30 Jun Preparing Food Stuff for the Bunch
Preparing for a family vacation can be a numerous work. It’s the main thing to work with schedules with everyone who is coming, book hotels and make a system for what you’ll do for the week, but then you’ve got to figure out the food, too. And it must be explained: planning food for a large group is no small task. For one thing, you’ve got to menu plan, make grocery lists, work out how many coolers you’re going to need, and then there’s the total business of packing it all, too. (It can feel like you’ve accomplished a feat before you even get out the door.) And what about ensuring you have enough? Because, let’s admit it: when you’re feeding a crew, and particularly if you have a number of young people involved, you go through food like crazy.
Makes you tired just dealing with it, doesn’t it?
Whether you’re gathering for a family ski vacation or planning to spend several days at the lake, we can’t take away the huge to-do list that reduces when you’re getting everything ready. When it comes to food, we can offer some helpful tips to make things run a bit more smoothly.
Initially, start keeping track. Make a master list of all the food that you buy. Or, if you already have a list from last year, it will come in handy for this year’s trip. Having a master list allows you to make comparisons at the end of the week. How much did you use, compared to what you bought? What did you run out of too quickly? What were the popular snacks that you wished you had bought twice as much of? What did you bring home (so you know what to cut in half for next year)? Being able to compare what was purchased versus what was actually eaten is helpful so you don’t overbuy next year (on the items you didn’t use up), and you’ll know what to get more of, too.
Next, Divide up the cooking assignments. As if the significant job of getting all the shopping done and everything packed in coolers wasn’t enough, imagine if you’re the only person cooking all week for a group of 20! Whoever is cooking for the evening gets to choose what they’ll be making (and can coordinate with whoever is doing the shopping beforehand so their dinner menu items get purchased on the main master list, too).
3? Have various folks assigned for cleaning every night. Yup, that’s. Different from the person that is assigned to cook, unless the individuals in your group prefer to just be assigned one night for cooking and cleaning, all-in-one. Again, managing to take turns and have everyone take an assignment makes the going a little easier for everyone overall.
Tip #4: Purchase several of food specifically for snacks. It’s surprising (a little amazing, really) how much food you can go through in a week with a lot of people. If you’ve made sure that there is sufficient food for the meals but have only a few snack items to last for the entire week, you might want to think again, particularly if you’ve got kids along. Acquire ample amounts of a variety of things to have on hand for when folks get hungry. And honestly, chances are, you’re not going to be taking much of this home; you’ll be surprised how much of this gets eaten.
Remember to consider the whole group when planning everything out, particularly where snacks are concerned. You’ll want to purchase both treats and healthier options to suit the preferences of everyone who is going along. While the kids might dive in to that bag of Laffy Taffy like nobody’s business, a few of the adults might want hummus and fresh veggies instead. When they’re hungry and need something to munch on, getting options can go a long way to making sure that everyone is satisfied.
And hey, as soon as the details are made good, then comes the most effective part: spending quality time with those you love. We specialize in group transportation, and it’s always fun for us to help families get from place to place when they are taking joy in a reunion together. Let us know if we can serve your family when you gather for fun this year!