Is a foodie really suited to this?

[Bliss149]

Hi everyone, first time poster here. 

I'm dipping a toe in trying to see some version of this would make it possible for me to afford to travel more. 

I just got back from 8 days in Florida and a lot of the highlights of my trip are WHAT I ATE. When i hit a new town, i immediately google what is good and interesting (but relatively cheap) to eat here. I even enjoy visiting local grocery and produce stores.

But i also had things like korean pork jerky, cheese, apples, almonds, carrots and humus, crackers, kind bars, etc that i ate to keep costs down. I picked up smoked mullet dip and cooked shrimp abd thats way cheaper than odering in a restaurant. Having my instant coffee and fresh half and half saved money also. I had a small cooler with an ice block and every florida hotel room has a fridge and lots have microwaves too. But even cheap hotels really add up. I'd like to reduce my cost on hotels by at least half to start and get my food cost down.

Im looking right now at setting up my Hyundai Santa Fe, although my business owns a minivan and a cargo van that i MIGHT use. Either way though i dont want to invest a ton of money in batteries, fridges, stoves, etc until i see if im really going to like this.

Canned stuff would be so easy but im just not a beenie-weenie and spagettios kind of gal. I wish i was but i know i just wouldnt eat it. I despise canned soups. I lean more toward low carb.

To complicate matters, i would probably be doing more city stealth camping initially.

I'd appreciate suggestions on a cheap "starter setup" and ways to eat good fresh food, especially seafood, while stealth camping. 

Thanks in advance!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Bliss to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

this is a hard one. so what is your plan on where you are going to cook. cooking inside a Santa Fe or a Mini Van really isn't going to happen. you could heat something up but full blown cooking, I don't see it. that leaves an outdoor kitchen, but again not in a city. if you ask me you need a full size van minimum.

to me this seems contradictory,

"Having my instant coffee"

then

"Canned stuff would be so easy but im just not a beenie-weenie and spagettios kind of gal. I wish i was but i know i just wouldnt eat it. I despise canned soups."

LOL sorry but instant coffee, yuk

highdesertranger

 

[tamewolf]

I cook many healthy and complicated recipes in a small, inconvenient space.  Stirfrys are quick and and can be made with variety.  Leftovers are good cold.  In a stealth situation, you won’t cook inside the van as the odor of food is quite the giveaway.  Get a one burner propane or alcohol stove to use at the city park.  Their charcoal grills are also really nice and you can also use them for baking.  A small Dutch oven or cast iron skillet will let you roast, stew, bake a cake...  use the charcoal that does not have propellant and keep that in a tight metal container for safety.
     Have fun putting together a kitchen box of small utensils.  I have lots of small bowls for chopped food and sauces to be all ready to be added.
      If you enjoy cooking, and good food, this is a great way to care for yourself physically and emotionally.  May as well live your best life whatever your circumstances.

 

[eDJ_]

I think we have similar interest.   I don't know what line of work you are in but I could see you much like Guy Fieri starting
keeping a blog site for Van Nomads.  Promoting small restaurants (or new start ups) and food truck courts etc  you could provide a valuable service and list your site here.

When my Dad used to travel in the Van he later gave me,  he told me he would hit the small independent truck stops
and learn from the truckers where some of their favorites were.  I've since scouted out Hospital Cafeterias as some have
really great food & prices. (and a lot of the towns business people go there to eat)

 

[WanderingRose]

As long as you have some way to cook, I believe it is very doable to eat well on the road.

As for instant coffee, not my thing, but for the little Trader Joe’s packets that include cream and sugar, are very inexpensive, and absolutely delicious.

 

[maki2]

The Febreeze air freshener spray is very good at immediately getting rid of cooking odors.

As far as being a foodie, it is very easy to adapt to focusing on enjoying a simple meal by savoring the flavors of a good apple and a small piece of good quality cheese as well as a gourmet quality cracker. Meals do not have to be complex to be appreciated by a gourmand or as you call it a "foodie". Learn to focus on the superb flavors that can be part of very simple and easy to prepare and find meals.

