meal for first night at vacation house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would eat at a normal time and pick a healthy option like sweetgreen or other vegetable heavy meal.

OP said the options on the way aren’t great, but it would be even better to just pick up from sweetgreen or another salad place earlier in the day. Pack the salads and just eat them when they stop to pee/refuel, or when they get there.

[Anonymous]

Cold salmon and orzo pasta salad with lots of veggies.

I also second doing gourmet sandwiches.

[Anonymous]

I’d pack items that don’t involve cooking. Snacks for dinner! A tiny bit of cheese, a handful of nuts, some grapes, hummus and veggies. Easy, fast, little mess, not too heavy later in the evening.

[Anonymous]

Popcorn
Banana
Oatmeal
an alcoholic drink for the spouse that drove. And a bottle of wine to get the vacation started!

[Anonymous]

We always rent a place with a back deck grill. It's vacation, summer. Burgers, hot dogs, meat and veggie kabobs, grilled chicken, grilled steak. Add a nice loaf of bread, a green and fruit salad, corn on the cob, and boom done. That's most of a week's dinner planning right there. We're not spending hours in the kitchen cooking a casserole. Get real. We're on vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Popcorn
Banana
Oatmeal
an alcoholic drink for the spouse that drove. And a bottle of wine to get the vacation started!

What a weird idea that the spouse who drove “deserves” alcohol and the other doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

Chicken pasta salad. Use shredded rotisserie chicken. So easy and filling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:KFC

+1. Would you really want to cook dinner at 9 or 10 pm after a 6 hour drive? Stop somewhere for a bite on the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re headed to the beach in a couple of weeks. Spouse now has to work the day of departure so we can’t start the drive until 3pm and won’t arrive at the rental until close to 9pm.

I think most restaurants will be closed by then, so I plan to pack food for dinner that night. In the past I’d have brought a frozen lasagna and bagged salad, but we’re trying to eat healthier, and I know the vacation will have plenty of other times we arent, so I’d prefer to start out on a lighter note.

I know I could pack sandwiches but that idea bores me. I dont want to stop for dinner on the drive down both bc we’ll be eager to get there and bc the roadside options will be crap.

Any ideas? Thanks for your suggestions.

What is unhealthy about lasagne and salad?

And also, you will be on vacation. Calories and what not don’t count.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Thanks for all of the suggestions and thoughts.

I have teens not young kids, and our family typically eats dinner at 8:30pm (or later in the summer), so eating at 9:30 will not be a big deal. Regardless we won’t want to stop for dinner only 3 hours into the drive at 6pm, and by 8pm we’ll be almost there and will just want to get there, not to mention there are scant and crappy fast food options for the last hour of our drive.

I might pick up sweet green, that’s a good idea. The other idea that most appeals is to pack a cut up rotisserie chicken, pasta salad and veggies and be able to just serve cold.

[Anonymous]

I’d eat fast food on the way down. You’ll be midnight unpacking the car if you make dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are way overthinking this.

Also who wants to START cooking at 9m after driving a bunch to get somewhere. Just stop somewhere around a normal dinner time. It’s really not that serious.

+1
Who wants to wait for something to bake in the oven. Either stop at 6/7 and eat or when your half an hour out, uber eats or delivery.com something to your house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Popcorn
Banana
Oatmeal
an alcoholic drink for the spouse that drove. And a bottle of wine to get the vacation started!

What a weird idea that the spouse who drove “deserves” alcohol and the other doesn’t.

If teen drivers, none for them

[Anonymous]

The fact that this thread is this long is lol.
OP said kids are teens. Many eat a lot. Just cook when you get there. Make them do stuff.

[Anonymous]

Tell us the destination so we can help you better.

Are we talking Sandbridge or something with a bit more hustle like an OC ?