This vacation meal plan includes 5 days of simple, balanced dinner recipes that are family friendly and fuss-free to make cooking on vacation a breeze.
Plus a bonus 5-day plan of all store-bought foods so you don't really have to cook at all!
I really appreciated the first time I heard someone say that a family vacation with kids is actually just a trip, not a vacation.
And in my experience, that is especially true for the mom or whoever does the day to day planning and cooking and scheduling. Now you're just doing it somewhere else where everything is a little less familiar and convenient. And the kids are maybe a little more wound up and prone to big emotions. Oh joy. 😂
So over the years, I've tried to make things simpler for myself.
I've always loved to meal plan and that is helpful on vacation as well, but it's a totally different kind of preparation. I don't necessarily know if I'll have a slow cooker (or want to use it) or what types of condiments and spices might be available.
Enter today's solution of a 5-day vacation meal plan with recipes that are simple, family friendly and fuss-free.
Vacation Meal Plan Must Haves
Here's the criteria I used to pull these vacation dinners together:
Easy recipes. Nothing difficult or time consuming or requiring special techniques.
Familiar basics. Included are a quick chicken skillet, a sheet pan meal, tacos, a one pot pasta and a casserole. Oh so doable.
Balance. We've got chicken and also turkey and sausages. We've got potatoes and rice and pasta. Variety, check.
No specialty appliances. No slow cooker or grill needed, in case they aren't options.
Low mental energy required. We're not coordinating multiple parts of a meal and making a main and a couple of sides. No, no, no. These are either all-in-one already or they have a simple side dish pairing. (Spoiler, one is rice and one is a bagged salad.)
Vacation Dinner Plan Tips
Other quick things to note so you can make this work best for you.
5 days: Yes, you might be on vacation for a full week. I hope you are! I also hope you order pizza or go out to eat for a couple of those nights and aren't cooking 7 nights in a row on vacation. I mean, on a family trip.
Dinners: I've only included dinner recipes, not a full meal plan with breakfast, lunch and snacks. You know your crew best, so hopefully those meals are a little easier to tackle.
Servings: These recipes generally serve 4-6 people. If you have a larger group, feel free to double or triple the recipes. (There's a button in the recipe cards that will auto-adjust the amounts.)
OK, let's get to the food!
Here are the recipes I've selected:
- Sheet Pan Sausages and Veggies
- Baked Shredded Chicken Tacos (serve with a bagged salad)
- Chicken Divan Casserole (serve with rice)
- Ground Turkey, Rice and Veggie Skillet
- Fajita Chicken Pasta
** You can find the full meal plan PDF here.
** You can find the full shoppable grocery list here.
How-to use note: When the meal plan opens in the PDF, you can click the pictures of the individual recipes to be taken directly to the recipe page for the full ingredients, instructions and notes.
It was kind of hard to choose and I had 3 runner-up recipes in case you're interested.
The easiest ever chicken stir fry is just chicken and frozen veggies and stir fry sauce. Or try this chicken, black bean and spinach skillet that's a few ingredients, all made in one pan and ready in 15 minutes. And also this skillet ravioli lasagna that's a shortcut lasagna made in a skillet in 30 minutes.
Or browse these 45+ ideas and recipes for easy vacation meals for more inspiration and choices.
Lastly…
Prefer not to actually cook? I feel you. Mom gets to be on vacation too!
Here is a quick 5-day plan. Load up your cart and get ready to kick back.
No Cooking Vacation Meal Plan
Five nights of dinners that are family friendly and rely on a mix-and-match of grocery store products. No recipes needed!
Day 1: Frozen chicken tenders plus frozen or pre-made macaroni and cheese and a fruit salad
Day 2: Frozen lasagna and a bagged Caesar salad kit plus bakery bread or rolls for bonus points
Day 3: Fish sticks plus prepared mashed potatoes and a steam-in-bag or frozen veggie mix (alternative: a frozen cheddar-broccoli bake)
Day 4: Frozen chicken with pasta and veggie mix (such as a family-style bag of chicken Florentine or another variation)
Day 5: Pre-made or frozen burger patties, oven fries or tater tots and a bagged salad mix
Find lots more ideas like this at my easy dinners using store bought foods round up.
And of course, you can select and combine any of these specific recipes and store-bought ideas to make your own custom vacation meal plan with both cooking and pre-prepared foods nights. Balance is good. 👍
Wishing you a wonderful trip with very little kitchen time required!
XO,
Kathryn
Once again, here is the full meal plan PDF.
Psst, feel free to pin this page, bookmark it or enter your email in the box above and we'll send it to you to save for later. Your future self will thank you.
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