We are definitely going to Disney for Spring Break!

[punkin]

I booked us a 2BR at Orange Lake. It has a full kitchen, so we will not be eating out much this trip. I need suggestions on what to bring as far as food. I have no desire to be stuck in the kitchen all week.

I was thinking of making a turkey and using leftovers for sandwiches and maybe a carcass soup. We will be there for 8 days. Breakfasts are easy: eggs or cereal. I am trying to make the meals really budget since I overspent on the condo.

We are driving down so I thought I could pack a cooler with a frozen turkey and a frozen lasagna, and they would almost defrost by the time we got to Florida (14 hours).

Any ideas?

 

[Justsyd2]

I suggest buying your perishables when you get there. Just bring dry goods with you for a 14 hour trip. You certainly don't want to start the trip with food poisoning.

Easy meals are:

Baked potato and salad
Tacos
Sandwiches
Hamburgers

 

[NeedaVacation03]

We just do simple things like:
Tacos with rice
spaghetti with meat sauce
chicken tetrazzini
chicken breast with baked potatoes
hamburgers
plenty of lunchmeat for grilled ham and cheese, subs etc.
plenty of salad to serve whichever meal and then to add left over chicken breast too.
I try to do as many as I can that I can combine products. Like purchasing large size hamburger package to use for tacos, meat sauce and hamburgers. Large box of spaghetti to use in tetrazzini and spaghetti.
The more you can combine the less you have to purchase.
I would not do a turkey just because I would not want to spend the time on it on vacation. I like to make as many meals as I can in the crock pot.

 

[MEM]

I agree with the recommendation not to bring frozen food down on the car trip. I think the room in the car would be better filled by a crockpot - unless the Orange Lake condo has one in its kitchen. You could throw a whole chicken in the crockpot in the morning and by dinner time it will be falling-apart-tender. You could also throw frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot along with a jar of salsa and can of black beans. At dinner time, shred the meat and either stir in a block of cream cheese or a cup of sour cream. Serve in flour tortillas. You could also do a pot roast in the crockpot to make roast beef sandwiches.
One of my favorite easy meals is to purchase a bag of frozen lima beans and filets of salmon or cod ( 6-8 ounces per person). Take a large square of foil (again, one packet for each person), pour 1/2 cup lima beans on the foil, add the piece of fish, sprinkle with a 1 teaspoon olive oil and then season with lemon pepper or whatever you like. Close up the foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

I recall, Punkin, that your DH is a bit of a "foodie" but the above suggestions should be satisfying to him?

 

[HeatherC]

Not the healthiest...but hot dogs and beans. We just came back from Bonnet Creek. I did a SuperWalmart run when we had arrived and happened to pick up a package of hot dogs and rolls for a whopping total of $2. Didn't even know if we'd use them since I never have them.

But..one day we were sitting at the pool getting hungry for lunch and I remembered I had them. I grabbed them and we threw them on the grill they had for lunch. And I have to say it was really yummy and fed 5 of us for $2. Made me feel really happy when I saw that the resort was charging $6.95 for their hot dog and fries plate.

Another night the kids wanted spaghetti. So instead of going out, I made that for about $2 also...including the sauce.

If you do decide to eat out, a great inexpensive place is Sweet Tomatoes. It's behind Fridays at the Crossroads intersection. It's an all you can eat, salad, potato, flatbread, soup bar for about $10. They also had a frozen yogurt/fruit station with toppings. We all enjoyed it and it was healthy and cheap. Lunch would be even cheaper I think. (You can sign up for their email and get BOGO coupons.)

Have a great trip!

 

[runwad]

I always bring my crock pot down when we get a condo and all our food...frozen and otherwise. I don't know who wants to go shopping? Not me and we have the room in our van. I take roasts to make in the crock also make ham and scallop potatoes. Nothing like having dinner ready when we walk in from the parks. We also bring our own homemade frozen spaghetti sauce and have pasta one night.We usually have leftovers from those meals so one night is a leftover night. Have a great trip.

 

[punkin]

I do not want food poisoning, but a fully frozen turkey in a cooler with ice should make it for 14 hours, no?

