Meal plan for those who don't like to cook

I usually do the burgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, tacos, grilled cheese, sloppy joes, chili, soup, sandwiches, etc. for lunches and dinners For sides, I do corn on the cob, chips, french bread, etc. Nothing takes me more than 10 minutes or so to prepare, so I don't bother pre-preparing anything.

For breakfast, I often mix up pancake batter the first morning and use that up over several days. Or I make fried egg sandwiches, scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, etc.

These also work well because if someone joins me, they can just bring their preferred meat option (hamburger patty, turkey burger, etc.) and they don't have to eat my veggie versions.

Sounds like the way we roll! Keep it simple!

reinita wrote:


That's what we do, too. I also brown and season my ground meat for nachos, sloppy joes and spaghetti at home and bring it frozen in freezer bags. And this is the first time I'm making lasagna. Plan to assemble it, but not cook it until it's needed. It freezes well, so no problem there.

Also, In the week before our trip, I bake treats like muffins, banana bread and bar cookies, then freeze them for the trip. I can thaw out a few for each day as needed.

I don't even thaw my muffins. Wrap em in foil and throw em on the grill with a lil butter. Wish I could make a lasagna but one of the kiddos thinks she'll "die" if she eats cheese. Hasn't hit her yet that I hide bits of cheese in say egg omelettes yet since I tell her it's tofu.
Someday it'll dawn on her that eating tofu over cheese is well different but until then....;).

NCWriter wrote:
X2 on the small bags of cooked frozen meatballs. Great day for me when I discovered those for the RV. Saves the time and mess of cooking ground beef, and easy to use just the quantity you need.

I just buy a jar or can of pasta sauce, nuke it in the microwave with the meatballs to heat up while I cook spaghetti. Sprinkle on some grated parm. Satisfies my Italian food craving on the road with minimal work.

That's what we do, too. I also brown and season my ground meat for nachos, sloppy joes and spaghetti at home and bring it frozen in freezer bags. And this is the first time I'm making lasagna. Plan to assemble it, but not cook it until it's needed. It freezes well, so no problem there.

Also, In the week before our trip, I bake treats like muffins, banana bread and bar cookies, then freeze them for the trip. I can thaw out a few for each day as needed.

I have a case of MRE's for my lazy days.

If someone doesn't like to cook, try to get the most bang out of the time that is spent cooking. I try to cook items that can easily be transformed into a lunch the next day or a totally different meal by adding a few additional ingredients to the leftovers.

X2 on the small bags of cooked frozen meatballs. Great day for me when I discovered those for the RV. Saves the time and mess of cooking ground beef, and easy to use just the quantity you need.

I just buy a jar or can of pasta sauce, nuke it in the microwave with the meatballs to heat up while I cook spaghetti. Sprinkle on some grated parm. Satisfies my Italian food craving on the road with minimal work.

I enjoy cooking and eating outdoors but not much for breakfast or lunch when it's too hot. So I do a lot of base cooking at home and freeze the goods.
Leaving on a 17 day trip next Tuesday and have already pre made:

BREAKFAST FOODS
http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich-0/3-b-373616#373624 Just make whatever kind of filling you like.

banana pancakes

yeast waffles (some plain-those are planned for a fried chicken and waffle dinner; some w/ blueberries)

http://www.ivillage.com/classic-fried-egg-sandwich/3-r-373017 I add tomato and avocado slices on site.

home fries
Berry muffins
That's about it for hot breakfasts beyond the inevitable leftover creations late in the trip.

Cold breakfast are fruit smoothies (wuv my manual blender!), vanilla yoghurt and fresh fruit, maybe add a lil granola or museli. As well exactly 2 mini boxes of whatever sugar laden stuff Kellog's is calling breakfast food as a once a week "treat". You can tell I'm not a fan of Count Chocula and Lucky Charms but errrrr the kiddos I travel with are;).

LUNCH FOODS

various cold soups: gazpacho, asparagus, green pea or hot soups: black bean, vegetarian chili, and tomato basil. Served w/ a sandwich or wrap.

or a main course salad.

Dinner ingredients make aheads are:

Pasta sauces. This year I made a Bolognese and sausage ragu plus 2 types of pesto:arugula and basil.
Gumbo base.

sofritto
compound butters. Some with various herbs and aromatics to finish a dish and a equal flour and butter mix to thicken sauces.
small portions of homemade meat and vegetable stocks/broths for sauces and main course soups.

rice and elbow macaroni (both freeze beautifully but you get a better result with the macaroni by cutting the cooking time by a few mins. before freezing IMO)
ratatouille
parboiled string beans (can be grilled, added to soup or stir fried)
baby bok choy
chopped onions,shallots, peppers all of which flash freeze nicely.
chopped garlic frozen in oil.

Chicken parts and slice pork cutlets frozen in brine. Pre thin sliced beef for stirfry and Singapore style main course soup.
Butterflied Cornish hens (they grill faster with no backs). Grilled meat one night and chicken dumpling soup with the leftovers, another.


I know we'll have Italian, Indian, French, Latin and Asian inspired meals this trip but haven't written out a formal menu as I normally do. Actually not true. My 'puter crashed in the middle of filling out the spreadsheet and it's gone w/ the wind now. That'll teach me to save while working in future. Sigh. Sooooo I'll prolly wing it this year w/ the ingredients and prep on hand except for the 4th and 14th of July. Those menus have already been included in my evites since I'll be entertaining those days.

I don't like to spend time cooking either, so I take quite a bit of cooked chicken, cooked taco meat and or chili meat, cooked mini meatloaves, beans with ham, frijoles with bacon, etc.
I throw together chicken alfredo, chicken salad, and chicken and rice.
I buy the cooked meatballs and do them for spaghetti or I make an onion, mushroom sauce and have them with mashed potatos.
Steaks and hamburgers on the grill.