Best Houseboat Food | LakeWizard

Food is an integral part of any vacationing experience. Like any vacation, a houseboat trip requires proper food planning.

When on your houseboat vacation, you should spend most of your time having fun and relaxing, allowing for an enjoyable experience. It does not make sense that you spend hours and hours preparing and cooking food while on your trip. For this reason, you must know the suitable foods to bring along when you need sustenance. Ensure you have a variety of food so you do not get bored eating the same thing repeatedly.

The best houseboat food should include steaks, spaghetti dishes, salads, macaroni, and others for dinner. Pack simple meals to prepare for breakfast like cereals and fruits. Keep your lunch meals simple, and those that do not require much time to prepare like sandwiches.

Remember, just because it is a vacation, you do not have to eat junk every time. Ensure you have delicious, hearty, and healthy meals for everyone on your houseboat excursion. Before any houseboat trip, you must adequately plan everything needed, especially for the food you and your family or friends will consume while on vacation.

Here, you will have to consider every dietary concern and need of every member of the houseboat vacation group. This will ensure everyone on your vacation eats good food that will not cause them to have any allergies or bad reactions. Here are a few best houseboat food ideas to start planning your vacation.

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Best Houseboat Food: Ideas for Breakfast

We all agree that breakfast is the most important meal of any day, whether you are on vacation or not. As such, you should ensure you get enough nourishment in your breakfast to start your day the right way. Here are some of the best houseboat food ideas for your breakfast.

Meat and Scrambled Eggs

One of the most popular breakfast meals for people going on camping vacations and also works excellent for houseboat vacations. One of the best things about this breakfast choice is that the main ingredients are readily available, and you can even buy them at your destinations’ local stores.

For example, you may go shopping before starting your houseboat vacation, buy a week’s supply of eggs, and store them on board your boat. This way, you only have to wake up every morning and scramble a few of the eggs. You then include a side of bacon, sausage, ham, and voila!

The result is a great breakfast that you will not only enjoy but is well-rounded and gives you the proteins and nutrients to kick start your day.

Granola Bars, Cereal and Cereal Bars

Simplicity is vital when looking for the best breakfast ideas to incorporate into your houseboat vacation packing. Granola bars, cereal, and cereal bars are as simple as you can get for breakfast. They are quick, tasty, and have what you need to start your day.

Best Houseboat Food: Ideas for Lunch

Whether you are taking a break or have enjoyed a great morning full of activities, you have to be able to prepare a sumptuous lunch aboard your houseboat quickly. There are many excellent ideas for what you should pack for your lunches. Below are just a few simple ones.

Mason Jar Salads

If you are like some of us, those who prefer green and leafy lunches, mason salads are a great option to include in your meal plans. The best part is that you can easily prepare them before boarding the houseboat.

You have various choices on how to prepare them, and you can include different types of toppings for your layers of salads. Popular toppings may contain eggs, cheese, nuts, and even chopped vegetables. Additionally, you should ensure to bring onboard your favorite dressings to give the salads a finishing you would enjoy while serving.

Chips and Subs

We recommend including sub sandwiches as part of your lunch meal plans for your houseboat vacation. These are always a hit because of the different ways you can make them and the wide range of ingredients you can use. The supplies you need can easily be purchased and stored in the refrigerator on board your houseboat.

Chips and sandwiches are not only easy and quick to make but also provide you with a tasty and filling meal for your lunches while on your vacation.

Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

When on a houseboat vacation, grilling is one of the most satisfying and perhaps the most enjoyable way to cook. Hot dogs and hamburgers are delicious, especially when you eat them immediately, they are from a grill and provide a fulfilling lunch meal.

Best Houseboat Food: Ideas for Dinner

Dinners are always supposed to bring everyone together at the end of the day and spark conversations, especially when you are on a houseboat vacation. Whether you plan an enjoyable, family-friendly, or romantic dinner with a waterfront view, you always have options.

Below are some of the best houseboat food ideas for your dinners on a houseboat vacation.

Chili

It is not every time that you will spend the whole day aboard your houseboat when on your vacation. Sometimes, you may spend the day doing other activities and then return later in the evening to your houseboat. In such situations, you may prepare the dish and let it sit and wait.

When you come back on board your vessel in the evening, heat it and enjoy a delicious dinner that will bring back many nostalgic memories for most of us.

Quesadillas

Most people love cheesy concoctions, and quesadillas are no exception. They are not only simple and quick to make, but they are also delicious and can be prepared using a wide range of ingredients. This means you do not have to make your quesadillas using conventional ingredients.

You can mix things to ensure you get the taste you and your family or friends enjoy.

Ensure you include various fillings such as chopped onion, cooked chicken, chopped peppers, and olives, depending on the preferences of those on board your houseboat.

