Hitting the road? Plan on taking freezer meals on vacation with you to save money on food costs. You’ll eat well without breaking the bank.
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Cheese Enchiladas
Summer time! Things are easy in the summer, right? Nope. Things are expensive.
Say what? How can summer fun affect your food costs, you say?
The activity, hot weather, and entertainment factor of summertime can wreak absolute havoc on your grocery budget.
In summertime you venture out and about more often; you have more random schedules than the rest of the year; you tend to avoid hot kitchens and want someone else – for the love of God! — to do the cooking.
And the justification factor of “it’s summertime,” can lead you to spend more than you might otherwise spend.
Whether it’s the temptation of the drive-thru after a long day at the zoo or the high price of food at the baseball field, you may find ourself spending more money on food than you do during the more hum-drum days of the year.
Furthermore, summer travel can take a big bite out of your funds. Between transportation and lodging costs, vacation spending can escalate before you know it. And eating out at restaurants and fast food joints? Those will jack that bill even higher.
But there is hope.
One way to offset these costs is to take freezer meals on vacation with you.
Have Lasagna, Will Travel
Freezer meals can serve you not only at home, but also away. When you go to the grandparents’, you can pack several meals to share during your visit. Not only does it ensure food you know your kids will eat, but it also allows you to make the load a little lighter on Gramma, who may not be accustomed to feeding a bunch of kids, picky or otherwise.
It can be so fun to spend the afternoon with the grandparents, pop a lasagna and garlic bread in the oven, toss a salad, and set a nice table for you all to enjoy. Even though you’re a guest, you get to pamper your hostess at least once during your visit.
Fresh Basil and Garlic Chive Lasagne
You can even pack freezer meals on full vacation-vacations as well. A few months ago we took a trip to Mammoth. Since we had reserved a condo with a fully equipped kitchen, I grabbed an assortment of meals from my freezer and packed those in the cooler.
Not only did we avoid wasting money on restaurant food we might not have liked, but we also saved a bundle of money. For the two days that we were away, we would have eaten six meals at a restaurant. This could have cost our family anywhere from $120 to $300.
Even if I had bought groceries at the local market, I would have paid a lot more for food than I would have at home. Grocery stores in destination locations are notorious for jacking up the prices.
Packing food allows you to tailor your meals to your tastes as well as your budget.
And even your nutritional needs! Since my youngest has severe nut allergies, I could affordably make sure that all her meals were safe.
We’ve had too many bad tourist attraction meals over the years. And unfortunately, you don’t always get what you pay for.
By packing our own freezer meals on vacation, we eat like kings and didn’t feel guilty about it. Plus, the money we save on food justifies the little extra we might pay for more deluxe accommodations, a pleasure I would gladly pay for again and again.
Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas Your Kids Will Love
Take Freezer Meals on Vacation
Wondering what you should pack on your next trip? Think about what’s quick, easy, and possibly a “one dish dinner.” You want to enjoy whatever it is you’re doing on vacation, so you probably don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing meals — unless, of course, that is what you love to do.
You may be limited on kitchen resources, depending on your accommodations, so choosing easy meals is a good call. And an “all-in-one” dinner can cover all your bases without a lot of work. Serving bread, fruit, and a salad on the side is easy to pull off wherever you roam.
Here’s a list of make ahead and/or freezer friendly foods that have served us well over the years:
Breakfast
- Instant Oatmeal Packets
- Cranberry-Orange Granola
- Carrot Muffins with Honey Cream Cheese
- Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas Your Kids Will Love
Lunch
- Frozen Burritos
- Chihuahua Chili
- Chicken-Bacon Sub
- Marinated Chicken (to throw on the grill if you have a bbq at your disposal)
Dinner
- Fresh Basil and Garlic Chive Lasagne
- Cheese Enchiladas, Beans, and Rice
- Lawnmower Taco
- Pasta with Homemade Red Sauce
Get the cooking plan to take freezer meals on vacation.
Looking for a little extra help? I’ve got just the thing! I’ve put together a cooking plan featuring easily portable freezer meals.
You’ll be covered for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. And best yet, it should only take a couple hours to prep these basic meal components that you can later serve, stress-free, on vacation.
