This beach trip meal plan and vacation grocery list are full of essentials you need for an extended family beach trip with grandmas, hungry brothers, snacky dads, and growing babies all in tow. We really tried to focus on easy lunches, healthy snacks, and dinners that we love even when we are back home.
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Our family, extended family, recently went to the beach for a week. It was Mr. McKinney’s parents and siblings and his 2 grandmothers. What a fun week for 3 generations to get away together.
I thought I’d share our menu for a week at the beach for 10 adults and the grocery list we set up through Walmart Pickup. Seriously that tool is one of the best gifts. Total first world luxury, but it sure made flying/driving in so much easier. We had everything in our cart a week out and then placed the order once the time slot came available. Then, we could add other things to the cart until it was pick up time. (If you missed it, I shared last month a list of 24 Dollar Store must-haves for a family trip to the beach)
Our vacation was spent in Tybee Island, GA, just outside Savannah and it was a perfect spot for picturesque days and island cottage nights ( I mean it was crazy hot while we were there, but I could imagine it in the ideal setting like a Mary Kay Andrews novel). Makeup is never required and beach waves are always appropriate. Mornings were slow with full cups of coffee and baby giggles and evenings were filled with board games, scrolling through newsfeeds, and eating snacks for days. It was just the kind of time we all needed away.
Before I go much further, I need to give credit for this to my sister-in-law who was the hero for this. We talked through some of it, but she pulled it together and had our groceries all waiting for us. She knew the moms would have plenty to worry about so she did what she does best, love on us through covering all the details!
Check out our Yellowstone Road Trip Meal Plan for 11 days in 10 states, cabin and road food if you need more ideas.
Menu for a Week at the Beach for 10 Adults
Arrival Day, check in late afternoon
- Breakfast – on the road as you travel
- Lunch – on the road as you travel
- Dinner – PIZZA – order ahead and pick up or have delivered
- Meal prep and set up the kitchen for the week, everyone gets settled in and have a family meeting. Host a simple family meeting and find out expectations, anything someone really wants to do, schedule for the week, menu and where snacks are that are fair game at any time.
Day 1 – first beach day
- Breakfast – cereal, toast, fruit, etc.
- Lunch – Ham and Cheese Sliders and Assorted Chips
- Dinner – Roast in the crockpot with carrots and potatoes, roasted veggies, dinner rolls
- Snack – Smore’s Dip
Day 2 – Tour day, visiting big town near by and being out
- Breakfast – Sausage and Cheddar Quiche, Fruit
- Lunch – Snacky lunch or lunch at a food market in touring town
- Dinner – Night Out with family in touring town – or crockpot soup and grilled cheese (just remember if someone is driving to have them bring a crockpot, or check availability with your host)
- Snack – probably will have snacked all day!
Day 3 – beach day and exploring
- Breakfast – French Toast & bacon, fruit
- Lunch – Chicken salad, crackers, veggies
- Dinner – Oven Fajitas, guacamole, cheese dip
- Snack – Sopapilla Cheesecake
Day 4 – another tour day – exploring, playing, shopping, golfing if that’s your thing
- Breakfast – Mama’s big breakfast with all the things – sausage, bacon, casseroles, biscuits, eggs, cinnamon rolls, fruit
- Lunch – Snack lunch – Charcuterie, fruit, veggies, crackers, pimento cheese, dips, pickles
- Dinner – Eat out night – for us it was siblings and grandparents stayed back with kids – grandparents menu was lasagna with salad
- Snack – this was originally left empty, but we filled it with a surprise dessert celebration for my sister-in-law who is graduating PA school at the end of summer – brownie sundaes
Day 5 – last beach day
- Breakfast – leftovers/cereal/toast
- Lunch – leftovers or out in town at a “lunch spot”
- Dinner – All family, fun dinner out
- Snack – ice cream at local dive
Day 6 – departure day
- Breakfast – whatever you can find
- Lunch – on road on your own
- Dinner – on road on your own
Vacation Grocery List for a Week at the Beach for 10 Adults
I’ll be honest, I’m addicted to Grocery Pick Up (and combining my savings with Ibotta). You can use whatever service and I was tempted to check in to delivery, but I knew where we were going it was not an option. But, placing our grocery order ahead of time for when we would get into town was so simple and I love how they pull everything for you and have it ready to load in your car. It saves HOURS of time on your vacation by not strolling the aisles of a new grocery store making decisions and trying to get everything you need. (you know, so long as they have everything… be prepared to make a quick trip inside for substitutions or things they left out)
Take your menu meal by meal and write down what you need. Add quantity to things already on your list and don’t worry about planning for a bunch extra. You don’t want to lug a bunch of groceries home. Just like when you do meal planning at home, focus and remove distractions when you make your grocery list to keep you on task and building the right structure. It is hard when you are buying for a group to determine brands, etc. Our default is going with the store brand unless we know it won’t work. And, if someone wants something special or needs food accommodations, consider that in your meal choices or let them get their own special foods!
