Hotel Home Cookin’ (Part 1)

For Christmas this year, we gave our boys a trip to Disneyland for 6 days! This meant driving straight down and staying in a hotel for 7 nights. We have 3 teenage sons and they can EAT!!! I did a bit of figuring and deduced that even if we averaged only $8 per meal eating out (and that’s being really frugal), food alone would be $720!!! Yeah, not on our budget…

Thankfully I was struck with a revolutionary solution: my crock pot! Every hotel room has an outlet and I have a crock pot. Perfect!

Now this plan works even better if the room also has a microwave and a mini fridge. It also is much simpler for shorter stays. A week is probably about the limit, although you could shop while on vacation if necessary.

Here’s a summary of the plan. Eat simple, quick breakfasts and lunches. After lunch, line your crock pot with a slow cooker liner (Reynold’s makes them), pop in your supper, turn it on (use high or low heat depending on how long you will be gone and how frozen your food is when you put it in), and come back to a hot supper with no cooking!

When planning your menu, remember that simpler is better. Also keep in mind what will freeze well and can be reheated in a crock pot (mashed potatoes, for instance, are not a good idea). The fewer things that need to be kept cold, the better. Be sure to plan to eat things that will spoil sooner right away.

If budget allows, treat yourself to at least one meal out. After all, you’ve done all this work and you deserve it! :o) I would recommend waiting until your last day to do this unless you have a really hectic day in the schedule or you are really self-disciplined. I found it really hard to go back to eating out of paper plates while sitting on the end of the bed once I’d eaten out. LOL

This is what our menu for the 6 days looked like: (the items in pink are linked to recipes I like)

Day 1

Breakfast- yogurt, granola, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- bagels with turkey & cheese, chips and fruit

Dinner- turkey rice soup, rolls and salad

Day 2

Breakfast- cereal, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- cup o noodle soup, crackers and fruit

Dinner- chili, corn muffins and fruit salad

Day 3

Breakfast- instant oatmeal, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- PB sandwiches, chips, and fruit

Dinner- BBQs, baked beans, corn and chips

Day 4

Breakfast- yogurt, granola, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- bagels with cream cheese, chips and fruit

Dinner- tacos, Spanish rice, tortilla chips and fruit

Day 5

Breakfast- cereal, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- cup o noodle soup, crackers and fruit

Dinner- hot dogs, baked beans, chips and fruit

Day 6

Breakfast- instant oatmeal, quick bread, fruit, juice, milk

Lunch- PB sandwiches, chips, and fruit

Dinner- Eating out

 

Don’t forget about snacks and desserts! This will also save you from spending money on junk food while you’re out for the day.

If you are going to be gone for only a couple of days, homemade treats are great! Be sure to individually wrap them for easy eating on the road and while at the hotel. If you know you will just be eating them in the room, you can place them in zipper bags or containers.

If you are going to be gone for several days, you may want to consider bringing some store bought treats/snacks/desserts for later in the week.

Some of our favorite treats were brownies, popcorn, little bags of pretzels, dried fruits, small bags of trail mix, nuts, candies, and granola bars (this recipe is by far our favorite!).