MEAL PLANNING WHILE ON VACATION
Whether you are at home or on vacation you still have to eat. How do you do your meal planning while on vacation? There are many options and lots to consider. Every family or group is different. Some really like to spend time on meals while on vacation because they don’t have time to cook while working full time. Others don’t want to do any cooking and consider it a vacation from cooking. Yet others do a mixture of them. Resort owners have seen it all.
So, I ask, “How do you handle your meal planning?”
Eat every meal at the cabin. Some families eat all their meals at the cabin. It could be for many reasons. It is a great way to save money. Eating at the cabin can certainly save money, if that is your goal. But saving money is not the only reason to eat at the cabin. Some really prefer to take the time to cook and enjoy the process.
Grill meals. People may have more time to prepare meals and want choose to grill as much as possible. Depending on the time of year, keeping the heat from cooking outside is not a bad idea. Take the time to do some grilling. If you do some planning, really most meals can be prepared on a grill. But, be prepared to cook inside in case of rain and you don’t want to be outside in the rain. Find out what type of grill your Minnesota Resort has. Is it gas or charcoal. If it is charcoal, don’t forget to put charcoal on the packing list.
Make super simple meals: Food is just a necessary thing that we all do every day. While on vacation, vacationer’s certainly have different view points on food. Some think that it’s just food and tries to make it as simple as possible. If that is you, there are ways to simplify your meal planning. You can bring prepackaged foods, bring food that you precooked at home or maybe just look at meals with as few ingredients as possible. If you don’t want to spend much of your vacation time on meals, you have options. If you are bringing a full week’s worth of food you may want to bring an extra cooler because the cabin refrigerator might be a little tight. If you bring it frozen, then it can stay in the cooler a little longer until you are ready to eat it.
Have complex meals. On the contrary, some vacationers think that a vacation is a perfect time to spend more time on food. If you enjoy cooks maybe you don’t have much time at home to cook at home, then take the time while on vacation. Make sure to bring all those spices that you need. If you need special pots, pans, utensils, small appliances make sure to check with the resort to see if they them. If not, then don’t forget to pack what you need.
Go out to eat as much as possible. We have certainly heard people say that they cook everyday at home, when they are on vacation they want a vacation from cooking. That is great. If you don’t already know what the options are in the area around your resort cabin, then check with your resort owner for recommendations. It might also be a great time to make reservations at a restaurant that isn’t in the immediate area. Make it a day trip.
Share meals with others. If you are with other families or friends, think about sharing meals with others. Everyone picks a dinner. Then your meal planning will be reduced! If you are cooking for a larger group check with your resort to make sure that they have enough supplies/equipment. You can also share supplies with the others in your group in different cabins. Just make sure to return the items to the correct cabin when done.
Have the kids cook and do the meal planning. What a great opportunity to have the kids more involved with cooking and planning. Depending on the age and interest (yours and theirs), this can be a great time to hand over some or all of the responsibilities. If the kids are a little older, sit down ahead of time and have the kids help you decide what to eat while on vacation. Work together and be flexible with what they want to make. They might surprise you. It can certainly be a fun experience for all of you. If they are a little younger, they can still help with the planning and they can be assigned meals to help the adults cook and prepare. You determine what their level of interest, capability and experience is and go from there.
Submitted by: Karen Senger
Retired Resorter but Still Loves Resorts and Resorting
Photo Credit: Loon Point Resort, Timberwolf Inn, Holly Senger
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