull out hit the micro and serve over bread. Add mashed potatoes that only require hot water veggie of choice and DONE!
Taco meat is always great and easy to "pre" cook & heat in micro.
How about baking a ham at home slice and freeze - again hit the micro you could use this for dinner or breakfast (chop ham, mix with eggs and micro - kind of like an omelet).
More of an adult meal but some crusty bread, flavored olive oil, cheeses and olives are a meal I would die for. You can also do roasted red peppers. Totally cook free. Add a glass of wine and you've got a gourmet meal. I also love tomato (fresh) mozzarella and basil on Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. YUM!
We enjoy a meat, cheese veggie tray. We do this sometimes at home for dinner when we just don't know what we want.
We cut up chunks of salami, pepperoni, 2-3 different kinds of cheese. Also olives, pickles (any of your favorites) crackers and dips
Before we leave home, we usually stop by our local Costco and buy a few things for the trip - Quaker Fruit&Nut bars (per bar price *so* much cheaper than our local grocery stores), maybe some Tuna to go snack/meal kits. My DH always packs some protein bars he likes - we usually get those by the carton online or get them at the local GNC on sale. I like to pack some of my favorite microwave popcorn. Have you *seen* the per pack price for popcorn (hey, say that really fast three times in a row...heheheh) at the WDW food courts? Yikes & I'm from northern Virginia, where everything's expensive!
At our grocery stop (MCO to WDW), we'll pick up...
bottled waters, beer, wine, snacks (healthy & otherwise), nice sliced bread, peanut butter, jelly, sliced American cheese, honey mustard, pretzels, fun cereal (something DD never gets at home), healthy cereal (for snacking right out of the box for DH) We have two kinds of sandwich makings ready to go (the PB&J and the cheese) - sometimes by the end of vacation a simple meal/sandwich can taste *really* good.
If you have to buy milk or beer or whatever after you get to your WDW resort, don't just buy them from the food court. Check out the prices at the sundries/gift shop *first* - foodstuffs are usually much cheaper there than at the food court right next door!
I haven't seen Hummus or Tahini mentioned. Both of these require refrigeration, but are an excellent source of protein. Really good with cracker or raw veggies.
Probably previously mentioned, but BumbleBee makes meal kits in tuna salad, seafood salad, and ham salad. It is a small can of the salad along with 6 crackers and a small spoon. Not a large meal, but certainly a part of a meal or a good snack. The only complaints about these are.... #1 they put relish in most of their salads (DD hates relish), but I don't mind the taste. #2. They have quite a bit of fat, but not a problem if you are not dieting I suppose!
I know several people spoke of this, but "back in the day" it used to be a romantic meal for DH and I to have a carpet picnic with some sliced pepperoni, sliced cheddar cheese, crackers, grapes, and sliced green apple. That along with a bottle of wine and we were happy!! I suppose we could translate this idea to our vacations!................
I recently had to come up with a meat-free, reasonably healthy meal that I could prepare and eat in my car. I picked up some pita bread, hummus, Swiss cheese slices, alfalfa sprouts, and some marinated veggies from the deli. The veggies were halved grape tomatoes and cucumbers in Italian dressing, and the guy at the deli very nicely added some red pepper strips from another deli salad. Pile 'em all together and you get a very filling veggie pita..
Make banana boats:
Peanut butter on a slice of bread
1/2 banana laid in p.b.
Pretzel sticks for masts and oars
Raisin for the sailors (or pirates, depending on gender of creator).
Celery and carrot sticks (to make Mom happy)
Yogurt to round it out
We also found some squeeze peanut butter by Skippy that we've taken along. Doesn't take up a lot of space and you don't need a knife. On apples or celery, it's a nice treat
Morocco in Epcot. Makes a great side dish, or you can mix in veggies (tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, etc.). Bought in bulk it is inexpensive.
I have also seen soup in boxes - like those juice boxes.
Parmalat milk doesn't have to be refrigerated before you open it; it lasts a week in the fridge once you do.
Dried fruit is easy enough to carry. Dried papaya and pineapple are pretty good.
They also have big bags of cheese with individual packets of cheese cubes and shapes that the kids like, they're already serving size so no knives needed to cut them up. String cheese would be good, too.
