{Travel Survival Series} Meals

A Week at the Lake {Survival Series} Food and Groceries

During our week at the Lake, we have found that the best way to do meals with a large group is to share the most common meal, ours being the noon meal, and then be on our own for the evening meals with our individual families. When we collaborate for the main meal, each smaller family takes one day and plans the entrée and everyone else brings sides and salads. We also bring snacks for our families and snacks to share. Each of us tries to bring an appetizer-type snack to bring down to the beach for the day (this is totally casual and somehow works itself out over the course of the week). Each family ends up needing to bring less food and we’ve found that it’s much less stressful planning only one large meal for the week. I’ll post ideas for main meals and ideas for our suppers (these tend to be smaller meals and are quick and easy to fix). I’m also adding ideas for sides, salads and snacks as well. I’ll link up as many as I can!

I also love these trays from Target to help transfer all of the food out to the picnic tables.

Main Meal
Our main meal is usually cooked on the grill and is served on picnic tables. Here are some ideas of what we have for this meal:

Hamburgers
Teriyaki Shish kabobs
Pork Loin
Grilled Chicken
Pork Chops
Steak
Fried Fish – we also have a fish fry sometime toward the end of the week to showcase the guy’s catch during the week.

Second Meal

Tacos in a bag
Tonka Toasters over the fire
Brats
Hot dogs
Poor Boy Sandwich – we usually pick up a pre-made sandwich at Wal-mart before leaving town and eat that after church Saturday night while getting settled, no prep yet satisfying J
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Sloppy Joes

Breakfast

My favorite because it’s so easy
It is family tradition to have Lucky Charms for breakfast, that’s it. I’m not sure where this tradition came from but I’m not arguing!!
My mother-in-law will also invite us over one morning for fried fish, eggs and toast

Sides

Cookie salad
Green Fluff
Snicker Salad
Potato Salad
Rotini Noodle Salad
Broccoli Grape Salad
Green Olive Salad
Patio Beans
Veggies and Dip
Chips – it’s easiest to pack the individual servings of chips so you can pack around them without worrying about crushing a whole bag. For tacos in a bag, you just need to make sure you have enough bags of Doritos for each person to have one (or two, or three!)
Cantelope
Strawberries
Apples
Kiwi
Grapes
Watermelon
Corn – Frozen
Green Beans – Frozen
Squash – Frozen from the previous fall
Potatoes – for Lettuce and potatoes (see below)
Carrots – we often have at least one meal of glazed carrots
Lettuce – my in-laws make creamed lettuce over potatoes from lettuce in their garden. Sounds weird but it’s delicious. - We use something similar to this recipe without the sugar and ingredients are added to taste.


Snacks
Chex Mix
Twizzlers
Red Vine (yes, it’s imperative to have both, I guess)
Chips & Salsa
Puppy Chow
Reeces Pieces
Peanuts
Dried Fruit
Taco Dip
Rice Krispie Bars
Cookies
Special K Bars
Candy Bars – fun size are great
Microwave popcorn (for those late night snackers)
Cinnamon Bears
Chips – our newest favorite is TIGI Friday’s Potato Skins
Deep dish mini fruit Pizzas
Gold Fish
Teddy Grahams
Granola Bars
Fruit Snacks
Fruit Cups

We take two coolers while my in-laws usually take 4 (there are only two of them in their cabin now but my mother-in-law always brings lots of food). Any food that doesn't need to be kept cold, isn't put in the cooler but added to a box or rubbermaid tub and then put in the fridge when we get there. Here are a couple of ways you can store your snacks while you're there:

Realsimple.com has a great post on grab and go snacks here. You could hang a shoe organizer over a door and put your snacks in it for the kids (or you) to grab and go without digging through cupboards, etc. This one I found on Pinterest from Moneysavingqueen:

Moneysavingqueen

This one is from A Girl and a Glue Gun (she has a whole post about travel with kids) as well as PMKCrafts and would be great for in the car or while your there to take out of the cabin with you. Our resort has a play ground and it's much easier to bring the snacks to the kids instead of trying to get them inside.

Source

And last but not least, HERE is my free printable list for meals  and groceries!

If youre looking for more ideas, follow my Pinterest Boards for Travel and the lake.