Yes, DH is a foodie. We are all foodies, kids included. I have promised him one dinner at Boma, one lunch at Kona, and one dinner at Flying Fish. That's it! No more! That was in exchange for booking a higher priced condo. I was willing to book cheaper but he insisted on this one. So we will do sandwiches for lunch and home meals for most of the vacation. We are also only doing 4 or 5 days in the parks. The rest will be beach or resort.

Crockpot is a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it. Yes the resort has a full kitchen. The reason I thought turkey is I only have to cook it one day and it can roast in the oven while we are at the pool. I just have to check on it every 2 hours or so. Then we have food and leftovers for a week-just like after Thanksgiving (minus the pies and gravy).

 

[MrsPooh]

Haven't done it for Disney but always did when we used to rent a beach house each year.

I always planned meals ahead, made as much ahead of time as possible and brought everything I could. We had a two day drive and things kept fine in a cooler since everything was frozen to start. I would also make a very detailed shopping list so when we got there I could do one shopping trip and be done.

We always did cereal or bagels for breakfast and usually we had sandwiches and chips for lunch.

I did not want to spend much time cooking or cleaning so I tried to make good but easy. Dh doesn't like crockpot cooking so that was out.

I usually made lasagna ahead and brought it frozen.

I would brown hamburger at home and freeze it. I could then mix it with bbq sauce and serve on buns for our version of sloppy joes and serve with fries baked in the oven.

I would purchase several packages of pre-cooked chicken strips or bring some from home. One night we'd make chicken quesidillas and another I would mix them in a pasta salad (we like the ranch pasta salad mixes) and toss in some fresh veggies.

We also liked to make homemade pizza one evening. Either use a crust mix or buy a pre-made crust. Everyone could pick their own toppings. We also love BBQ Chicken Pizza and used the leftover BBQ sauce from with the "sloppy joes" and leftover chicken strips and added some green onions.

Final easy meal was to purchase a pre-packaged salad mix (like the Ceasar kits) that include dressing and toppings. I buy a few shrimp and toss them on top.

I also used to pre-make desserts like cookies and brownies for desserts and freeze them for the trip.

I would shop ahead and make ahead as much as possible for budget purposes but when we arrived and I did my shopping I'd pick up things we usually don't keep on hand at home to make things special for eating in. That helped conquer the "I'd rather eat out" issues. Things like specialty breads for sandwiches, extra juice or soft drinks we love but don't splurge on at home, etc.

It sounds like you'll have a great time. Enjoy yourself.

 

[punkin]

I would shop ahead and make ahead as much as possible for budget purposes but when we arrived and I did my shopping I'd pick up things we usually don't keep on hand at home to make things special for eating in. That helped conquer the "I'd rather eat out" issues. Things like specialty breads for sandwiches, extra juice or soft drinks we love but don't splurge on at home, etc.

It sounds like you'll have a great time. Enjoy yourself.

That's what I have to do. We never have sodas at home, I will be sure to buy that.

 

[SDSorority]

Hmm... interesting thread. We'll be staying offsite too, and I haven't thought about what we'll be having for meals. We'll be shopping at Walmart since we're flying (and we have a gift card from Christmas that we're saving to use).

It's just DH and myself, and we're vegetarians... so I'm thinking along these lines:

We'll have 4-5 nights of 'big' meals (3 or 4 at the parks), 6 breakfasts, and 6 lunches that I'll be making (roughly?).


Cereal
Milk
Fruit
Nuts
Bread
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Clif Bars
Instant Oatmeal (plain)
Raisins
Honey
Kashi Frozen Meals (entree's, pizza)
Box of whole wheat pasta, jar of sauce
Salad Mix
Baking Potatoes
Chips
Salsa
Canned Beans
Shredded Cheese
Small Sour Cream
Bottled Water
Jug of Distilled Water

 

[chefkellyb]

When we traveled to HHI last summer, we drove for 11 hours. Our frozen food stayed rock solid frozen in our cooler. Perhaps it was because the tray of ziti I froze the week before and the other foods were in our deep freezer? But if in doubt about keeping food fully frozen, you may want to follow the advice of the others.

A few other things that we like to take with us is the Deluxe Mac and Cheese boxes. My kids love it and it requires no ingredients - just boil the macaroni and add the "cheese." Mac and cheese with chicken tenders is their favorite dinner while we will eat any yummy leftovers. (In your planning you may want to keep a night or two in mind for leftovers if you are a family who doesn't mind them. Sounds like you've got that covered since you are planning on turkey for several days.)

