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Kitchenless Cooking

downtown

downtown

Crafternoon Delight
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Messages
19,541
Location
Chicago
I am working a job until November that basically requires me to be homeless. I work 12-14 hour days, and often sleep in stranger's houses, without access to real kitchen tools.

I've eaten like absolute crap these past few weeks, and I know I can't sustain that over the rest of this contract. I'm wondering what are some kinds of foods/recipes I can look at to help me eat a little better. The priorities for food are:

1) Health. I'd like to avoid peeing pure sodium if I can. The job requires me to walk around 4 hours a day in the sun, and I usually go running in the mornings, so I'm getting exercise. I know I can't really eat an El Mac diet given the circumstances, but if I can avoid gaining 20 pounds, that would be great.

2) Cost. Campaign workers are paid like crap. Also, I'm usually living in Rural Indiana. Organic/Hard to find stuff just isn't an option.

3) Will it make me full?

I have a Fridge, Microwave, and a decent amount of food (but not great) storage space. I also have access to a George Forman Grill. No stove (!!!) or oven.

Suggestions? Man cannot live on Speedway alone. It's in the Bible or something.
 
Well, you can always make (vegetable) soup, just buy some vegetables and some sachet with spices etc.
Salad is easy too.
You could consider buying a "tosti ijzer" (don't know the English name) to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
 
Buy a toaster oven and a hibachi or portable grille. Between those and a microwave you can make just about anything.
 
You haven't prioritised "does it taste good" so I'll suggest field rations. In Norway you can buy them for around $20(and they can't cost more in the US) and give you around 4000 calories for one day. Just throw in hot water and wait for your meal to be edible. If it's good enough for the army, it's good enough for you.

If it were me I'd find another solution though, but perhaps you're more masochistic than me.
 
warpus said:
What if you buy some chicken breasts, marinate them overnight in a ziploc bag (just not too long, chicken can start to dry up), and grill them up on the grill.
Click to expand...
I forgot about the marinade, but yeah, I've cooked chicken a few times on the Forman. Chicken Caesar Salad is a good campaign meal.

Lillefix said:
You haven't prioritised "does it taste good" so I'll suggest field rations. In Norway you can buy them for around $20(and they can't cost more in the US) and give you around 4000 calories for one day. Just throw in hot water and wait for your meal to be edible. If it's good enough for the army, it's good enough for you.

If it were me I'd find another solution though, but perhaps you're more masochistic than me.
Click to expand...

Haha, I totally hadn't thought of that.

I've had Army Rations before...they're great for long campout/hiking trips. They're a little expensive though, and my body didn't react so well to them. The taste really isn't that bad, but when I ate them for 3 days straight on a hiking trip, I don't think I pooped for a week.

I don't think thats a great idea as a long term solution.
 
This was me for the past 3 months or so.

Cold cereal is good.
Fresh fruit is good.
Salad is good.
Sandwiches are good, you can make pb&j, deli meat sandwiches, apple/cheese sandwiches; big variety available here.
Oatmeal is awesome and super cheap, just buy a 5gk bag of oats, microwave with water, add butter, and anything else you may want.

The only things I really missed were cooked meats and pasta.
 
Eat plenty of carbs if you want to be filled up more, but fruits and vegetables are a good mixture of cheapness and healthiness.
 
downtown said:
Haha, I totally hadn't thought of that.

I've had Army Rations before...they're great for long campout/hiking trips. They're a little expensive though, and my body didn't react so well to them. The taste really isn't that bad, but when I ate them for 3 days straight on a hiking trip, I don't think I pooped for a week.

I don't think thats a great idea as a long term solution.
Click to expand...

That is why they are Meals Refusing to Evacuate. ;)

Noodles can be an inexpensive source of food during this time, so use that for times you need a quick fix, otherwise get fresh fruit, vegies and cheaper sources of meat, such as mince. Having spaghetti is a quick and easy meal and you can make plenty of meals out of one course, so you have leftovers for other meals. Leftovers will be your friends during this time.
Does the fridge have a freezer?
 
classical_hero said:
That is why they are Meals Refusing to Evacuate. ;)

Noodles can be an inexpensive source of food during this time, so use that for times you need a quick fix, otherwise get fresh fruit, vegies and cheaper sources of meat, such as mince. Having spaghetti is a quick and easy meal and you can make plenty of meals out of one course, so you have leftovers for other meals. Leftovers will be your friends during this time.
Does the fridge have a freezer?
Click to expand...

You kind of need a stove to make pasta.
 
Microwave food sucks, but if your host will lend you freezer space then get a Sam's Club membership as that is the haute cusine of crappy single serve microwave food at a semi-reasonable price.

My condolences.


I'd second buying fresh meats daily and grilling outside.
 
you dont need to cook stuff. you could live on salads (with ham or stuff for the proteins from time to time)
 
classical_hero said:
He could make one outdoors if need be, just get some firewood and make a temporary stove and the problem is solved.
Click to expand...

I'm not so desperate for pasta that I'm going to start boiling water over a fire. That is going to take too much time, and I have to eat fairly quickly.
 
Add a toaster over and a hot plate and you essentially have a full, if small, kitchen. A 2 burner hotplate can be had new for under $40. And used really cheap, if you can find it. Then you can do pasta. You can do that with 1 burner if you nuke the sauce. I have a stove, but between my microwave and toaster over, that's most of my cooking. I often shake-n-bake a piece of chicken or pork. Get some nukable dishes with covers, and frozen veggies work really well. So if you are often away and have little time, you don't have to worry so much about spoilage. If you are often eating on the go, get a smallish cooler and you can have fresh fruits and veggies that can be eaten raw at any time. Powdered mashed potatoes can be made easily with the microwave as well.
 
downtown said:
I'm not so desperate for pasta that I'm going to start boiling water over a fire. That is going to take too much time, and I have to eat fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

Are their any cheap options for a stove, since that is by far the easiest and healthiest way to make meals for you and leftovers?
 
classical_hero said:
Are their any cheap options for a stove, since that is by far the easiest and healthiest way to make meals for you and leftovers?
Click to expand...

It's pretty clear from the OP that he's aware of that, and posted this thread to get ideas on stuff he can do without a stove.

Like I said, I was in the same boat - it's not worth purchasing cooking equipment for only a few months.
 
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