Inexpensive meals and eating

[RonDean]

While stevia is good for k-e-t-o (my past posts using the k-word were asterisked) and has no calories, long-term use might have negative consequences:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7584803/
"revealed a severe damage in liver and kidney sections" (in mice)
"artificial sweeteners, depending on dose and duration of consumption, have a pro-inflammatory effect combined with gastrointestinal disorders"

https://eatbeautiful.net/why-stevia-is-bad-for-you-liver-kidney-gut-health/
"Long term administration of stevia significantly increased cholesterol levels and significantly decreased HDL levels ("healthy cholesterol") and increased LDL levels ("lousy cholesterol")
... etc, article is more readable that the scientific article by NIH

Will not kill you, and it is better than high fructose corn syrup, but even better is to get used to non-sweetened taste of food.
IMHO, YMMV, IANAL, etc. all disclaimers apply.

I've used various artificial sweeteners for years. Mainly in my coffee. And I am in better health for my age than most of my contemporaries. I have also researched sugar and high fructose corn syrup. IMHO - that's worse. But, to balance the scales on my sweet tooth, I also do not eat meat or highly processed foods.

I can't argue against "even better is to get used to the non-sweetened taste of food" - but we all pick our particular poisons.

 

[mpruet]

I’m diabetic so carbs are the enemy. One corn on the cob at supper time, and the next day my blood sugar will be over 200. It’ll take several days to get it back to 100. The safest veggies for me are green beans and broccoli.

When I’m on the road, I’ve discovered that the best meals I can cook are in my instant pot. Probably my favorite is a roast cooked in cream-of-mushroom soup and powered onion. After about 15 minutes on high pressure and I’ve got a great supper.

 

[RonDean]

I’m diabetic so carbs are the enemy. One corn on the cob at supper time, and the next day my blood sugar will be over 200. It’ll take several days to get it back to 100. The safest veggies for me are green beans and broccoli.

When I’m on the road, I’ve discovered that the best meals I can cook are in my instant pot. Probably my favorite is a roast cooked in cream-of-mushroom soup and powered onion. After about 15 minutes on high pressure and I’ve got a great supper.

I gave away my Instapot and now only use a small rice cooker. The I-pot was too complicated for me and I found the rice cooker makes far more than just rice. Uses less energy too.

 

[JT646]

Wow...lot's of interesting ideas & recipes here...I'm especially intrigued by that "Chocolate Gravy".

Tip #1:
Food Banks are often short on some things but OVER stocked on others. Case-in-point: I volunteer at one in Washington State and we almost always have WAY too many canned chickpeas (Garbanzo beans). Once when van camping in Arizona we checked out a local food bank. Guess what--they too had many pallets of these. Soooo you can always ask if they are overstocked on something and they might be able to give you more...or even a full case. Note: There are MANY recipes (besides humus) that can be made with these (chocolate chip cookies, etc,etc.). YMMV

Tip #2: Get a Dash mini griddle. These can normally be run on even a small inverter (300-350 watts). And cook an egg (or egg white) very quickly (2-3 minutes with the cooker on, and another minute with it shut off). You can also load up your mini-freezer with veggie burgers--(I like Morning Star Veggie Grillers Orginal). These also will cook on the dash mini griddle (9-11 minutes) and only have 1g saturated fat each. YMMV

https://www.amazon.com/DMS001WH-Electric-Individual-Breakfast-Indicator/dp/B010XQZIBQ

 

[RonDean]

Wow...lot's of interesting ideas & recipes here...I'm especially intrigued by that "Chocolate Gravy".