We also like Stouffer's lasagna - just throw it in the oven, go to the pool, then dinner is served! Add a bagged salad and garlic bread and easy dinner with little cleanup.

I like the crockpot ideas. When we drive for the first time to BWV in June I think I will pack it along.

Another tip for breakfast is instant oatmeal. The packets don't take up room and require boiled water and maybe just a splash of milk.

Now you've got me thinking about our trip.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

If you join the Sweet Tomatoes email list they send you coupons for BOGO.

Also, this blog - http://eatathomecooks.com/ - has info on cooking at home and traveling with it. She's a DISer but I don't recall her username.

Have a great time!

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Here is a link to where the vacation food info is on her blog

http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/02/vacation-food-saving-money-dry-ice-is-your-friend.html

 

[punkin]

Here is a link to where the vacation food info is on her blog

http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/02/vacation-food-saving-money-dry-ice-is-your-friend.html

very cool site. thank you.

 

[Tink9295]

My family stayed in a 2 bedroom at Orange Lake last year. Our unit was newly renovated. Your family will love the pools and lazy river.

We ate dinner often in our unit. One night we bought Publix fresh made meatballs and made a quick sauce. The meatballs were very good. (This is coming from an Italian who makes her own meatballs.) One night we made tacos. Another night we had made appetizers for dinner. We also made chicken strips and had that on salad. One night we got pizza.

The kitchen is well stocked and had everything we needed.

We had friends staying nearby and they joined us for dinner.

Enjoy you vacation!

 

[punkin]

My family stayed in a 2 bedroom at Orange Lake last year. Our unit was newly renovated. Your family will love the pools and lazy river.

We ate dinner often in our unit. One night we bought Publix fresh made meatballs and made a quick sauce. The meatballs were very good. (This is coming from an Italian who makes her own meatballs.) One night we made tacos. Another night we had made appetizers for dinner. We also made chicken strips and had that on salad. One night we got pizza.

The kitchen is well stocked and had everything we needed.

We had friends staying nearby and they joined us for dinner.

Enjoy you vacation!

Excellent! This type of vacation is a bit of a departure for us. We may do cheap accommodations, but we usually splurge on food. We will see how this goes.

I originally wanted to do the whole trip for $1K, but I guess my realistic budget right now is $2K. I think that's pretty expensive since I have low transportation costs and no ticket costs, but prices for spring break really are astronomical...and we'll have to deal with the crowds.

 

[alexandria674]

I booked us a 2BR at Orange Lake. It has a full kitchen, so we will not be eating out much this trip. I need suggestions on what to bring as far as food. I have no desire to be stuck in the kitchen all week.

I was thinking of making a turkey and using leftovers for sandwiches and maybe a carcass soup. We will be there for 8 days. Breakfasts are easy: eggs or cereal. I am trying to make the meals really budget since I overspent on the condo.

We are driving down so I thought I could pack a cooler with a frozen turkey and a frozen lasagna, and they would almost defrost by the time we got to Florida (14 hours).

Any ideas?

Wait...what?

 

[punkin]

Wait...what?

After the roast turkey is picked clean, you make a broth with the leftover carcass and make a soup with that. I make it every year after Thanksgiving. I like to make it with yucca (potatoes work well too), corn (I prefer frozen to canned), celery, carrots, onions, herbs left over from seasoning the turkey and stuffing...whatever else is in the freezer or fridge.

I am not sure I am going to do this on vacation, but it sure is good in the autumn-easy to make, economical and delicious.

 

[LunchladyDoris]

After the roast turkey is picked clean, you make a broth with the leftover carcass and make a soup with that. I make it every year after Thanksgiving. I like to make it with yucca (potatoes work well too), corn (I prefer frozen to canned), celery, carrots, onions, herbs left over from seasoning the turkey and stuffing...whatever else is in the freezer or fridge.

I am not sure I am going to do this on vacation, but it sure is good in the autumn-easy to make, economical and delicious.

Isn't that just Turkey soup?

 

[punkin]

Isn't that just Turkey soup?

Yes, but it is made from the carcass of an already roasted turkey. I would consider "turkey soup" to be from raw turkey meat and bones (which I have never done BTW-I bet it would be good though). It's a matter of semantics. You can call it whatever you like. It's all the same to me.