Need help with meal ideas

[buffalogal]

Ok, ladies. I will be moving in six weeks and for the first 30-60 days at my new job, my company pays for me to stay in temporary quarters. Unfortunately, the only place available at that time is a hotel room. I was able to get business class with a microwave and refridgerator - but that's it! No kitchenette, stove, etc.

I cook at least three meals a day - scrambled eggs, grilled chix, roast turkey, etc. I would like to stay on my clean eating plan as much as possible, but how do I go about it when I cannot cook? I do get 40 dollars a day for meals, but we all know how hard it is to find healthy options at restaurants.

Does anyone have any ideas for healthy and/or simple meals that would keep me on track? I'm at a loss...

 

[Miss24k]

Tuna, protein shakes, fresh fruits & veggies, ryvita bread, nuts, sweet potatoes, oats

You could mix raw oats with a shake.

If you go to a restaurant, tell them you want them to cook your chicken with absolutely nothing on it, order a baked potato or salad.

You could probably ask the restaurant in the hotel to prepare some chicken for you with nothing on it, just remember to smile real big lol, that's worked for me in the past

Sweet potatoes and oats can be cooked in the microwave.

 

[Roonytunes]

BG, if you can find adequate protein sources, you will be fine. You can buy liquid egg whites that are already pasteurized and keep them in the fridge. You can use them plain or with shakes or oats. With a fridge, you can also get away with milk products such as cottage cheese.

Quite a lot of take-out chinese restaurants do a diet dish called steamed chicken with broccoli - it's plain with no sodium added even. The sauce comes on the side that you can toss. You can also get brown rice with it. This is what I eat on weekends for two of my meals.

If you can have access to a diner, they are usually quite flexible with grilling chicken breasts or turkey burgers plain and they are cheap.

See if you have access to a Whole Foods or Trader Joes or similar supermarket. They have a lot of pre-cooked foods like chicken sausages etc. that just need to be microwaved. Some supermarket salad bars also have grilled chicken strips.

Then there is also whey and canned tuna/salmon.....

You'll have no problems with fats like nuts, ANPB or oils.

Veggies can be stored in the fridge and you can microwave them or have them in salads.

For complex carbs, you can still have oats, whole wheat bread, brown rice cakes and microwave potato/sweet potato.

You may not have a ton of variety, but I think you can definitely get by. Good luck!

 

[Roonytunes]

I just thought of something else...can you buy one of those small George Foreman grills for $20? That way, you are all set with grilling/broiling your chicken, fish, lean meats etc. This is assuming you will have a freezer portion with your refrigerator of course.

I don't cook at all beyond my Foreman grill and microwave.

 

[buffalogal]

Wow - thanks girls!! I'm making my shopping list out now.

RT, I do have a cheap George Foreman grill. I don't know what I'd do without it - it's all I ever use. Just not sure if I can use it in a hotel room, although I don't really see why not.

It is the protein source that I'm worried about, since I get most of it from grilled meat. I've gotten myself adapted to cottage cheese and now it's time for the tuna. Just not sure about the pre-packaged already cooked meats that may have a fairly high sodium count.

Miss24 - I've never heard of the ryvita bread except for the search I did for it on google. I'll have to keep my eye out for it. And also for a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I don't think they have either in Binghamton, though.

This is definitely a start though. I just keep thinking about all the cooking I do here and was trying to come up with replacement options before I get there. Ah, the drawbacks of being a worry-wart...

 

[musclemom]

If the Foreman grill isn't permitted it is USUALLY because it doesn't turn itself off ... as the hotel why. Okay, my husband gave me this SWEET rice cooker, it's a monstrosity (cooks up 10 cups at a time), but the BEST part about it, it has TWO steamer baskets, which you can use to cook vegetables, salmon, chicken, anything, it can all be steamed ...

I'd contact the conceirge of the hotel, tell them that you have some special dietary issues and ask them what is acceptable. Saying that you have dietary issues usually gets more help.

 

[Sassy69]

Most evry competition I've been to away from my house I"ve brought a foreman grill. Every competitor I know brings their Foreman. A steamer is also an option. I"ve also nuked egg whites. LOL Its an aquired taste but you can do it. Can you boil an egg in the microwave???

 

[buffalogal]

Most evry competition I've been to away from my house I"ve brought a foreman grill. Every competitor I know brings their Foreman. A steamer is also an option. I"ve also nuked egg whites. LOL Its an aquired taste but you can do it. Can you boil an egg in the microwave???

Thanks for the suggestion - I didn't realize you could nuke egg whites, but now I'll have to try it. I suppose you can boil and egg in the microwave, but I would think you'd run out of water trying!

I'm guessing by nuking egg whites, you can use either the real thing or egg beaters? I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't have egg whites in the morning...

 

[musclemom]

I'm guessing by nuking egg whites, you can use either the real thing or egg beaters? I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't have egg whites in the morning...

Eggology Egg Whites, prepacked egg whites that come in individual servings meant for the microwave:

https://www.eggology.com/home.htm

 

[buffalogal]

Eggology Egg Whites, prepacked egg whites that come in individual servings meant for the microwave:

Wow thanks, mm. I'll definitely check those out!

 

[jenscats5]

Thanks for the suggestion - I didn't realize you could nuke egg whites, but now I'll have to try it. I suppose you can boil and egg in the microwave, but I would think you'd run out of water trying!

I'm guessing by nuking egg whites, you can use either the real thing or egg beaters? I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't have egg whites in the morning...

You can microwave egg whites - just stir them OFTEN as then can explode! Takes about 2 mins or so & stir every 30 seconds approx.

 

[caligirl]

You can also buy a one or two burner hotplate to cook on. We travel very often for work and events. We take our big cooler and use ice from the hotel because the refers they have are too small. my list usually includes:

hotplate
Pressure cooker (Fagor) /imo the best cooking device ever made. With the top off you can boil eggs. perfect steamed chix breast in 5 minutes, no fat, oil nothing icky. cooks brown rice in 5 minutes, veggies 2 minutes... it's my fav.

one big salad bowl, I take a pyrex because it can be used in the Microwave too.

small flexible cutting board

knife (yes you can take cooking utensils in your checked bags)

2 shake shakers

plastic plates

plastic wrap, plactic bags or disposable containers for left overs

and of course the obvious, forks, spoons dish soap, and I use the towles at the hotel for cleaning I ask for extra trash bags and sometimes I get two refers.
hope this helps!