{"id":10546,"date":"2022-07-06T19:31:17","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T23:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/?p=10546"},"modified":"2022-07-07T04:51:44","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T08:51:44","slug":"vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/2022\/07\/06\/vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Vacation!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In my dreams I see myself vacationing where someone makes me all my meals and brings me pretty umbrella drinks as I lounge by a pool. However, my reality looks a little different!\"\"<\/p>\n

When we\u2019re lucky enough to go on vacation to the beach or a lake, we save a lot of money by renting a place with a kitchen. Yes, this means I do some cooking and cleaning, but I would rather do that than spend our money going out for all our meals. I view vacation as a time to relax, reconnect, and be together as a family. I think our money is better spent on excursions such as putt putt golf or the water park. Don\u2019t get me wrong, we\u2019ll go out a couple of times or order in for pizza on the beach, just not every<\/em> night. Plus, we like not being too structured. We can eat in our bathing suits if we want to, or have a picnic dinner on the beach. (It\u2019s the best time of the day on the beach!)<\/p>\n

To ensure our vacation isn\u2019t just \u201crelocation\u201d with all the same daily chores, I\u2019ve developed a system that keeps everyone fed, happy and lets me relax too.<\/p>\n

After we unload all the kids and our gear, I head straight to the grocery store. I load up with everything we will need for the entire week. I\u2019ll have planned our meals and edited my grocery list so I won\u2019t spend any extra time shopping. I want to get to the beach!<\/p>\n

Before you leave home:\"\"<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Plan ahead<\/span>. This can be done from the comfort of your home or office. By planning ahead you won\u2019t sacrifice any precious vacation time.<\/li>\n
  2. Find your store<\/span>: It\u2019s easy change your zip code in the DinnerTime Planner<\/a> to find a store at the beach. Open the setting gear icon and click open \u201cMy Settings\u201d. Change the zip code to the area where you will be staying. Finish by clicking the \u201cUpdate\u201d button at the bottom of the page.<\/li>\n
  3. Create your meal plan<\/span>. Choose the store you want to shop, day you want to shop and the number of days to plan. Indicate \u201cother plans\u201d for those times you want to splurge on a restaurant meal.\"\"<\/li>\n
  4. Pick meals<\/span> you know will work on vacation. Normally, I love to get recommendations for new-to-me recipes, but for vacation planning, I like to use tried and true recipes from my DinnerTime Recipe Box “favorites”<\/a>.\u00a0 Usually, I make chicken<\/a>, steak<\/a> and burgers<\/a>. For both the chicken and steak I’ll make double what we need, so I can repurpose the next night. Shrimp<\/a> is a good choice, too. We\u2019ll have chicken on the grill one night and then chicken wraps the next night for an on-the-beach dinner. Extra steak, chicken or shrimp make a great addition to a salad, which is just right on a hot summer night. Rock your recipe box<\/a> to find just what you want.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready for fun:<\/h3>\n