Anyone fancy helping with a meal prepping nightmare?

flabtograd
flabtograd Posts: 11 Member
in Recipes
I'm a uni student who works part time too, so as a result I leave the house at 6am and don't return home until between 6pm-9pm (mon-thurs), 6am-3pm on a friday.

My problem is that I have no access to a refrigerator or microwave during the day, so I need to bring foods with me that will last throughout the day without being refrigerated but that I can also eat without reheating. I do have a food thermos that keeps food hot for 7 hours, but obviously requires me to wake up even earlier to cook/reheat food and prep the thermos so I don't use it particularly often. Especially because I would have to fill it at around 5.45am so I would have to eat the hot food around 12-1pm at the latest and I'm in class until 2pm, so that kind of screws that up.

I'm looking for breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Snack suggestions could also help!
I don't eat mushrooms and can only eat eggs if they are hard boiled, but anything else is fair game (well except anchovies, but I don't anticipate that they will be first on anyone's list).

I realise I have a lot of issues here, but if anyone has any suggestions then I'll be really appreciative. This schedule and lack of healthy options has meant I've ended up gaining around 30lbs in 2 years (and I was already overweight) so it isn't ideal. I'm at my wits end.

Replies

  • TheHuff_
    TheHuff_ Posts: 39 Member
    Tuna and wholewheat pasta salads are a great option and should keep well
  • flabtograd
    flabtograd Posts: 11 Member
    TheHuff_ wrote: »
    Tuna and wholewheat pasta salads are a great option and should keep well

    Thanks :smile: , I have two types of tuna pasta salad that I often switch between, but I wasn't sure if I was consuming too much tinned tuna or not!

    Do you have a go to recipe? Just wondering if it's any different to the ones I make so it can give me something a bit different :smile:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Get a flask and cool bag, then you can have stew/chilli/soup etc and salad, sarnies, whatever needs to be kept cool.
  • JC_Reborn
    JC_Reborn Posts: 351 Member
    edited September 2016
    things that are canned.. chicken, salmon etc..
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    Not a good situation. You want to be careful you don't get food poisoning. Amazon sells all kinds of travel ice packs/cooling packs for food. You might buy one and try it out.

    These things aren't the best food, and are expensive, but you don't have to refrigerate them plus you can buy them everywhere (grocery and drugstores): SlimFast shakes with 20 G protein and 1 G sugar. They're 180 calories. I have been eating/drinking them while some work is being done on my kitchen. You can combine them with a McDonald's side salad with lowfat dressing (or a small salad at your university cafeteria or fast food place).
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    You need to invest in something like this and some ice packs :smiley: Sandwiches, salads etc can be prepped the night before
    107346774_amazoncom-sesame-street-cookie-monster-lunchbox-lunch-.jpg
  • Aniston_T
    Aniston_T Posts: 25 Member
    Hummus with raw vegetables -carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, peppers, broccoli, cucumber- (and flaxseed crackers) should keep well. Add a hard boiled egg for extra protein. Hummus usually doesn't have ingredients that spoil if out of the fridge for a couple hours even though it's always refrigerated. Canned baked beans (in tomato sauce) on bread/toast will be fine for a few hours too. Three bean tuna salad is full of protein and an alternative to the pasta salad. Shredded cabbage and carrot salad can be an option, add olive oil dressing before eating. Combine it with tuna or egg for protein. Though shredded cabbage might wilt after several hours outside the fridge.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    You can pour a little water out of a bottled water and freeze. Use them as ice packs and when they melt you can drink the water. Laughing cow cheese is sold room temperature at least two stores that I know of. They have several light flavors. You could spread on celery or bell pepper wedges. I have been using a lot of mason jars to pack meals and snacks. Maybe with an insulated bag and the frozen water trick you could take a few new things. I also here Yeti products are amazing but pricey.

    Mason Jar Ideas: soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/p/masonables.html
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    One more thing. The Domestic Geek does a lot of meal prep ideas. She just did snack boxes. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dj6lbCtpRKg

    What about veggie noodles (zucchini) and cauliflower rice? Here is a tabouli salad with cauliflower. soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2014/05/recipe-review-cauliflower-tabouli.html
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Get an ice pack and an insulated bag or small cooler. Freeze water in a bottle.
    Look up bento boxes for ideas.
    Nut butters, nuts, seeds
    Sandwiches or wraps
    Hummus
    Beans or lentils
    Rice, rice balls
    Hard boiled eggs
    Pasta
    Granola, granola bars
    Muffins
    Fresh fruits and vegetables- salad greens, cabbage, celery, broccoli, carrots, tomato, zucchini, sugar snap peas, apples, berries, bananas, oranges, etc
    Pickled vegetables
    Yogurt
    Tuna or canned chicken
    Popcorn
    pretzels
    Canned fruit, applesauce
    Beef jerky

    http://www.columbusparent.com/content/stories/2011/02/23/ntk-the-go-to-guide-school-lunches.html
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 186 Member
    If you have a slow cooker why not prep a stew or something similar the night before - have it cook while you're asleep and then load up your food thermos while it's hot. That way you won't have to get up too much earlier
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    I've been going with cheese (30 g) and crackers (6 Triscuits) and a pile of raw veggies (carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, etc.) for lunches lately.
    I also like Wasa/Ryvita with avocado and sun dried tomatoes.
    Nuts, seeds and dried fruit (carefully portioned) are good snacks. As are fresh fruit.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    Peanut butter and banana sandwiches on whole wheat (brown) bread
  • flabtograd
    flabtograd Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you everyone this has been really helpful :smile:. Much appreciated!
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,268 Member
    flabtograd wrote: »
    TheHuff_ wrote: »
    Tuna and wholewheat pasta salads are a great option and should keep well

    Thanks :smile: , I have two types of tuna pasta salad that I often switch between, but I wasn't sure if I was consuming too much tinned tuna or not!

    Do you have a go to recipe? Just wondering if it's any different to the ones I make so it can give me something a bit different :smile:

    Friendly advice: you should compute your Mercury exposure from a lot of tuna consumption. I love the stuff also; it may not be loving you back as much.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Hard boiled eggs!
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited September 2016
    Think camping foods except you have more options. You may also want to eat smaller meals more often, since you can't heat up anything, most of what you eat may work better as snacks.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    Consider petitioning your SU for some student access microwaves? It's becoming increasingly common for universities to offer self-service "tea point" type facilities for students (the sort of thing that is usually provided for employees.

  • Canuckgirl77
    Canuckgirl77 Posts: 123 Member
    Not sure what type of work you do so this may not be possible:

    You can buy one of those mini crock pots (which is actually a warmer, not a cooker) and keep it at work. Bring your soup/chili/curry that is "cold" from your thermos. Put it into the warmer as soon as you get to work and it will be piping hot by the time you have a break.

    I've seen them here for $12-$15 and a friend of mine loves hers.
  • teetertatertango
    teetertatertango Posts: 229 Member
    With that schedule I would ideally eat breakfast and dinner at home, then have a variety of snacks (nuts, hard boiled eggs, cut up veggies) to tide me through the day.

    In reality I would probably end up eating out once a day (what a grueling schedule), there are ways to make eating out work and stick to a calorie limit if you want.

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