Eating meals in the room is part of our family tradition at WDW. We used to do it even in a studio, though our choices are more interesting now that we bought more points and stay in a 1b.
We like Publix for shopping. They have many good store brands, including their frozen pizza and ice cream. We always get a rotisserie chicken and some sides there for our first night. We buy lots of sandwich stuff, as that is a quick and easy thing to fix when returning from the parks tired and hungry. We cut up fresh fruit and that goes with many meals. Taco night works well, especially if you cook up the meat ahead of time.
We try for easy, quick prep, nothing fancy but nothing that we wouldn't want to eat on vacation, either. (Learned our lesson the year we bought some canned soup and Dinty Moore beef stew - not really too exciting, and not at all what you want on a hot day in August!) We let the kids pick out fun cereals, snacks and drinks that we might not buy at home to keep it special.
Our biggest issue is timing of meals. We go to the parks early - we visit in summer when that is a necessity - then return by noon or 1 for lunch. We like to take a break mid-day, then go back to the parks in late afternoon or early evening. This makes it hard to get dinner in the room on park days, unless you like to eat really late. We sometimes eat late afternoon snacks, then get counter service food in the parks.
I know many on these boards don't use the kitchen at all, but we like the relaxation of eating in the room and getting away from the heat and crowds for a bit. And, since we have 2 teens now, we save hundreds of dollars on a week-long trip. (We spent about $200 this year at Publix, and close to $250 on our two big meals out: a character breakfast and Boma dinner.)
We like Publix for shopping. They have many good store brands, including their frozen pizza and ice cream. We always get a rotisserie chicken and some sides there for our first night. We buy lots of sandwich stuff, as that is a quick and easy thing to fix when returning from the parks tired and hungry. We cut up fresh fruit and that goes with many meals. Taco night works well, especially if you cook up the meat ahead of time.
We try for easy, quick prep, nothing fancy but nothing that we wouldn't want to eat on vacation, either. (Learned our lesson the year we bought some canned soup and Dinty Moore beef stew - not really too exciting, and not at all what you want on a hot day in August!) We let the kids pick out fun cereals, snacks and drinks that we might not buy at home to keep it special.
Our biggest issue is timing of meals. We go to the parks early - we visit in summer when that is a necessity - then return by noon or 1 for lunch. We like to take a break mid-day, then go back to the parks in late afternoon or early evening. This makes it hard to get dinner in the room on park days, unless you like to eat really late. We sometimes eat late afternoon snacks, then get counter service food in the parks.
I know many on these boards don't use the kitchen at all, but we like the relaxation of eating in the room and getting away from the heat and crowds for a bit. And, since we have 2 teens now, we save hundreds of dollars on a week-long trip. (We spent about $200 this year at Publix, and close to $250 on our two big meals out: a character breakfast and Boma dinner.)
Has anyone ever tried using a crock pot? We are new to the 
