Meal Planning for Family Vacation {2021}

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The eight members of my side of the family (the Ham Fam – Cunninghams) spent 3 full days in Pigeon Forge over Labor Day weekend. We stayed together in a large condo with a full kitchen, so my mom, sister and I decided we preferred to eat most of our meals right there.

We planned out a menu and split up the responsibilities evenly. Everyone agreed that eating in made our vacation so enjoyable! We enjoyed lunch by the pool, relaxed days with no need to beat the crowds to a restaurant and easy conversation around the large dining room table.

We all came prepared with groceries and loads of snacks.

My parents brought their coffee airpot, which kept the coffee hot and fresh all morning for our family of coffee drinkers.

Even though the kitchen was stocked with dishes, we brought paper products to make cleanup a little easier. My dad, as always, volunteered to be in charge of loading the dishwasher and washing the prep dishes. That made it even easier! 🙂

Mom, my sister and I were each in charge of a couple meals, and were “on duty” for our meals and “off duty” for the others. It was perfect – none of us felt like we were in the kitchen all weekend.

Here’s what we ate!

Breakfast:

• Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Quiche/Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins/Fresh Fruit Salad
• French Toast Sticks/Fresh Fruit Salad
• Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Toast/Eggs/Fresh Fruit Salad

Lunches:

• Sandwich Smorgasbord: lunch meat, salami, provolone and cheddar jack cheese, pickled onions, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, lettuce, mayo, spicy brown mustard, yellow mustard / Chips / Snap Peas and Hummus / Grapes / Cookies

Supper:

• Pizza from Big Daddy’s (Takeout)/Salad Bar
• Texas Toast Sloppy Joes/Tropical Fruit Salad: Kiwi, Mandarin Oranges, Blueberries, Blackberries, Mango/Tossed Salad
• Lasagna/Caesar Salad Kit with Pickled Onions/Garlic Toast

Here’s how the fridge looked at the end of the weekend. 🙂 There weren’t many leftovers!

We ate very well, enjoyed quality family time and saved lots of money by eating in! It’s always interesting to me how simple meals taste so good on vacation.

More Vacation Meal Planning Ideas:

• Our Ham Fam Vacation Meal Plan: 2017
• Vacation Meal Plan: Myrtle Beach 2020
• 10 Tips To Make Road Trips Pleasant and Affordable