Food
Getting Ready for Vacation!
Lots of preparation goes into being ready for vacation. This summer my family will visit Rosemary Beach, a beach community located on the beautiful 30a highway of Florida. Read along to pick up ideas that may assist you in getting ready for vacation.
Make a Packing List
A packing list is a guide for me to ensure I do not leave anything important behind when heading out on vacation. Items included vary from clothing to toiletries to beach supplies to kitchen aids. When a family is gone for a week or longer, there is a lot to pack for said trip!
Not only do I keep a running list nearby in order for me to jot down items when I think about them, I like to also draw on the experience and expertise of other mamas who have been there, done that. Here is a blog post of a packing list I pinned from Pinterest.
The Folding Lady is also one of my favorite influencers to follow and check in with regarding how to get all my family’s items neatly and efficiently into our suitcases.
Bring Products that will Help You
Any mama or person in charge of packing for an entire family will have an idea of what products make your trip easier. For me, individual laundry bags like these help my kids keep up with their dirty laundry. When it is time to wash clothes, I simply consolidate the laundry bags and wash as needed. The bags can also be used to hold clean and folded laundry for me to return to each kids’ room.
Vacation is always a fun time to buy a few new things for the beach! We found a cute patriotic swimsuit from Target for my daughter.
You can check it out here!While I have yet to try them, I have heard a lot of people rave about packing cubes to use for organizing clothing and toiletries for trips. Here is a best seller on Amazon.
Travel size toiletry bottles are helpful as well as a variety of product bags. Rolling luggage is a plus on vacation. The ease of rolling your case along side of you allows you the space to carry other items in your arms or stack on top of your luggage. Our daughter got this set a couple of years ago. She gets a lot of use out of them. Truth be told Jeff and I need a new set for ourselves.
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Create a Meal Plan
While I would love to share with you all the fun activities to do and places to eat while on 30a, I am going to save that post for the future. You can read up on our last year’s trip here. For this post, I simply want to focus on the preparation of vacay readiness.
Taking the time to think, dream, and discuss what food you want on your trip will help you save time and money while you are away. We have stayed at many beach houses over the years and when all the family is together, there is never a shortage of starving kiddos (at least they all think they are starving). Having a rough idea of what foods to bring, what foods to buy, and what nights you are eating out, makes for a smoother vacation experience.
While we have some favorite places to eat (The Donut Hole), we have some new places we are going to try out as well this year. My goal is to blog about everything we will do in an upcoming post.
For this preparation, you will need to make another list as well ( I love lists!). How many nights do you want to eat out? What special occasions are taking place while you are away?(birthdays, holidays, anniversaries?) Take this time to determine if any of your party has food allergies. Also, what are some favorite meals? For me, when I head to the beach, I want fresh, local shrimp. We have a funny but not-so-funny-at-the-moment story of the time my husband went to Publix and bought shrimp instead of going to the fresh seafood market while we were at the beach. Who knew Publix shrimp could cause such an uproar? 😉
Being ready for vacation will actually assist you in enjoying your vacation once you arrive at your destination. Hopefully, this post has given you ideas to implement as you prepare for any upcoming trips. Enjoy!
3 Steps to Gobble til You Wobble
Thanksgiving is next week! Let’s look at three steps to gobble til you wobble. I love a good numbered list. It keeps me on track. Here’s another numbered list for how to decorate for fall.
1. Consider your audience.
As you begin to prepare for Thanksgiving, think of who you will be entertaining or who’s house you will be attending for the holiday. What are their likes/dislikes? Are there any food allergies? What are the ages of your audience? Toddlers and littles may make it worth considering to serve finger foods. Do you know your uncle’s favorite dish? Is there a certain recipe that seems to be a family tradition? For example, I typically bring a pecan pie. I can still remember one of my first Thanksgivings at my in-law’s, I made a homemade Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie with a made-from-scratch crust. During baking, the crust bubbled up into the top of the pie! It looked more like some type of cobbler and was very doughy. Since then I have nixed the bourbon and the made-from-scratch crust – ha! Pillsbury does a fabulous job with their ready-made crusts.
A nice table setting sets the mood for Thanksgiving. 2. Divide and conquer.
Once you’ve determined how many Thanksgiving meals you will be attending (we will be attending my husband’s family dinner one day and my family’s dinner the next) and who your audience will be, hatch a plan on who’s bringing what. If “what can I bring?” gets you nowhere try, “what are you making?” When your family members respond, then add in dishes that you know will compliment what is being brought.
For my in-law’s side, this will be a new experience. My mother-in-law, who always put on a big spread, passed away in December 2020. This will be our first Thanksgiving without her. I am feeling that void in more ways than one. For my husband’s side, I needed to talk to the other family members to decide what will be the main course, what the other family members are bringing then adding in what food I will bring. Having one member bring the appetizers and drinks while another brings dessert and side dishes helps to evenly distribute the work load on cooking.
