quick/easy meals while on vacation

My menu for the week while on vacation


Saturday - Eat out

Sunday - Eat out

Monday - Eat out

Tuesday - Eat Out

Wednesday - Eat Out

Thursday - Eat Out

Friday - Eat Out


(OK maybe not every night - but most nights)

Part of the fun of vacation for us - is going to different places. We hit the old favorites and every time we try at least one new place - that will hopefully become a new favorite.

Wish I could be like Mermaid - etc - sure would save us some money - but I love going to our favorite restaurants - plus it helps the local economy!!!!

That's is EXACTLY the same menu that I make.:clap_1: Although we do eat breakfast and lunch in, most of the time.

I just ask Mr. Kitty where he wants to eat. He is good at making reservations on vacation. We like to go to Mod's and stock up on shrimp salad, chicken salad, cole slaw and those tasty buffalo chicken nuggets.

And for funn, you can write your list on different color-paper! I'm a list-maker, too, Mermaid. I enjoy thinking ahead (it gives me another excuse to think about the beach and vacation) and I enjoy not having to think much when I'm there. I also keep a list of places we want to visit when we're here so that I don't forget (I get my ideas of where I want to go from SoWal.com, of course). Ohhh, I love lists...

Paula, we are kindred spirits! I use a different color paper for my beach lists/menus. And, I print them all out on the computer. Some lists I can recycle year after year, and the grocery list is pretty standard too. I keep TRYING to add more "eat out" nights, but mr. dd is thrifty if nothing else. So, we usually do burgers one night, shrimp one night, fish on the grill one night and spaghetti one night. We always eat breakfast and lunch at the house or pack a cooler with sandwiches, etc. for the beach. Of course, when Alli and I open our business, you can all order lunch from us and have it delivered to you on the beach!! ;-)

I love to use my palm pilot for lists, Mermaid. Everytime I get an idea for something to do at the beach, i type it into my palm pilot. I do the same with the grocery list for the beach. Then, when we get there, I have my list ready to go. I already have a full list of things to remember on the Saturday we arrive (for the week). That way, once I get to the beach I don't have to think any more.

I've planned some of the meals but not all because right now I'm on an "explore food on 30A" quest which I'm thoroughly enjoying. However, I've never been there at a peak summer week so we may decide to eat in more often this trip because I really don't enjoy standing in line. So, I think if you and Allifunn are planning a nice food delivery business, you'd do OK. I think some good well-placed "carts" with some special foods would do great as well if they're well placed.

The Mers are having tuna fish for lunch today!!! This is FUNN!

planning ahead for meals always makes sense, especially when you can't just run to the store and you have no refrig space to speak of, plus, its the anticipatory thinking that makes the trip funn start earlier anyway!

experience says that the best things i ever bought for our trips was a fry baby and an 8" electric wok, which make for really quick, really good meals

the menu is always seafood (you really should be completely sick of seafood by the time you get back home or it isn't a successful vacation!)

i have two small food coolers that zip together and has a shoulder strap:

one cooler with ice, holding bags of fresh or individual-glazed-fresh-frozen fish (mahi-mahi, red snapper and some tuna steaks), extra-jumbo shrimp and steak fries, bags of field greens and packets of salad dressings

and one dry cooler for fixins that has some croutons, tempura batter mix and a hand full of skewers, a bottle of seasoned peanut oil, tony catchere's creole seasoning, dried lemon peel, garlic powder, ginger powder, horseradish powder, butter buds, chipotle powder, paprika, bacon bits, toothpicks and some salt and pepper

another small bag holds a 4 cup electric coffee pot, some coffee filter packs, creamer and sweetener

i have found that these spices and ingredients allow for making pretty much anything that a resturant can and fits, along with the coffee bag, fry baby and 8" electric wok, into the easily carried container

its a real treat to work on your food capabilities, going on local picnics and things where you have to cook like you were in vacation conditions and getting it all down perfect before the vacation comes

Ya'll have given me some great ideas for our trip in Sept. I think what I'm going to do is cook up a big pot roast in the crock pot and make some barbecue before we go. Barbecue is good cold or hot. Another thing we are doing over the summer is everytime we by granola bars, pop tarts, those 100 calorie packs or whatever put back one or two bags. So will have a variety of snacks, 'cause that 11hour trip is looooonnnnnggggg.