Hellobee Boards

We have been doing a condo for vacation where we cook most every meal. Mostly we keep it simple (Mexican night, make your own pizza night, breakfast for dinner night, etc) so no intense cooking. Meal planning is a great idea so you can spend less time shopping and also bring a few things from home if you are driving like condiments or special ingredients you don’t need much of.

I do buy a few things I very rarely buy at home - 1-2 kinds of chips, ice cream sandwiches (the cheapy ones that aren’t even amazing but the kids love), and they are REALLY into getting that mixed pack of single serving cereals I would never buy in a full box

They also just love to eat on the balcony (any meal) and even just take a tray of different cold things out there and nibble - cheese and crackers, hummus and pretzels, veg and dip, fruit, whatever you like!

@SweetCaroline:

Hot dogs and microwave macaroni and cheese. My kids are obsessed with Mac and cheese and the microwave ones are so easy. I also “splurge” on the pre cut fruit bowls at the grocery store- it’s more expensive but so much easier, the kids like it, and it’s healthy.

I remember my mom buying the sugary breakfast cereals when we were on vacation and it being such a huge treat. I was one of five kids so I think she got the big box and we went through it in a week!

We went away for a long weekend a few weeks ago and my kids pretty much ate cereal, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and fruit. And fries. Health. One night we fed them leftovers and DH went and picked up lobster rolls for us after they went to sleep.

S’mores! Hot dogs and burgers, chips and onion dip, bacon and eggs/pancakes...depends on if we share a cottage or go tent camping. At a cottage with others we usually do pulled pork, frozen pizza, Kraft dinner, pasta with jarred sauce and bagged salad, lots of in season fruits/veg like peaches and cherries and corn on the cob, etc. Tent camping we do hot dogs one night, eggs in the morning, crackers and cheese and salami through the day, then those pre marinated pork chops or chicken kebabs in a package with fried potatoes I cook before we go with raw veg and dip. I really try to keep it easy so I don’t have to spend a ton of time cooking. I also usually buy junky muffins from the grocery store too.

Totally forgot about those mini cereals! I always loved those when we went camping as kids.

We're heading to a lake house this weekend and there will be 19 people in the house. Yikes! We've come up with a menu and will take turns cooking and cleaning. We'll have three nights up there. The three dinners are going to be tacos, everything grilled (burgers, sausages, corn, etc), and steak and shrimp. We'll mainly do leftovers or sandwiches for lunch. Or maybe groups will break out and go out. Breakfast will be eggs, pancakes, bacon, cereal, etc. We'll also get tons of snacks like chips and salsa, fruit, cheez-its, cookies, and the like for snacking throughout the day (and at night after a few cocktails). Dessert in my family is always ice cream but we'll have to do s'mores as well. It's not easy taking 19 people to a restaurant so we try to keep things simple. But it never is. ..

@Mommy Finger:lots of good ideas!!
@looch: ooh a meal service. like that.