I don't bring anything beyond what we plan to eat in the car. On arrival/check-in, one parent takes the kids for a walk on the beach and the other does the grocery run. Here's our list:

Breakfast:
Muffin mix
Eggs
Milk
Cereal

Lunches:
Sandwich bread
PB
Honey
Avocados
We mostly just graze, but I will pack either sandwiches or whole avocados with a knife and spoons for lunch on the beach.

Snacks:
Hummus
Ranch dip
Tzaziki
Carrots
Bell peppers
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Bananas
Peaches/plums/etc.
Clementines/apples
Lots if berries
Crackers of some kind

Dinners:
sides:
Quinoa and a jar of pesto sauce
Lettuce, dressing and toppings
Frozen french fries and burger toppings/buns
Frozen peas

Entrees:
Premade burger patties to grill
Chicken and marinade to grill
Fish to bake or grill
Hot dogs

We will be there 7 nights. We do burgers and fries night #1
Fish/peas night 2
Eat out night 3
Grill chicken/ pesto quinoa night 4
Shredded chicken/leftover burgers/leftover shredded fish on burger buns night 5
Order a pizza/start packing night 6
Hot dogs/polish off remaining veggies and sides night 7

we buy local fish and veggies from farmer's markets (in NC). lots of fish, salad, sometimes pasta (with more fish).

We cook most meals because we find eating out to be more stressful ( dealing with crowds, finding food my son will eat that is not crap). Plus, I feel horrible after eating out too often. It is hard to get enough Frits and veggies.

So I plan a weeks worth of meals, allowing for going out or doing take out 2 to 3 times. The had part is finding meals that do not need a lot of ingredients. I thought I had a great idea and planned crockpot meals this time and preps led seasoning packs. But after we were there I realized the problem with this plan is we had to decide if we were eating in that morning. And it made the whole vacation too planned. Now I think simple, easy to make meals are the answer. Black bean tacos, hot dogs and veggie burgers, grilled anything. And just pare with fresh fruits and veggies.

What do I pack? Anything that is essential. My DH will volunteer to do the grocery shopping and odds are he will get about 50 percent of the stuff slightly wrong. So I pack anything we care about. Which is often way too much. I am really tempted to do zero meal planning next year and just see what happens.

PP's suggestion of taco night is a good one. You could also try make your own pizza night with packaged naan bread or Boboli crusts, pizza sauce, cheeses, and whatever toppings you like. Let everyone assemble their own. Salad bar night is fun and easy as well - lay out all the salad fixings including some protein like hard-boiled eggs, grilled chicken strips, ham or smoked turkey, etc.

You can make tabbouleh ahead of time - it keeps well and it's easy to grab right out of the fridge. Add some hummus, baba ghanoush, pita bread or lavash, olives, etc and you're all set. Have fun!

Anonymous wrote:I marinade chicken breast in Italian dressing, then grill. I usually do extra so we have some the next day for lunches.. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with a bag of frozen French fries and a salad.

Steaks (marinade them- either Italian dressing or soy sauce/pineapple juice mixture) then grill. Steak, baked potatoes and corn. Or slice them for steak fajitas, put sliced onions and peppers with a touch of olive oil in foil and cook on grill.

I try to base all meals around grilling and then there is no real kitchen clean up. I also use bottled marinades, sauces and stuff on vacation where if I was at home, I would make stuff from scratch. I find it way more relaxing to grill at night and hang with my family and have some cocktails rather than trying to get dressed nicely to go out to restaurant with a tired small child. We go out a few times and we stay in a few times.

Have fun on your vacation!!

I forgot my new favorite - grilled salmon (or any fish really) on the cedar plank.. Just toss the plank in the trash when done grilling. So delicious, healthy and no cleanup.