When it is time to pack up the cooler, you want to have a plan.
You can print out this meal plan template and write your own or keep reading and use this one.
In this post you will find 2 meal plans:
a 3 day trip for a family of 4
a 5 day trip for a family of 4
Each plan has two breakfast ideas, two lunch ideas and a different dinner each night.
There is also a free meal plan printable at the bottom if you want to customize the plan for your family. Read to the end to find the helpful stuff that will help making eating in the car more comfortable.
The plan assumes that you have a way to heat food on a road trip. I give a few options including my favorite car cooking methods in this post. I think it is worth the investment to enjoy hot homemade food on the road.
I often use aluminum to go containers to meal prep for the Hot Logic, it is just easy and cheap, I wont link anything because the best way to get these is from the Dollar Tree or Dollar General.
I recommend you buy some meal prep containers, they can be glass like these Pyrex containers on Amazon, or plastic which can be disposable, if you would like disposable but prefer to avoid plastic, you can use these cardboard meal prep boxes.
We have small children, but this plan could work for a family with older kids or adults as well, but you may have to increase the quantities.
Plan to pack napkins, salt, pepper, paper plates, cups, plastic silverware, trash bags and anything else you might need to eat on the road.
3 Day Trip Plan
Breakfast:
Breakfast Burritos
Make breakfast burritos at home with 6 eggs, half a pound of sausage and cheese. Cook the eggs and sausage and evenly portion into 4 burritos. Wrap in tinfoil and store in a ziploc. Put them in the food warmer about an hour before you plan to eat.
Muffins and Yogurt
Buy or make a dozen muffins and pack gogurt tubes for a quick no prep breakfast. My family loves these Cinnamon Streusel Muffins from Dinner Then Dessert.
Lunch:
Sandwiches
A road trip classic, pack your family’s favorite sandwich fixings and a bag of chips. Pita’s travel very well, as does Naan bread. Don’t forget the mayo and mustard!
Hot Dogs
You can cook the hot dogs ahead of time if your family prefers them to be grilled, otherwise just pop them into a meal prep container and give them 15-20 minutes in the food warmer, and they will be hot. Be sure to pack buns, toppings and a side of fruit like apples or grapes.
Dinner:
Mac and Cheese With Nuggets
Make your family’s favorite Mac and cheese while at home and pack it in a meal prep container. You can heat this in the food warmer for an hour or two until it is heated through. In my Hot Logic Mini it usually take 3 cups about 3 hours to heat completely.
Stop at Burger King and buy a bunch of nuggets to eat with this meal.
Chicken Tacos
Precook the chicken by letting it cook in the slow cooker for 4-6hrs with a can of tomatoes with green chilis and a packet of taco seasoning. Portion the chicken into two meal prep containers and freeze.
When it is time to eat, warm the chicken and serve in tortillas with shredded cheese and hot sauce. Some tortilla chips on the side are a great addition with individual guacamole cups.
Quesadillas
Take that second batch of chicken and divide it between 4 tortillas, add cheese and fold in half. Wrap them in tin foil and stack them in the food warmer. They will be heated through in less than an hour.
Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Grocery List
If you do not have one already, I HIGHLY recommend you jump on Amazon and get a Hot Logic Mini, it is a game changer for eating in the car. I use mine every day.
Here is everything you will need to complete the three day road trip meal plan:
3 Packs of Tortillas
1 Dozen Eggs
½ Pound of Breakfast Sausage
2 Bags of Shredded Cheddar
1 Dozen Muffins or Breakfast Pastry
8 Yogurts
Lunchmeat
Sliced Cheese
Mayo
Mustard
2-3 Bags of Chips or Doritos
Pitas, Naan or Sandwich Rolls
Hot Dogs
Hot Dog Buns
Ketchup
Apples or Grapes
Family Favorite Mac and Cheese
3 Pounds Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs
1 Can Rotel
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
Tortilla Chips
Individual Guacamole
Sour Cream
Printable Version
Here is the printable version of that meal plan to make shopping and planning easier.
5 Day Trip Meal Plan
Breakfast:
Oatmeal Cups
Heat water in your food warmer, or stop for coffee and grab some hot water. Then pour it over instant oatmeal.
