So you booked your air bnb. Yay!
You get there are realize there’s no stove…Not yay.
Now what? Is your vacation ruined?
You faceplant on the bed.
But have no fear!
Do you have a Walmart or Aldi near?
You’re saved!
Let’s face it, there are tons of roadtrip meal ideas out there. But you want them to taste good. Plus, if you’re doing something active on the trip like mountain biking or rock climbing, you need those meals to count. You need some protein. And you need the right kind of carbs.
So what can you do?
First step, check around to see if there’s a microwave or mini fridge in the room.
If there is, here’s some easy meals to grab ingredients to that we tried out recently on our trip to Hot Springs Arkansas:
Microwave Chili & Rice
These can be found at either the local grocery store or Walmart.
The rice packets come in individual meal portions (for us it’s enough for both of us to have at least a meal.)
Wolf brand chili as well as Campbell’s has this plastic microwaveable container it comes in which is easy to use.
Just peel the lid off and pop it in the microwave.
I would recommend grabbing some chips, shredded cheese, and maybe some hot sauce while you’re at the store. And there ya go, a complete meal that is ready to go in microwaveable packages!
Protein Ramen
Another easy option is Cup Ramen high protein cups. These can be found at Walmart and other grocery stores. They come with 16g of protein and are 320 calories. You can get them in chicken, beef, or hot and spicy chicken flavors.
I would recommend grabbing a small bottle of Frank’s Red Hot while you’re at the store. (I love the small bottles of condiments that Walmart sells, perfect for travel!)
You could also grab some pre boiled eggs to add in if you’d like.
If there isn’t a microwave or mini fridge in your room, this is still a good option for you. If you’re able to purchase or borrow an electric water kettle then you can make all the cup ramen you want!
Chicken Salad
Maybe it sounds obvious to you, but when I was recently brainstorming stoveless meals for an upcoming trip, for some reason it took me a while to think of chicken salad!
We bought cans of chicken from Costco before we left, so we had quite a stockpile. You could also use rotisserie chicken if you’d like. And then you just need mayo (I prefer to buy in a squeeze bottle when traveling) whatever veggies or fruit you want to put in the salad, and a cutting board or plate and knife.
Serve with crackers or our personal favorite lime tortilla chips, and you’ve got a filling and easy to transport meal which will last several days!
We recently made chicken salad when visiting Hot Springs Arkansas while staying in an Air BnB and checking out the awesome Northwoods Trails. It was the perfect meal to eat at the picnic table between rides.
Rotisserie Chicken, Bagged Salad, & Corn on the Cob
This one is great if you’re looking for a lot of protein in your meal. Grab a rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store, as well as a bagged or boxed salad mix, and some corn on the cob from the produce section. Mix up the salad. Microwave the corn wrapped in a wet paper towel for about 2 minutes. Add some BBQ seasoning and maybe some BBQ sauce and you’ve got a great meal!
Here’s one more meal idea I discovered on our recent trip to Bogue Chitto state park in Louisiana:
Goodles Microwavable Noodles
You can find these bad boys easily on the Walmart shelf. We tried the Cheddy Mac & Shella Good flavors. You add some water, microwave them, mix in the powdered these, and then put the lid back on to let them sit. I found them tasty and surprisingly satisfying. We had just ended a very long day of driving and then mountain biking, and they still filled me up and hit the spot. You could shake things up a bit by adding pieces of cut up deli turkey or ham or maybe some olives if that’s your jam. They definitely earned a spot on my road trip go to list, and they would be something good to have on hand in your emergency supplies as well.
In my searching for meal ideas for our trip to Hot Springs, I came across some other interesting ideas on these blogs that I haven’t gotten to try out yet. If you’re looking for more inspo you can check them out!
Favorite cheap meal ideas for month long road trip? carcamping