Food Plan
Feeding twelve people for a week—built from every family’s own list of favorites.
The Plan in One Glance
- Dinners are shared group meals with a rotating host family each night.
- Breakfasts and lunches are per-family and mostly grab-and-go (faster, flexible, kid-friendly).
- Saturday, July 4 is the big one—an Independence Day BBQ feast everyone pitches into.
| Page | What’s on it |
|---|---|
| Meal Schedule | Day-by-day breakfast / lunch / dinner with hosts |
| Make-Ahead Meal Prep | What to cook & freeze before the trip, by family |
| Master Shopping List | One consolidated list, organized to split up |
| Family Preferences | Each family’s food list from the idea book |
Who’s Eating
12 people: 7 adults and 5 kids (ages 1–12). Kid-friendly is the rule—there’s PB&J, mac & cheese, hot dogs, and fruit at basically every turn, with more adventurous options for the grown-ups.
| Family | People | A few of their must-haves |
|---|---|---|
| Older Smiths | 2 adults | Pulled pork, burgers, spaghetti, chicken thighs |
| Harris | 1 adult, 2 kids | Cereal, bagels, PB&J, mac & cheese, fruit |
| Younger Smiths | 2 adults, 1 kid | Pre-seasoned meats + rice, pancakes, biscuits & gravy |
| Zuelke | 2 adults, 2 kids | Brats, bacon & eggs, sweet corn, honeycrisp apples |
Full lists on the Family Preferences page.
The Group Dinner Rotation
Each night one family plans, cooks, and leads cleanup (with everyone helping). It keeps any single person from cooking all week and lets each family share a favorite.
| Night | Dinner | Host |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 7/1 | Arrival cookout: hot dogs & brats | Zuelke |
| Thu 7/2 | Burgers & dogs + corn on the cob | Harris |
| Fri 7/3 | Taco bar / walking tacos | Younger Smiths |
| Sat 7/4 | 🎆 Independence Day BBQ feast | All (Older Smiths lead) |
| Sun 7/5 | Spaghetti & salad | Older Smiths |
| Mon 7/6 | Grill-out & use-it-up night | Zuelke / Younger Smiths |
Tue 7/7 is a pack-up breakfast and the drive home.
See the full Meal Schedule for breakfasts, lunches, and details.
Food safety in July heat matters. Keep cold food cold (≤ 40°F), separate raw meat, and refresh ice mid-week in Troy. The Camp Cooking guide has the cooler strategy.