Please share your vacation rental recipe ideas

[Excelsior! Academy]

We have a 5 day vacation rental booked for later in the fall/winter and will have access to a standard kitchen and outdoor gas grill. So far I've come up with sheet pan meals, burgers, and lots of breakfast ideas.  Hopefully, the rental will have a crockpot. If it doesn't I may purchase an inexpensive one and leave it there. Please, share your recipes and rental property meal hacks you use when traveling.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Excelsior! Academy

[Kassia]

I don't think I've made any of these but have this pinned

https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2018/05/5-easy-meals-for-a-vacation-rental-with-a-kitchen/

 

In the past, I've made chicken in the crockpot, chili, and tacos.  It's been a while since we did this and I can't remember what else.  When my kids were little we'd get frozen dinners and/or frozen pizzas because that was a really fun treat for them.  

 

 

[PeterPan]

If there's a farmer's market nearby, you can roll with what the vendors are bringing in. That's what we did on our beach stay last winter, so fun. The vendors brought breakfast items, lunch sandwiches, meats you could grill, fresh guacamole, etc. 

[VickiMNE]

Not sure if you are driving or flying to your rental.  When we've driven, I make ahead and freeze a few easy meal components and take them in the cooler along with any perishables and drinks for the road.  

Easy meal components to make ahead/freeze/take that have worked well for us:  

• Mexican meat (cooked and seasoned) to be used however (burritos, taco salad, bowl-style, nachos)
• Hearty Spaghetti Sauce (served over pasta or used to make French Bread Pizza)
• Chili
• Favorite Stew
• Yummy Curry Dish
• Meatloaf
• Hummus (not readily available where we are)--the perfect dip for carrots sticks and red pepper strips
• Homemade cookies (so we are not tempted by junk food treats)

I like the fact that we can come in from being out all day and meals are already half-prepped.   We can nosh on the hummus&veggies while waiting for the pasta to cook and the sauce to heat.

Edited October 12, 2021 by VickiMNE

[mmasc]

On my night to cook with our combined family trip, I made spaghetti, meat sauce, bread, and salad. It was very easy in the kitchen at our cabin, plus was easy to adjust for a crowd (not sure how many you’ll have)

chili in the crock pot is easy. You could have all the toppings straight out of the fridge (cheese, sour cream, onions), plus have crackers/Fritos/cornbread/or baked potatoes. (Chili could be made in advance and frozen too for extra easy!)

grilled meat (chicken and/or beef) would be easy for tacos. Many of the same toppings as above for chili!

eta: I also had roll-ups ready for when we were too busy to cook or hungry. I used good quality roll-up tortillas/flat things, turkey, cheese, and lettuce. I made up a bunch for people to grab whenever. 

Edited October 12, 2021 by mmasc

[ScoutTN]

I usually make a breakfast casserole, black bean and beef casserole, lasagna, and soup before we go and take them in folding/packable cooler bags. All but the eggs can be frozen.
 

I take less food if we are going to the beach bc we will get local seafood. 

Edited October 12, 2021 by ScoutTN

[Lanny]

When we stayed in a Timeshare near Orlando there was a fully equipped Kitchen. My DW was not planning to do any cooking. (At home she cooks and I wash the dishes). There was one of those wonderful (a Florida based chain) supermarkets adjacent to the Timeshare and we made several raids on that store. She ended up cooking a quick Breakfast except for one morning when we went to the Denny's there, which was disapponting compared to other Denny's we've been to in various states.

We saved $ by her cooking Breakfasts, but more important we got to the parks much earlier the mornings she cooked Breakfast. Also she usually cooked a quick snack after we got to back to the Timeshare after a long day in the parks.

Enjoy your vacation!

[Faith-manor]

I take an instapot along instead of a crock pot. My family loves chicken breast, onions, potatoes, and carrots with a little broth and lots of herbs. The leftover chicken breast gets shredded the next day and is either mixed with cream cheese to make a yummy lunch spread o used at supper to chicken tacos.

[Faith-manor]

I don't cook breakfast. I keep instant oatmeal, granola, milk, bread for toast, fresh fruit, and boiled eggs around. Everyone eats something quick from that list, and it pays for itself in not eating out, and also getting out the door faster in the mornings.

We have a big road trip coming up in the spring, ten days out west, and we never found an affordable Vrbo/Air bnb. So we have hotel room suites, by for part of the trip, no kitchenette. Besides the chicken breast meal with the instapot, I am planning French dips, Hawaiian chicken with rice and steamed veggies (I have a little rice cooker that travels with us and cooks the rice with the veggies together), meatballs with rice or microwaved potatoes, mushroom risotto, and barbecue pulled pork. All the leftovers will be used cold at lunch when we are romping around the national parks.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Faith-manor

[plansrme]

I've made this a couple of times recently for what my teen boys call "second dinner," which is a late second dinner after games or practice. I like it because it uses very few ingredients or dishes, so it doesn't make a mess. To save you clicking on the link (and there are tons of similar recipes out there), you cook frozen pre-cooked chicken tenders in the oven or air fryer. Slice a package of Hawaiian sweet rolls through the equator without separating the rolls. Put the bottom in a casserole dish. Layer provolone cheese across the bottom. Bake it at 375 long enough to melt the cheese a bit. Then spread marinara sauce, the chicken tenders, another layer of sauce and another layer of cheese. Put the top back on. Spread with a mixture of melted butter, Parmesan and red pepper flakes, and bake the whole thing. Then you slice through the individual rolls' borders. It doesn't sound like much, but I would definitely consider it for a vacation rental.