Tip #1:
Food Banks are often short on some things but OVER stocked on others. Case-in-point: I volunteer at one in Washington State and we almost always have WAY too many canned chickpeas (Garbanzo beans). Once when van camping in Arizona we checked out a local food bank. Guess what--they too had many pallets of these. Soooo you can always ask if they are overstocked on something and they might be able to give you more...or even a full case. Note: There are MANY recipes (besides humus) that can be made with these (chocolate chip cookies, etc,etc.). YMMV

Tip #2: Get a Dash mini griddle. These can normally be run on even a small inverter (300-350 watts). And cook an egg (or egg white) very quickly (2-3 minutes with the cooker on, and another minute with it shut off). You can also load up your mini-freezer with veggie burgers--(I like Morning Star Veggie Grillers Orginal). These also will cook on the dash mini griddle (9-11 minutes) and only have 1g saturated fat each. YMMV

https://www.amazon.com/DMS001WH-Electric-Individual-Breakfast-Indicator/dp/B010XQZIBQ

Interesting...
Chick peas or garbonzo beans are one of the primary ingrediants for DIY "fake" meat. Anyone wanting to eliminate or reduce meat consumption and has some time for food prep, should really grab those unwanted cans. Dried peas/beans work too. There are many recipes on YouTube and scattered across the Internet.

 

[eDJ_]

The more I read of this the more daunting the topic promises to become. Yes, vegan, diabetic, low carb, low sodium, no fat, no dairy, no gluten, kosher, food allergy issues. and more.....oh my. Then there's the Nomads or RV'ers lifestyles that questions whether they are more camper or traveler which will influence their cooking & kitchen equipment. Some may be on BLM for weeks in one place far from supply stores, others in inner city Stealth mode, while others may follow the 2-2-2 travel method. Thus some don't really have to cook much as prepared food is readily available in their area, while others will have to stock their food & supplies for days to weeks at a time and cook diligently just to eat. That will require serious meal planning and an accurate well thought out shopping list to have what they will need. (as there is no running off to the store every day or so)

It occurs to me that there are numerous recipes that will produce good satisfying foods with four to six ingredients. These can even be found for those with special dietary needs either online or in public libraries. The information is there but it's the data crunch for those individuals with those special dietary needs.

The site below has an extensive list of recipes, one dish dinner recipes, and is searchable.

Easy Family Recipes/ Weekly Meal Planing

25 easy RV meals Little Family Adventures com

Meal Plans & Grocery List example

The No Fail RV menu planning guide free printable planning pack Camp Cooking 101

Four Ingredient Cook Book

A book I would recommend: "Frozen Assets lite & easy: Cook for a Day eat for a Month"
About everything a Nomad or RV'er would need in one book.


Frozen Assets Lite & Easy

 

[Frood]

I gave away my Instapot and now only use a small rice cooker. The I-pot was too complicated for me and I found the rice cooker makes far more than just rice. Uses less energy too.

A rice cooker is just a lower-pressure insta-pot. To get the same results cooking meat (as a pressure cooker) would take more time due to the lower pressure.

But yes, rice cookers can be used for lots of things other than rice. I've made simple loaf-cakes in them using pancake
mix.

 

[RonDean]

A rice cooker is just a lower-pressure insta-pot. To get the same results cooking meat (as a pressure cooker) would take more time due to the lower pressure.

But yes, rice cookers can be used for lots of things other than rice. I've made simple loaf-cakes in them using pancake
mix.

Since I don't cook meat, that's fine with me.

 

[Frood]

Since I don't cook meat, that's fine with me.

You CAN cook meat in them... Just not big hunks of meat like a pot roast unless you are willing to keep resetting
the rice cooker. It's great for carrots and potatoes too, but you need to cut them into smaller pieces rather than
large chunks (although I just may not have a very great rice cooker as well... was a pretty cheap one!)

 

[RonDean]

You CAN cook meat in them... Just not big hunks of meat like a pot roast unless you are willing to keep resetting
the rice cooker. It's great for carrots and potatoes too, but you need to cut them into smaller pieces rather than
large chunks (although I just may not have a very great rice cooker as well... was a pretty cheap one!)

Great points...
A few more minutes with a knife makes cooking much easier. I tend to follow the Asian practice and cut pieces down to where I can eat with chopsticks. That also helps me slow down and reduce my calorie intake. And I also have a cheap rice cooker. Oh... and washing a small rice cooker, bowl, and 2 sticks takes a lot less water - which is something I always monitor.

