What meals are good or easy to make?

[aja319se]

My family is staying in a 2bdrm in SSR, I know this may not be extremely popular but we have decided to cook/make a majority of our meals for our upcoming trip. (Don't be too alarmed we are going to 1900 PF for breakfast & WCC for dinner )
Does anyone have any suggestions on good meal ideas or food to purchase from Garden Grocer? We are flying in too so we are unable to pack a lot...

We have thought of
Pasta & Salad
Taco's
Hot dogs

Purchase a variety of snacks, pb & J, and cold cuts for lunch

Poptarts
Frozen food for breakfasts
fresh fruits too!

Any suggestions from the Pro's are more than welcome!

 

[stampinshauna]

spaghetti
frozen pizza
canned soups

We made pancakes last time--bought the just add water mix and some syrup.

 

[toniosmom]

I once bought a large size Stouffers Mac & Cheese and after I microwaved it, added in a can of peas. It was a nice quick complete meal for me and my son.

Other things I have made are:

Pastina (after you cook the pastina mix in butter, a little milk, and some parmesan cheese)
Frozen waffles/pancakes
Chicken nuggets

 

[jodifla]

One thing I've been doing lately is getting a big tray of cutup veggies with dip. I use them as snacks, then also as veggies will meals. For example, I'll add the tomatoes and carrots from the tray to bagged salads, and saute the broccoli to have as a side dish.



we tend to do:

Steaks or chicken on the grill, green bean vinaigrette (can of green beans drained, with Italian dressing) and rice
Pasta and sauce (either spaghetti sauce or clam sauce), bagged salads, garlic bread
Chili (just get the mix with a can of beans and a pound of hamburger)
Tuna casserole

 

[TinksDH]

We travel to WDW usually twice a year, and with a family of 5 we need to eat in the rooms when we can in order to keep the trip affordable.

Some simple meals include baked chicken (chicken for dinner, leftovers for snacks), spaghetti, beefy mac & cheese, pork tenderloins, etc.

Even though you are flying, you can still pack a lot of dry goods / shelf stable items and save a fair amount of money. We usually try and allot just 1 checked suitcase per person, plus an overnight bag that holds all the toiletries/DW's curling iron, etc. We then take our largest suitcase (the one that would most likely weigh over 50 lbs. if we packed it with clothes) and fill it up with boxed cereal, pop-tarts and breakfast bars for breakfasts, canned soup, mac & cheese boxes, pasta sauce, pasta, rice-a-roni, canned beans for side dishes, and apples/chips/crackers/cookies/fruit snacks for snacks. We roll up beach towels and roll towels around fragile items for cushioning, lay our WDW ponchos on top, and zip it up. We did this 2 weeks ago and it weighed 42 lbs.

This way, we only need to pick up perishable items at either the on-site store, a grocery run if we rented a vehicle, or use the various grocery services. We'll eat cereal for breakfast a few times, dinner in the room a few times, and maybe even lunch in the room if we are doing an early entry and/or EMH. At the end of the stay, we just pack up what we don't eat, and then fill the rest of the space in the suitcase with whatever WDW paraphernalia we bought! That way, we are sure to have suitcase space for our trinkets!

 

[aja319se]

thanks for the great suggestions. Definitely doing the frozen pizza and the baked chicken
I also loved the suitcase with the dry goods idea. I figure my 7yr old daughter's clothes won't fill a suitecase anyhow so i'd put the food in her suitcase and that would also leave room for all of the cool stuff we'll bring home
the DIS Boards never disappoint!!!

 

[toniosmom]

I haven't tried it yet, but I heard that you can get pizza delivery as well. I'm sure others on the board can confirm this for you.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Make breakfast for dinner! Eggs and omelettes, pancakes (get the "complete" mix so you just add water), frozen hash browns, bacon or sausage, toast or bagels, etc. If you are really ambitious, you could buy some fresh potatoes, cut them up and roast them with a little oil, salt and pepper. They come out delicious and are a great complement to eggs.

At home, a lot of times when I don't have a lot on hand but couldn't make it to the grocery store yet I make breakfast for dinner and the family loves it! And it is so easy!

Pasta dishes could be pretty easy to make too. You could get some Perdue shortcuts chicken breast and throw it into a pasta dish.