Freezer Cooking Mini-Plan: Meals for a Great Vacation is available for instant download. Get cooking in minutes and prepare yourself for a relaxing, delicious vacation.
Head here to purchase your copy: https://fishmama.com/product/freezer-cooking-mini-plan-vacation/
How do YOU eat well and spend less on the road?
Colette Ihde
We are flying for a vacation this summer, but are staying at a condo. Eating out is hard as we have some food allergies in the group. Any suggestions for bringing meals as we have a full kitchen??
Jessica Fisher
Flying makes it a little harder to take food along, but there are some pretty easy meals you can make with a limited pantry, assuming you have access to a grocery store where you’re going. This meal plan: https://fishmama.com/product/a-week-of-good-cheap-eats-limited-kitchen/ focuses on easy to prep meals with limited kitchen access. While you’ll have a full kitchen, you may not want to stock up on a lot of groceries and pantry staples, so this plan would be helpful.
Lynette
We’ve been going to Disneyland for years – the six of us, my parents, and sometimes my brother. All 9 of us in one big suite style room that’s across from the park. We drive there, so we can bring a lot with us. A number of years back I figured out that we spent so much in food it was crazy, so I budgeted us to only eat at McDonalds every day (of course we were savy enough by then to know to bring our own breakfast in the room before the park) It still ended up being a fortune and we got tired of fast food – even with coupons. The last trip Mom and I decided on crock-potting at least one meal a day, and one meal – could be fancy in the park or McD’s – out. We still spent a lot, and just were underwhelmed with all of the food we ate out. The part we loved was the crockpotted meals in the room. This next time we go, we are doubling up on the crockpots and meals in the hotel and only splurge on a couple meals out – and while driving (from Colorado) there. There is nothing better than spending an entire morning in Disney, and then coming back for a break with a hot meal in the crock waiting for you. We’ll start another easy short meal that can heat up in a couple of hours while we take our rest, eat and then head back into the park for an evening of fun again. Best way to travel, hands down.
Jessica Fisher
It sounds like you have MASTERED the experience. Nicely done!
Jay
We will be leaving on a camping trip on a Friday along with a large group of friends. Wondering if I make burritos ahead of time and freeze them after individually wrapping them in aluminium foil and sealing them in ziploc bags? On the Friday that we leave can I shift them to a freezer box with ice at the bottom and top of box and use the burritos on Saturday for dinner ? Do you think they will stay frozen without getting soggy for almost over 24 hours? Please suggest. Thanks.
Jessica Fisher
I think they “might” get soggy by Saturday night, at least the tortillas. I usually reheat these from frozen. I recall thawing over night once and they were okay because the deli papers I wrap them in soaked up some of the moisture. Not sure how they will do with aluminum foil. Might want to make one today and try the experiment at home before you go.
Liz C
Just last week, we planned grocery trips to make sure we were eating Real Food, Real Cheap on a long drive and cabin stay, and the planning paid off! We spent right at $180 on ten days of road snacks and three meals a day for two adults and three children; two breakfasts and dinners, we hosted extended family (20 aunts, uncles, and cousins). My three pickiest niblings (children of siblings) even ate curry and naan for the first time, and loved it. We were able to accommodate food allergies and preferences, and the happiness on one teenage niece’s face when I responded to her hesitant, “What should I avoid if I need to skip dairy and gluten?” with “Everything is dairy-free AND gluten-free–help yourself!” was just awesome. I got to be Best Auntie Ever. 😀
“Home Food” on the road is just basically awesome.
Jessica Fisher
Great job!
JulieB
We do this all the time too! My mother-in-law always thinks I’m crazy but I don’t want to spend all my husband’s hard earned money eating out.
Jessica Fisher
Why does she think you’re crazy? I think you’re brilliant. 🙂
Kim in az
I’m curious – since you have updated this past – has anyone had luck doing vacation meals like this and taking an instant pot pressure cooker to cook the meals? I would think the speed of pressure cooking would be ideal for hotels without kitchenettes
Jessica Fisher
I know folks who take crockpots on the road. I don’t see why not take the PC too. Great idea!