Impossible to eat clean?

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splackk
splackk Posts: 163
in Health and Weight Loss
MFPers, I'm in dire straits and need some collective wisdom here.

For the next 4.5 months, I'm in serious food trouble. Without going into detail about how this came to be, I'll summarize what I'll need to deal with:
- no kitchen. meaning no stove, oven, refrigerator, NOTHING
- no place to store shelf-keep foods larger than a loaf of bread and very minimal containers
- approximately $5 a day to spend

I have:
- easy access to a grocery store I can run to every day
- one small hot plate which can cook approximately one serving of noodles, but only one cooking pot. I can heat water this way, though

As you can imagine, this means my food is nearly limited to pre-packaged, pre-cooked foods for the time being. I've been eating at cheap food courts (steamed egg, pork and side of rice for about $1.50-$2) nearly every meal, but I'm so sick of eating three things. I had a dollar ice cream for dinner, for crying out loud!

Any suggestions for what I can possibly eat?

Replies

  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    You can do this! Many meals all follow the same basic pattern:

    1. Cook protein and veggies in bottom of pot.
    2. Add starch and liquid
    3. Cook until done.

    Doing this you can make soup, rice dishes, and pasta. I see that you are in Singapore. I do not know the culinary culture there, so please forgive that my following suggestions are very US-centric.

    Eggs and many firmer cheeses do not need to be refrigerated if you use them within a few days. That is why they became popular foods thousands of years ago! You can use these as a protein at breakfast or even if you do not want to go to the store today.

    A small pack of bullion cubes is both cheap and flavorful. Use them to make soup and flavor your starches.

    Bulk food bins and the butcher are your friends. Use these to buy just what you need for the next day without needing extra storage space. Buying a little from these every day is no more expensive than buying a lot from these at once.

    Dry beans are another great cheap, healthy choice. Soak them overnight with a little bit of salt, then drain them, add new water, and boil in the morning.

    Fresh fruits and vegetables often do not need refrigeration.

    If you need more help for ideas on what to cook, please do not hesitate to ask. Your situation will require some thoughtful work, but you can still eat in a healthy fashion if that is important to you.
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
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    mj has it here. I had similar conditions and lived on rice, beans, and veggies in college. Beans are cheap and 2 bags can probably last you the week. Get your veggies each day as you need them-just what you need for today, mind. That's cheap, too. 1 bell pepper is not expensive, for example. 1 bag of apples will last you the week for your fruit. For breakfast I usually have oatmeal since that is cheap ($2-4 for a container that lasts for weeks) and you just add water. For higher nutrition, add dried nuts and fruit, again $2-4 for a bag to last weeks.

    When you're tired of rice and beans with your veggies, there's a world of grains and proteins at the bulk bins that you can explore. Make it an adventure!
  • nora110
    nora110 Posts: 24
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    Canned tuna or salmon would be good sources of protein that could easily be stored. I believe white meat chicken comes in a can as well.
    Though not ideal, you could make oatmeal with hot water, and to minimize storing the "add ins", get the low sugar instant in packets.

    Hmm, I'm going to keep thinking about this one... I like a challenge!!
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
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    Thank you for the ideas :flowerforyou: It's not the easiest situation but it's definitely doable, and in just under 5 months I should have a full kitchen at my disposal once again!

    My biggest issue right now is getting in veggies without blowing more than I can spend right now. I've been giving high priority to getting some protein, mostly through eggs, as well as enough starches to keep me energized through nice cheap whole grain loaves from a local bakery, but veggies are a problem area. I can't keep those well (no matter what you do in Singapore, no matter how much bug spray is sprayed, you will ALWAYS be overcome with bugs) overnight and am really only able to buy one serving at a time... but eating an entire pepper or eggplant or cucumber for dinner isn't something I'd really enjoy. Instead, I've been trying to aim for as much fresh fruit as I can afford since I CAN go through a good number of apples, kiwis or mangoes each day happily.

    I'll have to look into finding some dry beans, that may be a good idea! Cheese, unfortunately, is incredibly expensive here, and that is one luxury I'll be without for a short while.
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
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    Canned tuna or salmon would be good sources of protein that could easily be stored. I believe white meat chicken comes in a can as well.
    Though not ideal, you could make oatmeal with hot water, and to minimize storing the "add ins", get the low sugar instant in packets.

    Hmm, I'm going to keep thinking about this one... I like a challenge!!

    Oh yes, I've been getting some canned tuna as well! I'm actually not a big fish eater and can't stomach it, but for some reason canned tuna is no problem to get down.

    I did buy a bag of oatmeal about a week ago as well and have some sugar packets to stir in, but something just isn't doing it for me and I've had to force down the few bowls I've made. Hopefully some other cheap, delicious mix-in will come to mind soon so i can finish off this bag!

    To be honest, with such a tight budget my trouble now is getting ENOUGH calories each day. Tuna is decently healthy enough, and a few apples are great, but when that and a few eggs totals your budget for the day and you're still around 600 calories, it's not pretty. Pasta and rice with seasoning are cheap and filling enough, and at this rate may have to take over from every other food just to keep me sufficiently full!
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    Honestly, you will not really be harmed if you skip the veggies for a while. Your bowel movements may suffer for it, but priorities need to be priorities. If you can get a cheap multivitamin, then that should take care of many of the necessary nutrients veggies provide.

    I do not know your precise situation and what lead there, nor is it my business, and I respect that. I just want you to know that many of us have had to live in similar situations at some point in our lives. Being in a foreign culture and environment does seem to complicate things, but it will also make for one heck of an adventure story to tell in later years!
  • beckys19
    beckys19 Posts: 119 Member
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    If you have the space, see if you can get a small, cheap pan. hat will open up a couple more things. If you get cheese from the deli you can make grilled cheese sandwiches too. You can stir-fry veggies and meats, you don't have to have rice with them if you don't want.

    Also, maybe research backpacking cooking. I have to admit when we backpacked we had lots of processed, but you might find some ideas there for what to do with limited space and limited cooking capabilities.

    I wouldn't totally forgo fruites/veggies, just go for whatever is on sale. Plus, if you buy your meats out of the butcher case, you can buy just enough for that day.
  • KPainter70
    KPainter70 Posts: 152
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    Do they have salad bars over there that you could buy some already chopped veggies from? I'm thinking enough that you could make your dinner with.
  • nora110
    nora110 Posts: 24
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    How about nuts and seeds? Small, no prep, higher calories, healthy fats, all good things.

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