Boiled Eggs and Sausage
Cook and peel 8 boiled eggs ahead of time and store in a secure container in the cooler, heat 8-10 precooked sausage links in the food warmer. These can be heated wrapped in tinfoil for a more crispy product.
Granola and Yogurt
Pack a large container of vanilla yogurt and serve with delicious homemade granola. We love this recipe from The Kitchn and use it often. Serve with apples, and this is a very filling breakfast.
Lunch:
Pasta Salad
Cold pasta salad is delicious. Cook bowtie pasta ahead of time and mix with veggies and italian seasoning for a great lunch. You can add cold chicken or cubed ham if you prefer meat.
Burgers
Sometimes you just want fun food, and a burger is just the thing. You will want to cook the burgers ahead of time and wrap them in foil or place them in a meal prep container. Warm them in your food warmer then add buns, cheese, and any toppings you desire. Guac would be fancy.
Ravioli
Frozen ravioli is a great shortcut for meal prep. Pour the frozen pasta into a meal prep container and cover with your favorite sauce. When it’s time to eat, simply warm and serve.
Dinner:
Kabobs
Cut chicken or beef into about 1 inch cubes and marinate in salad dressing. Measure your meal prep containers and cut the dull end of your skewers to fit, then alternate meat and veggies. When it is time to eat be sure to give these 4-6 hrs in the Hot Logic Mini to cook. Serve with Naan bread and fruit.
Meatballs
Frozen meatballs warm up great in a Hot Logic Mini. You can do traditional with pasta sauce and eat as a meatball sub, or do cocktail meatballs with jelly and cocktail sauce and skewer them.
Serve with crackers, cheese, and grapes.
Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Grab some chicken, fried, grilled, nuggets or strips. Any kind of precooked chicken, and warm that in the Hot Logic. Mix some instant potatoes with the appropriate amount of water and add it to the container to heat along side.
You can buy gravy if you’d like, corn is also a great addition.
Lasagna with Garlic Bread
Precook some mini lasagna in a pyrex or aluminum to go container, or buy a frozen lasagna. Warm this with premade garlic bread, or dinner rolls. Great substantial meal for the road.
Salads
If you want a light dinner, grab some salad kits and throw in some sliced deli meat or cubed ham.
Serve with fruit and bread and you will feel like you are at Panera.
Grocery List
If you do not have one already, I HIGHLY recommend you jump on Amazon and get a Hot Logic Mini, it is a game changer for eating in the car. I used mine every day.
For seven days of road trip food you will need:
Instant Oatmeal Packets
Eggs
Heat and Serve Sausage
Vanilla Yogurt
Granola (or supplies to diy)
Bowtie Pasta
Olives
Italian Salad Dressing
Burger Patties
Sliced Cheese
Burger Buns
Frozen Ravioli
Pasta Sauce
1-2 Pounds of chicken breast or Beef
Bell Peppers
Red Onion
Bamboo Skewers
Naan Bread
Grapes
Frozen Meatballs or 1-2 Pounds Ground Meat
Sauce (Red Sauce or Jelly and Cocktail Sauce)
Crackers
Cheese
Prepared Chicken Tenders or Patties
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Gravy
Prepared Lasagna (or Ingredients to DIY)
Garlic Bread (I find the deli kind works best, Texas Toast doesn’t work well in a food warmer)
Salad Kit
Deli Meat, Cubed Ham or Grilled Chicken Strips
Printable Version
Here is the printable version of that meal plan to make shopping and planning easier.
Blank Printable Road Trip Meal Plan
This plan favors convenience. This may not be your preference, if you would like to make your own road trip meal plan use this printable.
It is a simple meal planning sheet that can sit in the car and help you stay organized.
If you want to eat healthy food on a road trip, or if you just want to avoid spending money on fast food, you need a Hot Logic Mini.
We have used them every day for three years. It is just so convenient. You can see me talk more about it here.
Don’t Forget
Don’t forget these helpful tools for eating in the car:
Paper Plates
Cups
Bowls
Plastic Silverware
Paper Towels
Wet Wipes
Straws
Water Bottles
Trash Bags
Antacid
Benadryl