Potatoes and Steak

It is a simple meal, but when made the right way, it can provide a variety of ways to enjoy an evening dinner, especially on a houseboat. Furthermore, suppose you plan a romantic dinner. In that case, you will enjoy having potatoes and steak slowly cooking on the grill, setting the mood and bringing a fine dining experience to your houseboat.

When you couple this meal with a glass of your favorite wine, you and your partner are bound to have one of those unforgettable evenings that come a few times in a lifetime.

Best Houseboat Food: Ideas for Snacks

Whenever you are putting together a list of food to carry for your houseboat vacation, make sure you do not overlook what snacks to bring, especially if you have kids with you. Also, ensure you pack enough snacks; the general rule is to have enough for 2-3 snack servings for each person every day of your vacation.

You can carry extra if you bring kids since they may eat much more than adults.

Most houseboat snacks can double as hiking or camping snacks – for those who will do more than spend the entirety of their vacations on a houseboat. Here are some of the best houseboat snack ideas for your trip.

String Cheese

As far as easy snacks go, string cheese is right up there. It is full of the necessary proteins that you will need to fuel your vacation adventures. Depending on the number of people you will be bringing with you on your houseboat vacation trip, you can buy a large bag or a few.

Bringing a few large bags of string cheese is one of the best houseboat food ideas since you can easily store them in the boat’s onboard refrigerator.

Trail Mix

Since most of the time during your vacation should be spent enjoying yourself and exploring, having the right snack can save you a lot of time having to prepare something every time you feel puckish. For this reason, you should have snacks in hand. It is even great if your snack choice can double down as a lunch or breakfast substitute as a trail mix can do.

Trail mix is an excellent choice for individuals planning houseboat vacations longer than a week. The best part about choosing trail mix as your snack of choice during your vacation is that you not only have to buy from available stores, but you can also create your own. This is a good idea since it lets you use your favorite chocolate candies, nuts, dry cereals, and raisins.

That way, you avoid anything you might be allergic to or sensitive to.

Fruit Snacks

These should be on the snacks you bring with you on a houseboat vacation, particularly if you have kids. Fruit snacks are delicious, and if that is not enough to get them, then consider that they are packed with nutrients and vitamins your kids need. Furthermore, one of the great things about carrying these snacks is that they are not messy.

If you have kids on your houseboat or any other vacation, you can never have more than enough fruit snack packages.

Microwave Popcorn

According to us, this is a must-have snack for your houseboat vacation. Not only is this a cheap snack, but it also makes for an incredible treat when you are relaxing on the deck of your houseboat, having a conversation, or even looking at the evening sky.

Moreover, it is one of those snacks that are easy to pack.

Best Houseboat Food: Ideas for Drinks and Desserts

Drinks and desserts are as important as all the other items you include in your food list for your houseboat trip. Ensure that you have drinks and desserts for every member aboard your boat.

Drinks

Drinks are as important as any other item on your best houseboat food list to bring on your vacation because most of us go on holiday during the summer. When the sun is out, and you participate in many activities, you will need something to quench your thirst.

There are many different drinks that one can include in their list. However, because you are going on a houseboat vacation, we recommend you stick to the essentials. For example, you may plan a single soda a day for everyone on the houseboat for each vacation day. You may also include a few juice boxes along with the sodas.

You should include a few of your favorite alcoholic drinks (if you drink) to let you relax and lighten the mood, particularly during the evening when you are seated at the deck enjoying good conversations with your family or friends. Also, remember to bring enough bottles of water on board before embarking on your houseboat trip.

Desserts

Desserts are perhaps one of the easiest things to include in your best houseboat food list when packing for your vacation. Most of us know what desserts we love, making it easier to decide which ingredients to bring to the houseboat.

When you have all the ingredients packed and stored away in the onboard refrigerator of your houseboat, making your favorite dessert is something that should take very little time.

Essential Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Houseboat Food

When picking the best houseboat food to pack for your vacation, there are things to consider. Some of these are:

  • The number of people going on vacation.
  • Any dietary needs or restrictions for all members.
  • Try and choose foods that are easy to pack and can be stored in the onboard refrigerator.
  • Ensure all foods and meal plans you come up with are easy to prepare and take less time.
  • Pack enough food for the vacation duration; you may not pack food for an entire vacation if you are going for a more extended period, like a month. In such cases, shop for a week’s supply of food.
  • Ensure the houseboat refrigeration and food storage space are enough for all you will have to pack.

About THE AUTHOR

Brian Samson

Brian Samson

I have a deep love of houseboating and the life-changing experiences houseboating has brought into my life. I’ve been going to Lake Powell on our family’s houseboat for over 30 years and have made many great memories, first as a child and now as a parent. My family has a passion for helping others have similar fun, safe experiences on their houseboat.

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