To cook or not to cook?

[dianeschlicht]

We always shop at least for breakfast things, fruit, snacks and drinks, but we also like to plan an occational "fast" meal like pasta etc. and even like cooking on special home made meal once in awhile when we have guests with us. I usually go get pork chops and marinate them in Italian dressing to fix under the broiler or on the grill by the pool. Then I throw some potatoes on and have a green salad and veggies. I also like making lasagne so there are left overs for later. We also like to have ice cream desserts on hand. I sometimes make pancakes for breakfast.

 

[TandyR]

The kitchen was a big selling point for us. The fact we don't haveto get our DDs dressed and out the door for breakfast (except for the princess breakfast and they are running out the door for that) is a big plus. Having dinner in the room when they are tired and fussy is another big plus, but now they are older we are adding a few dinners out this coming trip.

our meal plan for the next trip (we are leaving a week from tomorrow and getting to WDW a week from Wednesday).

dinner the first night:
Fish
veggies
couscous

dinner 2nd night:
Mickey Pasta and sauce
garlic bread
salad

dinner 3rd night (DD b-day her choice)
Mac & Cheese
hot dogs
veggies & dip
cake

dinner 4th night we are out so we are having lunch in the room
sandwhichs and maybe soup

dinner 5th night so lunch in room again
sandwhiches

dinner 6th night
Chicken Cacatori (sp?)

dinner 7th night
lingine with white clam sauce
rolls
salad

dinner 8th night
some easy frozen meal

breakfasts we do cereal, pancakes, waffles, french toast, and breakfast sandwhiches.

I plan the meals before we leave cut coupons and staple the coupons to the list and I am already for when we go grocery shopping...we normally spend around $100 for groceries for the 4 of us for the trip about what we spend when we are at home so don't even bother budgeting the groceries into our vacation budget because it comes out of our normal everyday food budget.

 

[lsutigger2]

We also do a combo of eating in and eating out. DH is not a breakfast eater, but I am so I always have breakfast food. If we drive, I also like to bring "frozen home cooked" meals with us. It is stuff from home that I know freezes well (chili, spaghetti, etc) and it is easy to fix once we're at WDW. Freeze them in individual GLadware or similiar type containers.

We tend to eat in more on longer trips and eat out more often on shorter trips.

 

[Desperado]

We eat a lot of easy meals. I don't know if you would call it cooking, sandwiches, chips, fruit, soda, snacks, nachos, etc. and tend to each out once per day. It saves us lots of $$ and hassle. Hot fudge sundays or some other great dessert at night can be much easier and more relaxing than going out when you've been out most of the day.

 

[dannyb]

I am an early riser - - I usually make a hot breakfast for everybody, even though we tned to get a real early start. In a 1 week stay, we will probably have breakfast in 5 times - - we like to go to a resort where we haven't been for breakfast at least once.

We'll do about half of the lunches in; usually sandwich stuff. But, we also have LEFTOVERS from dinners.

Unless we are staying at Vero (where we do about half the dinners in), we do not do dinners in the room, EXCEPT, a couple times in a week, my wife and I will fix the kids a simple dinner in the room and go out by ourselves.

 

[dannyb]

I am an early riser - - I usually make a hot breakfast for everybody, even though we tned to get a real early start. In a 1 week stay, we will probably have breakfast in 5 times - - we like to go to a resort where we haven't been for breakfast at least once.

We'll do about half of the lunches in; usually sandwich stuff. But, we also have LEFTOVERS from dinners.

Unless we are staying at Vero (where we do about half the dinners in), we do not do dinners in the room, EXCEPT, a couple times in a week, my wife and I will fix the kids a simple dinner in the room and go out by ourselves.

 

[Judique]

I cook my coffee every morning<g>! We don't do a lot of cooking but we do like to have a kitchen area to store drinks and snacks and to fix simple meals. We love to eat out but we also like to balance it with a bit of simple cooking. Breakfast is the easiest, but lunch can be fairly quick and easy as well with all the great choices available at Publix and WinnDixie.

 

[SheriB]

We always do a big breakfast in: eggs, sausage or bacon, toast, orange juice. You can buy the bacon and sausage already cooked; all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave. Scrambled eggs are easy and quick.

We either eat lunch in the park or sometimes in the room. Usually it's hot dogs, sandwiches or wraps (I figured out that the turkey wrap at Beaches and Cream was just as easy to make, with Thousand Island Dressing. The kids like making them themselves, and you save the $5 or so that you would pay for the wrap).

Dinners are usually in the room, with the occasional one or two in the parks. Spaghetti with jar sauce, bag salad and garlic bread. Publix roasted chicken with a vegatable and salad. Sanwiches and soup. Tacos. All easy stuff. We really saved a lot of money eating in the room, and still enjoyed some of the restaurants as well.

Good luck
Sheri