The deli near my house sells amazing homemade foccacia. This might be "adult", but I love to slice the loaf down the middle, add thinly sliced tomatoes, pesto spread, maybe a few slices of good salami or prosciutto, and some salt and pepper and it's good to go.
Take a can of salmon OR tuna and drain it. Mix it together with about 3-4 tablespoons of Ranch dressing. I use this with Trisket crackers as a filling snack. Sometimes I eat this with a salad and I am good to go.
Tuna and salmon also come in packets, a little more expensive but you wouldn't need a can opener.
A good dessert would be to take sliced pound cake and pour one of those small individual bowls of fruit on it.
Grilled Chicken salad- purchase the pre made salads. Buy the ready to serve chicken (which by the way is good and comes in many seasonings) Mix and serve. Add your favorite dressing.
BBQ- they make ready to serve BBQ now just add some buns or bread and your favorite side of chips and a pickle.
Taco's- ready to serve Taco ground beef with your favorite toppings.
*The pre-made seafood salads (crabmeat salads), then we'd put it on sub buns and have chips.
*Cold chicken fajita wraps - use that pre made chicken, buy tortillas, add any topping you like (veggies, cheese) and voila, a fun "wrap"
*Taco Salad (okay, we cooked for this one, but if you didn't want to cook, all you need to do is go to a Wendy's and buy some Chili (99 cent menu) and add it to your salad.) Yummy!
What about pre-packaged items that just need hot water: Hot Chocolate-packets
Hot Apple Cider-packets, Cup a Soup, Cup a Noodles -add a purchased chicken breast or leg.
How about those boil in a bag meals? (also min rice comes in boil in a bag) they area already precooked the boil is usually just to heat them up. Why not fill the sink up with hot water/ or use your coffee makers hot water to warm these babies up.
Here's a little list
eli,turkeyDeli, hamDeli, salami, Lettuce, Tomatoes, OnionRanch dressing, Italian dressing, Bag of mixed vegetables, Rotini salad from deli, French bread and CheeseWith all of this you can make:
Sub sandwiches, Mixed vegetable pasta salad, Cobb salad, Mixed vegetables dipped in ranch, Chicken Salad (for sandwiches), Crab Salad (for sandwiches), Orange Jell-O Salad
Fruit Salad, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad
Additional cooler items: Mayo, mustard, butter, Individual drinks including OJ, Capri Suns (some frozen), 1-Qt containers of milk (frozen), Water (some frozen), Beer
Other food items I store in large Rubbermaid tubs include chips, snack crackers, granola bars, Pringles, Combos, licorice, suckers, gum, cereal, bread, sandwich buns, peanut butter, jam, coffee.
Tomato and mayo sandwiches, PB &honey on tortillas, plenty of fresh fruit,
baby carrots with ranch dressing for dip, individual applesauce, puddings, and fruit, cereal, bagels, sausage balls (Bisquick recipe).
How about instead of all those sodas/colas/cokes, make some great sun tea, or instant teas. They come in so many different flavors now. Instant Kool-aid would work to, as would crystal lite.
Chicken Salad in a packet, Tuna Salad in a packet both do not have to be in the fridge.
Spam, Bread, Pringles
Fruit ( apples, oranges, bananas)
How about sandwiches made with pita bread. Cut the pitas in half, open and place either precooked chicken strips or deli lunchmeats inside, top with ranch dressing( the HV Ranch individual cups work well when traveling). Top with a little bagged salad mix if desired. You could also make these with tortillas, rolled up.
When WDW went up to $10/day we bought an electric cooler at Sam's. You can plug it in either the car or a regular wall socket. We paid $70 and got our money back on the first trip.
In it we put: yogurt express (frozen), cream cheese, fruit (grapes, apples), milk, juice boxes (frozen), chicken salad, grilled chicken, taco beef, prepared spirelli pasta
raw veggies, pimento cheese, several vacuum packs of deli meats, cheese, salad greens/tomatoes, etc, mayo & salad dressing.
We use these to prepare breakfasts (yogurt, bagels w/cream cheese, cereal & milk, fruit.) and lunch or supper (chicken salad po-boys, tacos, taco salads, sandwiches, chef salads, and pasta salads. I also buy all sorts of different breads, rolls, etc. to make the sandwiches different each time. If you freeze things like yogurt, deli meat and juice boxes they will stay frozen for quite a while in our cooler.