Veggies and Fruit
- bananas – 10
- apples – 6
- clementines/Halos – 2 bags
- 2 lbs each – strawberries, grapes, carrots, broccoli
- 1 each – cantaloupe, pineapple
- red potatoes – 5 lb bag
- 1 each – white onion, cilantro bundle, purple onion
- small can crushed pineapple
- avocados – 6
- cherry tomatoes – 1 pint
- lime – 2
- cucumber – 4
- peppers – 3 bell + 1 bag mini sweet peppers
- Ceasar Salad Kit
Meat
- 2 lbs each – deli turkey and deli ham, breakfast sausage
- pork roast – 5 lb + (count 1/2 pound per person)
- Wright’s bacon – 2 packages
- Canned White Meat Chicken in Water – 2 cans
- Flank Steak – 3 lbs
- salami/meats – 16 oz
- summer sausage – 20 oz
- ground turkey – 1 lb
Bread
- 2 loafs each – white and wheat bread
- 2 pkg Sister Shubert rolls
- flour tortillas – 30
- corn tortillas – 1 pkg
- 1 loaf Texas Toast (wide cut)
- 1 box lasagna noodles
Snacks
- 2 bags – Veggie Straws, tortilla chips
- 1 bag each – Skinny Pop, trail mix, sour cream onion chips, BBQ chips, Doritos (or flavors your fam prefers)
- 1 box each – peanut butter crackers, graham crackers, Triscuits, wheat thins, nut thins/Good Thins, cheeze-its, goldfish
- M & M’s – your preferred flavor
- skittles/gummies
- granola bars
- chocolate chips
- big marshmallows
- microwave popcorn
- (mamas order special things for kids on their own)
Breakfast
- Cereal – 3-4 boxes, options
- eggs – 36
- pop tarts – 3
Drinks
- bottled water – 3 big packages
- sodas of choice probably 3-4 cases if soda drinkers
- flavored water – we like American Clear
- Tea Bags
- drink mix pouches – flavor enhancer
Dairy
- Milk – whole and 2%
- half and half/coffee creamer
- cheddar cheese slices
- American cheese slices
- spread butter x 2
- shredded cheese – 32oz
- Greek yogurt – plain, for cooking
- sour cream
- jarred cheese dip x 2
- cream cheese x 2
- crescent rolls (or crescent sheets) x 2
- butter sticks -1 box
- biscuits X 2
- cinnamon rolls x 2
- babybel cheese
- cheese cubes
- ricotta cheese
- cottage cheese
- 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Frozen Foods
- 1 loaf frozen garlic bread
- 2 deep dish pie crusts
- three pepper and onion blend
- grilled chicken strips
Misc Foods
- Splenda – big bag
- hummus/dip x 2
- peanut butter
- jelly – grape and strawberry – or your preference
- apple butter
- honey
- dijon/yellow mustard
- roast seasoning packet
- olive oil cooking spray
- pancake syrup
- Redi Whip (spray whipped topping)
- dry ranch mix
- salsa
- fajita seasoning packet
- sugar
- cinnamon
- coffee
- pesto
- spaghetti sauce
Misc Other
- coffee filters
- dishwasher fluid, small laundry detergent, Dawn
- citronella candle – if planning to be outside (at home, we just started using this Thermacell Lantern and these coils and love them!)
- lighter
- trash bags
- baby powder – to get sand off feet
- Ziplocs – gallon, quart, sandwich
- bug spray, sunscreen, aloe for after sun
- bathroom spray x 2
- shampoo, conditioner, body wash (or bar soap) – if not provided by your accommodations, then everyone can just share.