Also, if your family enjoys it, large salads with either Perdue shortcuts chicken in them or imitation crabmeat. You could get creative and throw in all kinds of ingredients, like nuts, dried cranberries, etc. Doesn't just have to be lettuce and tomato!

 

[marynvince]

anything you make quick at home you can make quick on vacation. Just depends on the quality of food you want to feed your family and the amount of time you want to spend cooking.

 

[PHILCT]

I dine out at Disney a lot, but I still prefer breakfast and lunch often at the Disney Vacation Club resort. This is helpful when I am not renting a car as well.

This is my semi frugal, lazy technique to save a litte bit of money on Disney Dining:.

I pack dry cereals, my favorite coffee filter packs, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Mix, Salad Dressing, and I buy on sale at the club store PRE COOKED BACON that does not need refrigeration until it is opened. Usually it is like 60 slices or more.

I buy milk, bread, eggs. lettuce and tomato at the Disney Resort Store immediately.

Just microwave the bacon, and it is done quickly.

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwiches.
Bacon and Eggs.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon Crumbled.
Salad (Lettuce, Tomatoe, yup Bacon)

By the end of the week the bacon is all gone.

Yeah I know, a lot of salt and fat in that bacon !
I will always catch someone in the family/friends eating the bacon like Beef Jerky by the end of the week. Sometimes I have to bring 2 packages.

I hear the nutritionists screaming now !

You may be wondering where I get the butter, mayo, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, vinegar, sugar, sugar substitute? We make sure we get plenty of condiments after visiting the first or second Disney Counter Services, as we buy snack/bakery/fruit items to take back with us to the room.
I think I am the only bad person at Disney that does this ?

 

[DonnaL]

Rather than dragging along an extra piece of luggage, you might also want to check out sending yourself a package via FedEx or UPS at your resort to arrive on your check-in day. Cost is usually about the same or sometimes less than paying the airline for that piece of luggage and you can also send stuff home in the same box if need be. Both FedEx and UPS have detailed info on their websites pertaining to weight, timeframes, etc. I've been sending a box of kitchen dry goods to myself for years now and have sent the same box home with leftovers and souvenirs on several occasions. I save space by packing cereals in just the wax bag (no box), spices for meals are pre-measured and packed in Ziploc snack bags. Pretty much anything I can remove from bulky packaging and cushion so it doesn't get crushed. I just time sending it so it will arrive the same day or the day before we check in.........only once did it arrive the day after we did......and that was over Christmas/New Years week.....UPS was supposed to deliver it on New Years Eve..........they only worked half day and it didn't get delivered until 1/2.....we checked in on NYD........

 

[TINKERIFIC]

Tyson makes frozen chicken fajita strips. They come in a bag. They have a wonderful flavor!!! You just heat up in pan about 10 minutes. The only other thing you need is tortillas and your desired toppings. I usually buy these for quick dinner nights at home. Clean up is easy!!!

Any of the Stouffers family or party size frozen entrees...lasagna, enchilada, etc. They are good, but definatley not as good as homemade. I also buy these for quick night dinners at home. Add in a bag salad, and some Texas Toast frozen garlic bread and it is a wonderful meal!!!

BTW...we plan on eating in for most of our meals...one reason why purchased DVC...the kitchen. Although the meals will always be QUICK meals. Nothing fancy or homemade. I also plan on bringing my crockpot to cook for me while we are off playing!!!

 

[aja319se]

Can I pack you all to come with me? Thank you everyone for the great tips!

Like I said there are 7 of us going and I have been designated the official planner of all that is good..

Love the ideas esp. pizza, breakfast for dinner, perdue short cuts, and pasta! Thank you all again, I know you have probably gone over this topic before but I do appreciate you taking the time to answer

 

[brookelizabeth]

On our December trip this year we will be cooking most meals in the room, here are my current plans:

1) Grill chicken, burgers, brats, etc (using the grills at the resort).
2) Use left over chicken from grill to make chicken fajitas
3) Use chicken from grill to make chicken stir fry

4) Pasta with meat
5) Use extra browned meat from above to make sloppy joes

So that means 2 times we'll be doing a "big" cooking-the chicken and the meat. The other 3 meals will be quicker to make.

 

[faithhelen]

So what are some suggestions for meals if you are staying in a studio???

 

[lumpydj]

So what are some suggestions for meals if you are staying in a studio???

Some good ideas posted here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2230598