For breakfast
Cereal bars - they have them in kids favorite cereals and
For Mom and Dad - Kellogg's Special K with dried strawberries or blueberries.
Lunch; Jerky-beef-turkey, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, granola bars, fruit leather
A treat for the kids, I packed some lunchables and we took them into the parks few times! I didn't get the ones with the drinks or "snack" because they are much more expensive and it's really not worth the extra cost
I made up a batch of sloppy joe filling, put it in a heavy freezer Ziploc bag, and froze it solid. The morning of our flight, that solid frozen hunk of meat helped keep other things cold. Then, second night at Disney, I warmed it up and put it onto buns we'd bought on our grocery store run
I found bringing a jar of spear pickles makes it seem more fun and less like "just sandwiches". You can get them in dill or my favorite bread and butter.
I have found fig Newton's; especially the single serve packs make a great breakfast and travel well
There are HUNDREDS of "just add hot water" meals if you just head to you local camping store.
We really like the "It's Pasta Anytime" meals. They don't require refrigeration and can be heated in the microwave. There are also Dinty Moore (sp?) meals that are filing. We also have eaten the lunchables and find them to be a great snack to share! Another good options are various soups (get the ones with the pop-top so you don't need a can opener) and canned spaghetti.
I have done in the past several budget week long beach trips where we had a microwave/ frig only in the room and learned to do anything in a microwave, so if a microwave in the food court is an option you are in great shape!
As for the room, the hot water from the faucet is often warn enough to heat at least a little, canned foods, still in the can, such as canned pasta, Spam, ect. Just leave the drain open and run the hot water over it for a little while.
As for the coolers keeping cold, If you are driving and can pack your cooler at home, freeze a huge block of ice in a container that's shape will fit well in your cooler. This will melt very slowly and keep everything cold.
Another suggestion is to eat your simple meals by the pool. Even a cold sandwich tastes better when eaten in a fun location.
We're big on the salad in a bag when traveling. Sometimes we grab a rotisserie chicken and veggie platter too. One snacky meal we do is a salad with chicken salad on crackers with cheese. We make the chicken salad with a can of chicken, small jar of Miracle whip and pre-measured from home baggies of relish and diced onions
I've also made a layered Mexican dip in a square Rubbermaid container before leaving home. Simply refried beans, sour cream, avocado dip, green onions, black olives, tomatoes, shredded cheese and lettuce.
I noticed in Wal-Mart the other day they now carry precooked taco meat. Thinking we will try that before our next road trip.
Another thing you can do with the chicken salad is to stuff a tomato.
Oh my favorite without cooking: RESERVATIONS
Drive to the local grocery store and pick up....., One preroasted chicken (in the warmer by the deli), One bag of salad, A couple of packets of dressing (near the deli), A warm vegetable (from deli). You can have a hot meal for 4 people for about $10.00
The salad ideas, sandwiches from seafood salad with pickle spears and the chicken salad on crackers are ones we would really enjoy. Something to help cool us off from the hot crowded parks.
We have also tried the Taco meat from Wal-Mart and it is very good. You could use it with a bag-o-salad and have taco salads or just spread out some nacho chips on a paper plate and open a can of refried beans and some more bag-o-salad and make supreme nachos (another yummy)
We really like Goober, it is peanut butter and jelly in one jar.
DS also like to roll up lunch meat and insert toothpicks and slice into small pieces and cube cheese and open a can of black olives and some smoked oysters (he even asks Santa to bring this, go figure) for a "Party Tray" you can make most of it before you hit the parks and know it will be waiting for you.
If you want to make something with canned fish but don't want to mix it with mayo (which needs refrigeration after opening and can go bad quickly without it), then salmon is a "wetter" fish (that is, contains more oil) than tuna. Also, mixing a little relish to either tuna or salmon enhances the taste and texture without having to add mayo.
If you do want mayo for anything see if you can find those little packets like you get in restaurants. They don't have to go in the fridge since they are sealed.
Tortilla wraps are great for sandwiches because they stay good for a long time compared to bread.
Bring a few spices with you. A little bit of a different spice can change a regular meal to something special.
Raisins and nuts go a long way to enhance a salad or a sandwich.
A little side of fruit can also enhance your meal (any meal, not just breakfast).
Cooked pasta can be warmed up by simply running it under hot tap water.
