Do you pack a picnic for traveling?

**sunshine** · 05-29-2008, 12:29 PM

How far is the trip?

We have an inverter for the car. . . I cook while we drive, in our crockpot. So when we stop at a rest area, I pull out the crockpot and we eat a nice, hot meal. . . and get lots of envious looks from others who are eating their cold cut sandwiches

**wannabedebtfree** · 05-29-2008, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by sunshine

We have an inverter for the car. . . I cook while we drive, in our crockpot. So when we stop at a rest area, I pull out the crockpot and we eat a nice, hot meal. . . and get lots of envious looks from others who are eating their cold cut sandwiches

Funny you mention this b/c I bought one of those things that you can hook up to the car and it gives you a 110 outlet. I initially purchased it for my computer. We are driving from NC to KY tomorrow and I have been trying to determine if I want to pack the microwave. I am fixing a baked pasta to take for lunch and this would be a great way to heat it up. (Originally, I thought I could just put them in containers warm, then put them in a 'cooler' that would also hold heat but I am not sure how long it would stay warm). Maybe I should consider the crockpot.

**emily_hope** · 05-31-2008, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by sunshine

How far is the trip?

We have an inverter for the car. . . I cook while we drive, in our crockpot. So when we stop at a rest area, I pull out the crockpot and we eat a nice, hot meal. . . and get lots of envious looks from others who are eating their cold cut sandwiches

We are in Georgia and we are driving to New Mexico. It's about 18 hours. I've never thought of doing this. You all have the greatest ideas.

**FrugalFive** · 05-31-2008, 03:38 PM

Our favorite thing to bring is hotdogs. Just place them in boiling water in a thermos and they'll stay warm until lunchtime. Soups, chili's and Mac and cheese also stay warm this way.

We like to bring fruit and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We also bring peanut butter crackers (that I made before leaving) and keep cheese in the cooler for cheese and crackers. We freeze drinks to use in place of ice. And I usually make a big container of trail mix to take along as well, this usually takes care of any cravings.

**sunshine** · 05-31-2008, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by emily_hope

We are in Georgia and we are driving to New Mexico. It's about 18 hours. I've never thought of doing this. You all have the greatest ideas.

We did this the last 2 summers when we traveled from IL to PA - 14 hours each way. I froze some crockpot meals, then just put them in the crock pot when we started out in the morning. By noon or evening, they were cooked and ready to eat (depending on what we were cooking). We had creamed chicken with dumplings, french dip sandwiches, pork roast with potatoes and carrots, etc. It worked great and we've done it several times now.