 

[eDJ_]

In the spirit of, "inexpensive meals and eating" one minimalist way to go about this is cooking in aluminum foil packets. Known to some as HOBO dinners. This could work for those on the go, in camp, or traveling with little kitchen equipment and stored food provisions. With just a few utensils and a roll of heavy aluminum foil a meal for one or more is simple to prepare. And for those who would want to cook once and eat for several days, then this method would be easy to accomplished that too. (and the same foil used to cook in can serve as a storage container for the uneaten food which would be consumed later.

About the only must have would be to have a campfire or a grill where open fires are permitted.

I remember making some of these in Boy Scouts and even showing Cub Scouts how to do it.
Later the Cubs cooked some of these meals, known as silver turtles, for their parents who were visiting the camp expo. Grandfolks who are camping could entertain their grandkids by showing them this to both entertain and feed them.

Here is a site that offers 35 recipes to cook in this manner....and some others.

35 Foil Pack meals for campfire or grill

HOBO and Boy Scout Tin Foil Dinners

4 Cub Scout Silver Turtle meal recipes

 

[Carla618]

In the spirit of, "inexpensive meals and eating" one minimalist way to go about this is cooking in aluminum foil packets. Known to some as HOBO dinners. This could work for those on the go, in camp, or traveling with little kitchen equipment and stored food provisions. With just a few utensils and a roll of heavy aluminum foil a meal for one or more is simple to prepare. And for those who would want to cook once and eat for several days, then this method would be easy to accomplished that too. (and the same foil used to cook in can serve as a storage container for the uneaten food which would be consumed later.

About the only must have would be to have a campfire or a grill where open fires are permitted.

I remember making some of these in Boy Scouts and even showing Cub Scouts how to do it.
Later the Cubs cooked some of these meals, known as silver turtles, for their parents who were visiting the camp expo. Grandfolks who are camping could entertain their grandkids by showing them this to both entertain and feed them.

Here is a site that offers 35 recipes to cook in this manner....and some others.

35 Foil Pack meals for campfire or grill

HOBO and Boy Scout Tin Foil Dinners

4 Cub Scout Silver Turtle meal recipes

Thanks eDJ. Gonna pick up some heavy duty aluminum foil. I cooked with it on canoe trips decades ago and it made easy work of meals. Thx for the reminder .

 

[LargeMarge]

Well, I just learned something.
Something important.
.
Over on a thread about a trip through Florida (fUSA), the gent warns against getting too close to an armadillo.
Apparently, the animals are known to be carriers of the disease 'leprosy'.
.
[rips up several recipes, including 'Armadillo On The Half-Shell']

 

[INTJohn]

One can always warm this up………

jonny boi jus sayin

 

[Gr8ful]

You just can't beat da U.P. eh?

 

[abnorm]

Well, I just learned something.
Something important.
.
Over on a thread about a trip through Florida (fUSA), the gent warns against getting too close to an armadillo.
Apparently, the animals are known to be carriers of the disease 'leprosy'.
.
[rips up several recipes, including 'Armadillo On The Half-Shell']

Living in Florida I always knew the risk of Armadillos

Is this the REAL LargeMargeMobile on RVing with JOE ?......(about 1:40)

 

[Carla618]

Living in Florida I always knew the risk of Armadillos

Is this the REAL LargeMargeMobile on RVing with JOE ?......(about 1:40)

That is funny! Now I know where the name Large Marge comes from.

 

[LargeMarge]

...Is this the REAL LargeMargeMobile on RVing with JOE ?......(about 1:40)

.
Yup.
We thought its inclusion in the Odd Rigs department somehow seems appropriate.
.
Our introduction with plenty of portraits, plus our reasons for our decisions:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/expeditionvehicle-build.44908/#post-576110
.
A minor correction to his spiel:
Our range without re-fill is only Anchorage-to-Acapulco (in theory).
During the video, Joe says we can run all the way to Peru, but I think his 'slight' exaggeration was for theatrical impact.

 

[Happy Camper]

A minor correction to his spiel:
Our range without re-fill is only Anchorage-to-Acapulco (in theory).
During the video, Joe says we can run all the way to Peru, but I think his 'slight' exaggeration was for theatrical impact.