A little help Please! Any opinions thoroughly appreciated!

tiggerhammon

I will be leaving for work out of town soon, and I will be gone for 2+ weeks.
Budget is a concern. So, while eating out is not got to help keep me on track for diet, it isn't going to help monetarily either.
I need some food ideas.
Mini refrigerator is the total of my available refrigerator space.
Will be working 10 hour days and am thinking I just want snacks for work and won't be eating any full on lunches.
What do you buy for food when you are in a hotel room for weeks?
Oh, and no, free hotel breakfast isn't available.
I usually eat lots of salads, chicken and dairy but my usual diet isn't going to be feasible.

Suggestions??

dsalveson

Deli turkey/chicken (life saver), apples, bananas, carrots, hummus, nuts, protein bars, .... If you need a quick cheap meal basically any fast food place should be able to make you a salad with grilled chicken or a grilled chicken breast or burger wrapped in lettuce, just be sure to specify exactly what you want on it so you can control the calories and know what to track. Good luck!!!

FP4HSharon

Most grocery stores have ready made food sections, even salad bars. So get a salad, maybe some deli meat to put on it, or hard boiled eggs...veggie trays, fruit, etc. A lot depends on how big that mini fridge is & whether you have a microwave (most hotels w/any kind of a food area have a microwave). You could also use the coffee makers to heat up healthy soups, make oatmeal in the container w/hot water, etc. There's also a lot of good ideas at this link...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=667138&page=1

margieo1983

For the cupboard/drawer: Canned tuna, canned chicken (if you like it... I personally don't care for it, but it's up to you), unsalted raw nuts/seeds, dried fruit (careful with amounts, though), whole grain bread, protein bars (watch sugar count), apples

For the fridge: Greek yogurt, string cheese, spring mix lettuce, a yummy dressing (balsamic vinaigrette, etc), chopped celery in a container with water so it keeps its crunch, all natural peanut butter, fresh blueberries or strawberries, deli meat (high in sodium, though)

If it was me, I would also pack Isagenix shakes and my blender bottle. About $3 per "meal," super healthy, and travels well.

Good luck!

froeschli

carrots or celery with peanut butter or hummus. apples, bananas etc as mentioned before. take along some hard boiled eggs (or can you buy them at other times than easter?). take your blender and a protein powder maybe? or a kettle and soup mixes or oatmeal.
or make wraps with tortillas, deli meat, and some veggie.
if youre lucky the room will have a microwave, which lets you do soups, frozen dinners etc.

also try canned beans with salad dressing. used to be one of my college lunch favourites...

JenMc14

If you have access to a microwave, oatmeal packets are cheap and good. You could also take a carton of egg whites and scramble in the microwave. Bars that you like, trail mix type snacks, nuts are all also good. A loaf if bread and a jar of peanut butter won't take up fridge space, but will make for good snacks. Perhaps a tub of lunch meat as well.

tiggerhammon

Thanks to everybody that has answered thus far.
Yes, I will have a microwave. And, I will bring my blender, great idea.
The fridge is tiny. Like, a gallon of milk/water would not fit in it.

I will not be alone. My daughter (age 7) will be with me. So, large sized meals, like a can of Progresso soup would work cause we could split it.

I love pot pies and some of the lean cuisine meals and wish I could do something like that but they are frozen. I hate cup o' noodles and ramen and they are crap for nutrition anyways.

Oatmeal would be great and some granola bars or bananas for breakfast.
Also, added jerky and trail mix to my list.

Thanks everyone. I need to try to do the bulk of my shopping prior leaving and the shopping list is looking pretty good so far.

froeschli

i always forget to bring plates, microwavable dish, knife and fork, dish soap and towel, etc. - see, i already forgot spoons, cups, and a dish rag...
i think that's why i don't go camping anymore.

tiggerhammon

@froeschli - lol, I am polar opposite. My husband laughs at me every time I "pack" for a 2 day camping trip because just mine and my daughters 'things' I bring is always my military size duffle bag.
My husband said 'I am not going to ask what is in there. Instead, how about I ask what you left in your drawers. I will bet that list is shorter.'