- charcoal, lighter fluid – if planning to grill, we cooked inside
- dish washcloths and towels – extra so you don’t have to wash, but something you can leave behind
- paper plates, napkins, plastic flatware
- hand soap
- toilet paper, paper towels, solo cups
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, Mr. Dash
- crockpot liners, foil, plastic wrap
- food storage containers for leftovers
- Lysol wipes
- Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Allergy Meds, Neosporin, band-aids
- scrub brush for dishes
Meal Planning and Grocery List for Beach with Toddlers
So, we also had 2 toddlers with us. The way we tackled this was each family unit also placed a pick-up order at the same time at the same location. Rather than have everyone split the extra things like diapers and baby snacks, we each took care of what we wanted/ needed for the week. We flew in, many of these things we could have brought from home if we drove, but we would have still had to pick up perishables, so I probably would have bought them even if we drove, unless I had a surplus at home. Here’s what was on our grocery pick up for our family. Baby needs and diet food!
- Diapers- regular and swim diapers
- wipes – carried some on the plane, but needed more for the week
- food pouches – 2 per day, 1 for breakfast and 1 for another meal, easy on the go and guaranteed vegetables – Go Go Squeeze and Gerber are our favs
- Puffs
- Jimmy Dean Breakfast Frittatas – Little Man eats these at home and sometimes when I don’t have a protein for him he eats them at dinner too.
- snack bars – usually Lara Bars in Blueberry Muffin or Cherry Pie, but also we like Happy Tot or Beech Nut Oat Bars, this is an afternoon snack every day and with us out at the beach we needed things that were snacks but wouldn’t melt
- freeze-dried fruit – strawberries and then found packets that could travel. Little Man loves to crunch and this is one way we fill him up at meals. Plus they are resealable pouches.
- Parent’s choice Orchard drops – any yogurt melts or fruit drops just give more crunching and always serve as a snack.
- Frozen Peas and Carrots – Little Man eats them by the fist fulls
- mixed fruit cups in water – we will eat lots of fruit and there will be lots of options, but this sets us up with something we can take with us if we eat out or easy cleanup. I like the ones in water just to cut down on the extra sugar from juice and syrup.
- strawberries – because little man can eat a whole 1lb a week by himself – we have lots of fruit on the grown-up menu too
- No Nitrates lunch meat – usually Hillshire Farms in the white container if we can find it, that’s what we get at home
- Skinny Pop and Jolly Time Healthy Choice microwave popcorn
- Boom Boom Chikka Pop – kettle corn – Mr. McKinney wanted it
- light cheese sticks – for all of us. Little Man loves these and they are diet approved
- Sugar-Free Creamer – again didn’t want everyone to change for us
- Propel and Crystal Light powder for water – plan to drink a lot of water, but get tired of no flavor!
- Quaker Caramel and Cheddar Rice Cakes – we know snacking and sandwiches are involved at the beach. These act like a chip or late night during game time
- safety plugs– from experience rentals and Airbnbs are not equipped with plugs covered
- Aveeno Sunscreen – for baby and grown-ups – trying to avoid all the toxins and skin rashes
- travel size baby powder with cornstarch – helps get sand and grit off the baby
I’ll be honest. It was hard to prepare for this trip. Just a lot of thinking and planning, especially with us flying there, which was way better than a 2-day car trip with a 16-month-old. Another thing that took a lot of stress out of our trip was renting baby equipment. We got a car seat with our rental car, took our own stroller because we needed it in the airport, and then rented a sleeping bundle, beach bundle, toys, and a high chair from BabyQuip. That was the best money we spent on our trip.
What tips or things do you always take or have at the beach?
In case your family loves to travel, here are some other ideas you might find helpful!
- 24 Dollar Store Must-Haves for Family Beach Trip
- Easy Family Cabin Meals
- Yellowstone Family Road Trip Menu
- Ultimate Summer Vacation Reading List
- Toddler Road Trip Activities
- Keeping your sanity with a toddler at Disney
- MUST HAVE Dollar Store Items for Disney
- Girlfriend’s Waco Weekend
- Ultimate Family Road Trip
- Southwest USA Screensaver Road Trip
- Travel Tips and Treasures for Savannah, GA
