Cooking from scratch VS. prepackaged foods?

[Guest]

I'm just wondering if anyone here cooks from scratch?<br><br>My fiance &amp; I watch what we eat, &amp; try to stay away from processed &amp; prepackaged foods, but they take up much less room (&amp; last a lot longer without refrigeration) than the fresh foods we're used to eating<br><br>We've been looking at some canned foods &amp; picking them up if the ingredient list isn't too bad, but I'm curious if anyone else manages to keep cooking most of their meals with fresh ingredients while living on the road

 

[Willy]

I do. It really helps to have a fridge though. A lot cheaper than prepackaged and I know EXACTLY what's going into my grub. ..Willy.

 

[Guest]

I don't run a fridge or cooler. In the city, its easy to buy fresh fruit/veg daily, so i rarely cook. &nbsp; Country is a mix. Eat all the fresh fruit/veg first, then either cook or use tinned food depending. Cooking is cheaper than the tinned food. But need to be outside to do it - weather isn't always friendly for that. &nbsp;Sometimes, just get lazy and use tin when I could cook.&nbsp;

 

[mockturtle]

I cook everything from scratch but I have the advantage of a good-sized refrigerator/freezer in my MH.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I've only got a teeny tiny little fridge (smaller than the mini fridges I see in stores), &amp; I tend to have it packed full if I buy for more than 3 days worth of meals<br><br>My fiance &amp; I are hoping to be able to forage, &amp; I'm going to be finding a way to have my dehydrator on the road, so that should help... *fingers crossed*

 

[Zil]

I still have a rock salt scar on my leg from "foraging" apples on side of highway.

 

[Guest]

Just to add: Can get by without cooking. Soak oats, sultanas, nuts, seeds in water for breakfast. &nbsp;Grow sprouts - eat them without cooking with dried fruit or nuts. &nbsp;Instant noodles - dry or soaked are great eating. Dry they are like a biscuit. Tastier than you might think. &nbsp;Cooking for one, its easy to cook too much. If I'm cooking, I'll do it at lunch time - so if I make too much, the leftovers get eaten that night.

 

[Guest]

We have been eating a lot more uncooked meals (I'm not going to say raw, because we still eat crackers &amp; bread).&nbsp; I imagine when we're on the road full-time, it'll be easier to eat more non-cook meals, as I won't have a freezer full of foods that need to be cooked&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>I'm really liking snack plates - I'll put out a small veggie plate, some random cheese &amp; crackers, dried fruit, nuts, whatever we have on hand, &amp; we just snack until we're no longer hungry&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[highdesertranger]

fresh unprocessed is always better imho.&nbsp; how ever for staying out in the sticks for weeks at a time I go with some of the boxed, canned stuff.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[TxGypsy]

I almost always cook from scratch.&nbsp; When I was first on my own I used a cornbread mix for a dinner that my Grandma was coming to because I figured it would be faster.&nbsp; Until the day she died, she didn't let me forget about using a mix!!&nbsp; Forever after that she would ask if I'd used a mix before she'd eat something I cooked.&nbsp; Oh the shame!!!<br><br>I do use yellow cake mixes that I tweak when I make pineapple upside down cake and I will buy a box of jambalaya and help it out A LOT.&nbsp; Otherwise I cook with basic ingredients.&nbsp; I've done it all of my life and it would be strange to me to use anything else.

 

[Guest]

I like to get fresh Ramen noodles from the market everyday. Yummm&nbsp;<img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br>&nbsp;

 

[Zil]

salt salt salt

 

[Willy]

Isn't that one of the 4 basic food groups, along with grease, booze, and beef? ..Willy.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Given the choice and opportunity, we always make meals from scratch. We don't care for processed foods since they're not only costly, but they're unhealthy with all the salt, preservatives, fats, dyes, carbs.... ugh!