Doesn't sound all that hard? Hmm...think again.
I recently had two dear friends get married and they asked if I would be willing to pack a cooler of food for them to take on their honeymoon - 5 days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Oh, and they were flying to Maui, so it had to be under 50 lbs. And the food would sit in the cooler for 2 days so it had to stay cold...but there was dry stuff too that needed to stay dry...
I may sound like I'm complaining but, truthfully, this challenge was right up my alley. I love planning and organizing and I spent 2 weeks thinking through every aspect of this and doing all the shopping and cooking necessary and I loved every minute of it. I'm currently trying to figure out how to turn this into a career.
The first problem to address was how to keep the food cold from when I packed it Sunday morning to when they unpacked it Monday night. Normally you'd just add ice but that takes up space and adds weight. Solution: Pre-make and freeze dinners - those can double as ice packes and not take up any additional space. Okay, so what meals will freeze well?
After a week of contemplation, I had a packing list. So if you ever want to pack 5 days worth of food in a cooler, here you go (or you can just call me and have me do it):
(Obviously, you'll need to make some adjustment for individual taste preference)
They told me to keep Breakfast and Lunch fairly simple.
Breakfast:
Cereal, milk, and yogurt
Lunch:
Bread, lunch meat, cheese, mayo, mustard, and BBQ sauce
Dinners:
Spagetti sauce, noodles, parmesan cheese, breadsticks, green beans
Lasagna and bread sticks
Enchiladas, sour cream, chips and salsa
Beef Stew
Chicken and Rice
Other assorted food items and snacks:
Salt and Pepper, Butter
Poptarts
Popcorn
I was pretty proud of this list and I was planning to make several awesome desserts too but then I saw all the food layed out...
Next problem: Fit all of this in the cooler AND keep the dry food dry as the frozen starts to thaw. Also, realize that this cooler is going on a plane - it will NOT be treated gently. Pack accordingly. So I made it my goal that any breaks, spills, or water damage would be contained to only the one item impacted. In other words, I sealed everything in plastic bags!!!
Success!!! Confession: the two cans of green beans had to go in a different suitcase - Too much weight. I was so proud the moment I snapped that cooler shut and sealed it with a luggage strap!!! Now let's just hope that my scale is accurate...
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