Triscuit crackers, piece of cheddar cheese, thin slice of apple and salsa. When I am at home I melt the cheese, but I take this to work and it is good without melting the cheese.
How about the pre-cooked bacon, that would be good in the salads and sandwich.
Any sandwich on a tortilla wrap -- salad dressing with cheese, lettuce and choice of meat
We always bring a large box of cereal, 4 plastic bowls, and 4 plastic disposable spoons. And a gallon of milk
Our last trip to Disney I had to be really frugal,
we drove so I piled my car up with bottled water, Disney snacks, and food for the whole week.
I bough the Lloyds bb-q and warmed it up by putting it in zip lock bags one serving at a time then heating up water in the coffee maker from the hotel then placing the zip lock bag in the hot water, it worked great and since it was a hot meal it was yummy!
Instant mashed potatoes in a cup.
We always eat cereal and fruit for breakfast and bring sandwiches and "Disney snacks" in the park with us.
If you want to keep milk cold for breakfast but don't have a fridge. Try using the bathroom sink place the milk in and cover with ice, or use the trash can but line it with a few garbage cans or put your milk carton in a zip lock bag first so it will stay clean
How about BLT's? They sell precooked bacon in most grocery stores, or you could mix jarred bacon crumbles with the mayo.
Making a meal out of cheese, bread and fruit is always yummy. Even if you buy the more expensive gourmet cheeses and a nice crusty bread from the bakery dept., it will be cheaper than the fruit and cheese plates that you buy in the food courts (especially if you take into account that you will have enough for the whole family to share.
I would also consider concentrating on nutritious or decadent snacks/desserts/appetizers. A plate of pepperoni, cheese, crackers and a glass of wine before you go out for dinner will curb your appetite. You could then split an entree, or just order an appetizer. If I give my kids food in appetizer form, they'll eat all kinds of healthy fruits vegetables and whole wheat wraps (cut rolled up cheese/meat into pinwheels) that they wouldn't touch if it were on a dinner plate.
You could make wraps-Get a tortilla wraps, lettuce, cheese, ham, and wrap them together and slice. You can also pack these up for a quick snack
How about "hot" chicken sandwiches? Buy precooked chicken or make some before you leave. Buy canned/jarred chicken gravy. Warm chicken and gravy in microwave (if available in cafe' like All-Stars) Then serve over bread.
My husband has suggested smoked salmon on crackers. The salmon comes in a sealed pack and you don't have to refrigerate it.
He also says you can eat Beanie Weenies cold, they even have pop-tops!
He also says you can eat fried chicken cold.
Another thought for those of us that are trying to low carb. Quick breakfasts/lunches are difficult to find. If you bring your La Tortilla low carb wraps with you can have sandwiches/wraps for breakfast and lunch (cream cheese, lunchmeat, veggies, precooked taco meat/cheese, peanut butter...).
How about slicing a banana into the bottom of a disposable bowl, dumping a carton of vanilla yogurt on top, sprinkle with granola, nuts, etc., then completely covering it with RediWhip canned whipped cream.
Could be a bedtime snack, or a quick tasty breakfast.
Lately my kids are hooked on the new yogurt Smoothies from the dairy section of the grocery store. One of those, along with a good old PB&J can be used for either a meal or a snack.
We use a cooler and put frozen concentrated juice and bags of frozen assorted fruit in instead of ice. Keeps everything cold and when we get there it's only partially thawed.
How about summer sausage and different cheeses that you can cut at home and bring in the cooler if driving. We also bring along some crackers to go with it!
Celery and peanut butter
Cheese whiz good to eat as a sandwich by itself or helps make a sandwich tastier!!! Plus you can put it on the celery!
Sliced chicken or turkey with gravy - put in freezer bags and freeze, dinnertime pull out hit the micro and serve over bread. Add mashed potatoes that only require hot water veggie of choice and DONE!
Taco meat is always great and easy to "pre" cook & heat in micro.
How about baking a ham at home slice and freeze - again hit the micro you could use this for dinner or breakfast (chop ham, mix with eggs and micro - kind of like an omelet).
More of an adult meal but some crusty bread, flavored olive oil, cheeses and olives are a meal I would die for. You can also do roasted red peppers. Totally cook free. Add a glass of wine and you've got a gourmet meal. I also love tomato (fresh) mozzarella and basil on Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. YUM!