Give thanks. 3. Plan a cooking schedule.
After your menu is set, plan a cooking schedule in order to know how many days out from Thanksgiving you need to start. For example, my father-in-law is providing the ham and turkey for the meal; however, I am going to pick them up this week in order to prep and have them ready for next Thursday.
For my side of the family, I am working with my mom and sister to see what is on the menu and deciding when I need to start my prep work. I can make my pies at the beginning of next week and let them sit for a day or two. Personally, I believe pecan pie tastes better the longer it sits. Other parts of my cooking schedule will include: purchasing my supplies a week before, making a cheese ball over the weekend and storing it until Thanksgiving, and prepping any side dishes a day or two ahead of the big day.
In planning your cooking schedule, are there any decorations you need to prepare ahead of time? Will you be in charge of setting the table or can you bring a floral arrangement for the host?
This pin from Pinterest shares a pretty good prep schedule for having your dinner ready or at least prepped for the weekend before Thanksgiving. Like any other event in life, taking a few moments to map out a plan of action will help the event run more smoothly. What dish are you bringing to your Thanksgiving meal? Whatever it may be may you gobble til you wobble!
(One year my sister-in-law gave me a Mud Pie dish towel. It was the cutest accessory to my kitchen. This towel I included above would make a cute hostess gift. *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission off any viable links.*)
Dinner is Served!
Guess who’s back? Back again. School is back! The fast pace, steady rhythm of back-to-school routines are here. Family meal planning can be a challenge. Needing some inspiration for meal time? Does the thought of getting all the little people to all the places they need to be then starting dinner overwhelm you? Let me offer you some assistance through a few meal planning ideas. Making quick and easy meals helps me keep the ball rolling so to speak. With sports practices, music lessons, church, and community events; long preparation meals are just not feasible for my crew. Getting supper out and on the table should be as easy as 1, 2, 3! For instance, my 3 step process is listed in the next paragraph. On a side note….do you call it dinner or supper? I tend to lean towards the word “supper”.
3 easy steps for Family Meal Planning
- Make a list of your family’s favorite meals and search Pinterest for some quick meal ideas.
- Consult your calendar as to what events are coming up and how much time you have to get a meal on the table.
- Don’t be afraid to utilize your crockpot because it can be a huge time saver. Throwing ingredients in a crockpot in the morning then walking in the door in the evening to a deliciously smelling meal is a wonderful treat!
Some nights dinner needs to be just quick and easy. Over on @thehelmshouse_ , I have been sharing several accounts that are highlighting easy to fix meals to help families transition into the back-to-school swing. I have enjoyed learning what other moms are making as their go-to quick meal. Mine is Chicken Tortilla Soup. I can throw all ingredients into the crockpot and walk away. It is SO good.
Family favorite meals
Some family favorites in our house are: orange chicken and rice; verde salsa chicken enchilladas; the chicken tortilla soup I mentioned above; and lasagna (although it is not a quick meal unless you use a crockpot recipe). I am also completely game for finding local restaurants that have a kids-eat-free night. Additional quick and easy dinner options: first, check your local church – ours offers meals on Wednesday nights for cheap; and also, stop by a ready made store front. Meals by Misty is a great little shop near my home that has freezer meals and on-the-go meals ready made for customers to swing by and pick up to feed their families. With just a little planning, you can have nice list of meals to eat for the week night.
A crockpot can be your best friend! Consulting your calendar helps in knowing which nights are best to eat out, grab a ready made meal, or use your crockpot. For instance, instead of stressing as to what I can have fixed in time to eat before Wednesday night church activities, my crew is going to eat at church. The cost is relatively inexpensive (somewhere around $5 a person). Another example, knowing the football game is on Friday night may help me decide to throw a pizza in the oven and scoot out the door in time to make it to kickoff. In my house, during the week, there are two nights currently that have evening sports practices. For those nights, a crockpot meal comes in handy! Read below to add a quick meal to your recipe list.
An easy crockpot meal you can make now!
Pinterest has been my best resource for finding crockpot meals. Many mamas are willing to share recipes that help feed their family on a time efficient schedule which in turn, helps you create an easy meal. One of my favorite meals – Chicken Tortilla Soup can be cooked in the crockpot. First, start with your ingredients: 4-5 frozen chicken breasts, chicken broth, taco seasoning, a can of washed black beans, a can of whole kernel corn, and a can of Rotel. Secondly, dump all ingredients into your crockpot, then make certain your broth covers your chicken breasts. Follow up by adding any water necessary to reach your desired liquid amount. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When serving your soup, feel free to add tortilla chips, jalapenos, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Tada, an easy family meal!
A yummy bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup. To sum this up, take a little time to make a list, look at your calendar, and pull out that crockpot! Family meal planning can be as easy as easy as 1, 2, 3!
