Suggestions for long trip
Hi all! We will be on the road for 23 days this fall and want to save some jingle by making most of our meals. We will eat an occasional lunch out (can't go to New England and not have chowder and l...
Forum Discussion
Just back from a 21 day tent camping trip in NE and these are some of the dishes I made in advance for lunch and dinner:
carnitas. The meat goes nicely in taco/burritos/lettuce wraps and also can be served a top salad.
pulled pork
Chinese style roast pork. Serve over rice or noodles, stir fry with veggies; fried rice; make a bahn mi sammie.
The 3 styles of pork dishes above all came from one pork shoulder/Boston butt.
Italian wedding beef (pre-sliced. You can add more onions and peppers to the sauce after devouring the meat and it's still tasty, LOL.
brined chicken parts for grilling. The smaller the pieces the faster it cooks.
chicken tenders can be marinated and frozen for satays, shawarma (it's a variation of gyros), and strips for a meat salad. Leftover grilled meat is also nice to add to soups or over egg noodles w/ veggies.
The above dishes are all fast cooking and were enjoyed by all age groups.
Takes longer to heat up are various pasta casseroles like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti. Keep in mind I use a grill; time would probably be cut using a microwave.
We also like home made soups for fast and nourishing meals. This way the favs were bean based or what kid can possibly resist chicken and noodles(I added the pasta on site)?
I took wayyyyyyy too much food this trip mostly because I wasn't sure how the 3 kids ate but also because we spent a lot of time out and about. I'd suggest bringing 4 days worth of meals for every 7 days. The call of farmers' markets, local clam shacks and festivals is strong, LOL.
Keep in mind that most of the supermarkets here sell hot and cold prepared foods and you'll probably hit a shopping center every 5-10 miles. Stop and Shop (at least in CT and RI), sell whole hot rotisserie chicken for 4-5 bucks at.....5-6:00PM. Great "I'm too weary to start the grill" food that lasts for 2 or 3 meals. You can also buy lobsters and steamers cooked to order(no extra charge!) @ local Stop and Shops and Shop Rites. Price 2 weeks back was 6.00/lb and will prolly stay that price for the rest of the summer/early fall. Shop and Stop also has good deal on sandwiches. A drink (soda or water or lemonade), sandwich and chips can be had for 5 or 7 dollars; I found the 7 dollar version (full hero instead of half) a better bang for my dollar. With the addition of various types of slaw it negated the chips that I don't really like but children do;).
I'm not a big fan of store bought pre made foods (cost and ingredients) yet love Dole's line of bagged salads. I rinse them again (don't trust nobody like that, LOL), generally ditch the dressing packet and get a pretty good bang for my buck and time.
Be sure and check if Ocean State Job Lot is near any of the places you'll be traveling. Fantastic prices on pantry items, condiments and seasonings. We always make space in the car to shop there towards the end of our trip. Err but currently they are not selling mayonnaise:h. Back to Stop and Shop....
HTH and have a great time!
carnitas. The meat goes nicely in taco/burritos/lettuce wraps and also can be served a top salad.
pulled pork
Chinese style roast pork. Serve over rice or noodles, stir fry with veggies; fried rice; make a bahn mi sammie.
The 3 styles of pork dishes above all came from one pork shoulder/Boston butt.
Italian wedding beef (pre-sliced. You can add more onions and peppers to the sauce after devouring the meat and it's still tasty, LOL.
brined chicken parts for grilling. The smaller the pieces the faster it cooks.
chicken tenders can be marinated and frozen for satays, shawarma (it's a variation of gyros), and strips for a meat salad. Leftover grilled meat is also nice to add to soups or over egg noodles w/ veggies.
The above dishes are all fast cooking and were enjoyed by all age groups.
Takes longer to heat up are various pasta casseroles like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti. Keep in mind I use a grill; time would probably be cut using a microwave.
We also like home made soups for fast and nourishing meals. This way the favs were bean based or what kid can possibly resist chicken and noodles(I added the pasta on site)?
I took wayyyyyyy too much food this trip mostly because I wasn't sure how the 3 kids ate but also because we spent a lot of time out and about. I'd suggest bringing 4 days worth of meals for every 7 days. The call of farmers' markets, local clam shacks and festivals is strong, LOL.
Keep in mind that most of the supermarkets here sell hot and cold prepared foods and you'll probably hit a shopping center every 5-10 miles. Stop and Shop (at least in CT and RI), sell whole hot rotisserie chicken for 4-5 bucks at.....5-6:00PM. Great "I'm too weary to start the grill" food that lasts for 2 or 3 meals. You can also buy lobsters and steamers cooked to order(no extra charge!) @ local Stop and Shops and Shop Rites. Price 2 weeks back was 6.00/lb and will prolly stay that price for the rest of the summer/early fall. Shop and Stop also has good deal on sandwiches. A drink (soda or water or lemonade), sandwich and chips can be had for 5 or 7 dollars; I found the 7 dollar version (full hero instead of half) a better bang for my dollar. With the addition of various types of slaw it negated the chips that I don't really like but children do;).
I'm not a big fan of store bought pre made foods (cost and ingredients) yet love Dole's line of bagged salads. I rinse them again (don't trust nobody like that, LOL), generally ditch the dressing packet and get a pretty good bang for my buck and time.
Be sure and check if Ocean State Job Lot is near any of the places you'll be traveling. Fantastic prices on pantry items, condiments and seasonings. We always make space in the car to shop there towards the end of our trip. Err but currently they are not selling mayonnaise:h. Back to Stop and Shop....
HTH and have a great time!