We enjoy a meat, cheese veggie tray. We do this sometimes at home for dinner when we just don't know what we want.
We cut up chunks of salami, pepperoni, 2-3 different kinds of cheese. Also olives, pickles (any of your favorites) crackers and dips
Before we leave home, we usually stop by our local Costco and buy a few things for the trip - Quaker Fruit&Nut bars (per bar price *so* much cheaper than our local grocery stores), maybe some Tuna to go snack/meal kits. My DH always packs some protein bars he likes - we usually get those by the carton online or get them at the local GNC on sale. I like to pack some of my favorite microwave popcorn. Have you *seen* the per pack price for popcorn (hey, say that really fast three times in a row...heheheh) at the WDW food courts? Yikes & I'm from northern Virginia, where everything's expensive!
At our grocery stop (MCO to WDW), we'll pick up...
bottled waters, beer, wine, snacks (healthy & otherwise), nice sliced bread, peanut butter, jelly, sliced American cheese, honey mustard, pretzels, fun cereal (something DD never gets at home), healthy cereal (for snacking right out of the box for DH) We have two kinds of sandwich makings ready to go (the PB&J and the cheese) - sometimes by the end of vacation a simple meal/sandwich can taste *really* good.
If you have to buy milk or beer or whatever after you get to your WDW resort, don't just buy them from the food court. Check out the prices at the sundries/gift shop *first* - foodstuffs are usually much cheaper there than at the food court right next door!
I haven't seen Hummus or Tahini mentioned. Both of these require refrigeration, but are an excellent source of protein. Really good with cracker or raw veggies.
Probably previously mentioned, but BumbleBee makes meal kits in tuna salad, seafood salad, and ham salad. It is a small can of the salad along with 6 crackers and a small spoon. Not a large meal, but certainly a part of a meal or a good snack. The only complaints about these are.... #1 they put relish in most of their salads (DD hates relish), but I don't mind the taste. #2. They have quite a bit of fat, but not a problem if you are not dieting I suppose!
I know several people spoke of this, but "back in the day" it used to be a romantic meal for DH and I to have a carpet picnic with some sliced pepperoni, sliced cheddar cheese, crackers, grapes, and sliced green apple. That along with a bottle of wine and we were happy!! I suppose we could translate this idea to our vacations!................
I recently had to come up with a meat-free, reasonably healthy meal that I could prepare and eat in my car. I picked up some pita bread, hummus, Swiss cheese slices, alfalfa sprouts, and some marinated veggies from the deli. The veggies were halved grape tomatoes and cucumbers in Italian dressing, and the guy at the deli very nicely added some red pepper strips from another deli salad. Pile 'em all together and you get a very filling veggie pita..
Make banana boats:
Peanut butter on a slice of bread
1/2 banana laid in p.b.
Pretzel sticks for masts and oars
Raisin for the sailors (or pirates, depending on gender of creator).
Celery and carrot sticks (to make Mom happy)
Yogurt to round it out
We also found some squeeze peanut butter by Skippy that we've taken along. Doesn't take up a lot of space and you don't need a knife. On apples or celery, it's a nice treat
Morocco in Epcot. Makes a great side dish, or you can mix in veggies (tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, etc.). Bought in bulk it is inexpensive.
I have also seen soup in boxes - like those juice boxes.
Parmalat milk doesn't have to be refrigerated before you open it; it lasts a week in the fridge once you do.
Dried fruit is easy enough to carry. Dried papaya and pineapple are pretty good.
They also have big bags of cheese with individual packets of cheese cubes and shapes that the kids like, they're already serving size so no knives needed to cut them up. String cheese would be good, too.
The deli near my house sells amazing homemade foccacia. This might be "adult", but I love to slice the loaf down the middle, add thinly sliced tomatoes, pesto spread, maybe a few slices of good salami or prosciutto, and some salt and pepper and it's good to go.
Take a can of salmon OR tuna and drain it. Mix it together with about 3-4 tablespoons of Ranch dressing. I use this with Trisket crackers as a filling snack. Sometimes I eat this with a salad and I am good to go.
Tuna and salmon also come in packets, a little more expensive but you wouldn't need a can opener.
A good dessert would be to take sliced pound cake and pour one of those small individual bowls of fruit on it.
