HELP! Going to be without a kitchen for 10 days in Houston!

mejustmichael
mejustmichael Posts: 109 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My boyfriend and I are going to Houston for about 10 days in a few weeks and we will be living out of a hotel room for about 10 days. Any good ideas to keep my diet on track, without a kitchen and without busting the bank?

Idk if we will have access to a kitchen. So let's just assume that will be a no.

Also any good places to kill time while in Houston would help too. Houston natives welcomed! Lol.

Replies

  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    If there is a microwave and/or fridge involved, there is hope. There's a three minute rotini that's microwave friendly (heat water, add rotini, heat some more). There are also microwave-friendly squash "pasta" dishes. Pancakes can technically be done in a microwave but they won't have anything close to that almost crisp surface pancakes usually have. Grease a plastic surface, pour a pancake, and nuke it. Salads. Vegetarian tacos. If you do meat, get it pre-cooked because that's one of the rare things microwaves don't do well.

    Yes, I am in college :)
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Prewashed salads and other veggies you can ear raw will be your best friend.

    You can buy bags of salad and then add stuff like:
    Baby carrots, bell pepper, bean sprouts and other raw veg.
    A tin of chickpeas, beans, corn, mushrooms, lentils etc.
    A tin of fish, like tuna, mackerel, sardines, salmon etc.
    Some meat from the cooler section, like sliced ham, chicken, turkey etc.
    Maybe something vegetarian like falafel or a piece of a small quiche to go with the salad
    A lot of supermarkets now have precooked pasta, noodles, rice and potatoes as well.
  • MEMD1974
    MEMD1974 Posts: 20 Member
    Just did the same for a few months on a cross country trip and then an ending in TX where we were in hotel. I will say that it is a little more expensive then if you were able to cook, but go find those nice grocery stores that have salad bars and nicely made flank steak, chicken, salmon etc in their prepared dept. It does not have to be already packaged, the kind where the deli/meat/prepared foods staff can box what you want. It was a bit expensive but no more than eating out for 2 people. You can know what exactly is in your dish and you can completely control the portion amount.

    GOOD LUCK! It is hard, but will be worth it.
  • sabrinamad
    sabrinamad Posts: 1
    take a bbq and/or find a park in the area that has bbqs and bring a few things in a cooler and find the local grocery, its really simple, just do your thing and don't forget the dry snacks like nuts and kale chips you make at home. I'm sure you will figure it out good luck:wink:
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
    bring plenty of almonds, apples and protein bars. they all keep well, they're all available quickly and are filling. .

    If the room ha a microwave, get aome convenience single-serving food that don't need refrigeration. (unless you'll have a fridge, in which case you're golden.) This will sound strange, but if you reason it out, it could be worthwhile to BUY a microwave if there isn't one in the room. You can get one as cheap as $38 or o at Walmart; amortized over your 10 days there, that's $3.80 a day. You'd spend a lot more going out for a lot of your meals!

    yeah, processed food not ideal, but having two meals a day where you know for sure what you're earing make it the better idea for a short while. Then you could go out for one nice meal a day and just estimate calories the best you can,
  • mejustmichael
    mejustmichael Posts: 109 Member
    Thanks for the idea guys... Love the barbecue one... And the awesome microwave ideas... Though how in the world did you figure out the pancake thing... I think of all else fails I'll be trying a raw diet... Maybe it would be good to detox a bit.

    Any other ideas or raw/microwave/hotel/travel friendly recipes?
  • waipepe
    waipepe Posts: 110 Member
    I travel for work so much and sometimes all I have is a hotel room when a kitchenette or better is not available. I always make sure that the hotel room has a coffee/tea making facilities and also a bar fridge. I am pretty sure this is a minimum standard these days unless you are in an area like Vegas. If the hotel offers room service and has kitchen facilities that's a bonus because you can ask them for plates etc.

    Sushi rolls with brown rice
    Sashimi
    Cans of tuner
    Rice cakes
    Instant Noodle soup -not ideal as lots of sodium but it works for me for some lunches when on the go
    and then I buy whatever I can stuff into the bar fridge so veggies/fruit, cheese, lunch meat etc,

    Can easily make salads etc

    I usually ask the hotel kitchen to steam my veggies, meaning the veggies I bought. No butter, nothing. I have never had a problem with any chef refusing to do it and I have never been charged.

    I always make sure to bring with me a big mug, cutlery incl a good knife, peeler. I usually also bring with me a couple of containers with lids.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Bring a knife and bowl with you... and a kettle unless the hotel has a coffee maker in the room or a microwave. You can buy precooked chicken strips... add those to a tortilla with some lettuce (either buy a prewashed, precut up bag or buy a head of lettuce, cut and wash in the bathroom sink). You can easily wash veggies and fruits in the bathroom sink at the hotel.

    For breakfast, use the kettle, coffee maker or microwave to make oatmeal (if breakfast isn't included in your hotel stay). I've used the hotel coffee makers to make breakfast before. Put oatmeal in a coffee cup, fill up coffee maker with however much water you want, turn it on and have the oatmeal cup under it. Cover for a min or two until cooked. If you don't want oatmeal bring some cereal and milk powder. Mix milk powder with water and add cereal.

    You can make a salad pretty easy. Add some precooked chicken or have a sandwich with some lunch meats on the side. A sandwich with carrot, green pepper, cucumber sticks can be a good meal. If you have a microwave you can have either canned foods or frozen foods. If you have one and can bring it, bring an indoor grill (ensure the hotel won't have an issue). I brought my little George Forman grill once. Grilled meat and veggies on it in the hotel to save money eating out.

    If you do end up eating out just choose good options.
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
    You can make soup in a coffeemaker: Throw veggies in the pot (I recommend canned or soft vegetables that don't require a lot of cooking) then fill with water and run as usual (remove the part the holds the filter or ensure it's VERY clean so you don't have coffee-flavoured soup!). After the maker has "brewed," stir in a can of tomatoes or a bouillon cube to give the broth more substance. Add desired spices, etc.

    Scrambled eggs in the microwave is incredibly easy. I like to dice onions, bell pepper, and baby spinach, then cook them in the microwave with eggs and cheese. (A splash of milk will make them SUPER fluffy!) Timing will vary greatly depending on the microwave used.

    Packets of Ramen noodles are cheap and easy to cook either in a coffeepot, microwave, or just using water boiled in a kettle. Ditch the seasoning packet (too much sodium!) and drain the noodles. Toss with a little olive oil, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, corn, canned artichoke, etc.

    If you can bring a hotplate with you, you can cook anything from grilled sandwiches to chicken breasts. My husband and I have lived in a hotel room for months at a time with nothing but a microwave and a hotplate.

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