Stop at the local bakeries or places that make cheese, sausages and such and have free factory tours. A superb loaf of bread and some nut butter will make many lunches. If you are near a Trader Joe's they have a lot of ready to eat single meal options in the deli cases as well as some foil packets of ready to heat foods that can go into your pantry. Treats such as Indian curries and other ethnic variations that just need to be warmed up and served with Nan which they also sell.

 

[rvwandering]

Chose stealth parking spots that are within walking distance of a well stocked grocery store. Buy just enough seafood and salad bar vegetables for your meal and stir fry it back at your van or on a picnic table at a nearby park.

 

[vanbrat]

We are still learning to 'cook' in our van kitchen. It is in the back and opens like a teardrop kitchen. I don't really want to cook inside the van. I will continue to learn, but for us, we have a small microwave and an induction burner. And next trip out probably a small instant pot. I can do just about anything with these. At least I hope so...… Last trip out we had canned soup "fixed up", we had grilled salmon, pasta, with fresh made sauce, we had hot 'gourmet' oatmeal. We cooked with power from the campground and some with power from the generator. We knew there would NOT be any fire that time of year in that part of Calif. so we planned accordingly. There where a few bumps like I left the ice box under the table and racoons got in to and ate all my eggs. And the first campground the power was not working. And someone walked across the parking lot and frowned when we turned on our generator. It was early evening and we parked way to the far side of the rest area so as not to disturb any one, only had it on for 10 mins. At the same place we had 3-4 folks come over and smile at the grilled salmon being cooked in a rest area. Seems no matter where ya are folks come around when there is cooking going on.

A few years back we went camping and cooked a really great dinner. All cooked on a stick over a good hot fire. Bacon wrapped shrimp. toasted biscuits, potatoes these where foil wrapped, green salad, and for dessert, fire roasted apples with cinnamon and spices sugar. Paper plates and cups for tea and coffee. Clean up was really easy.

From the sound of your 'foodie stuff' ideas you will quickly be telling us how to stuff. And you will find a way.

 

[sushidog]

If you like sashimi you don't even have to cook your food. Just buy or catch a nice red snapper, slice and eat. Frozen salmon and tuna are easy to find and taste great as sashimi too. Just don't eat freshwater fish raw. Some saltwater fish have parasites which should be avoided too.

If you are not sure if the fish is safe to eat raw, mix a small amount of fresh fish with a couple fresh squeezed lemons or limes, salt it, let it marinate for a couple hours and you have ceviche - no heat required to "cook" the fish, rendering it safe to eat (and tasty too.) Cut up some avocado and cucumber, (maybe some daikon radish or japanese pickles.) Mix some wasabi powder with water, and add a little soy sauce (both of which keep without refrigeration) and you've got a complete meal. If you can cook some rice and have a mixing bowl you can even make your own sushi or poke.

I do it all the time.

Chip

 

[becida]

I'd appreciate suggestions on a cheap "starter setup" 

Cheap starter set up- Second hand stores are great places when you want to save.

Air mattress-
$15 new at Amazon or walmart
https://www.amazon.com/Intex-Presti...id=1576957481&sprefix=twin+air,aps,307&sr=8-9

Sleeping bag-blankets A good sleeping bag AND some blankets from the goodwill type second hand store
~$50
https://www.amazon.com/Bessport-Sleeping-Degree-Season-Backpacking/dp/B07V5HSB91/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FMY4ZN3KWQ7&dchild=1&keywords=0+degree+sleeping+bags+for+adults&qid=1576957653&sprefix=0+degree+sleeping+bag%2Caps%2C242&sr=8-4


camp chair-
From $10 to more than I could believe. These are available all over the place. Great for sitting in your van or sitting around a campfire.

TV tray-
Here for a picture of what I'm talking about https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-2-Pack-Folding-TV-Tray-Table-Set-in-Walnut/926581718
Find one at a second hand shop or garage sale, should be cheap.  I'm one of those people who needs a table, maybe two so I can use one for my stove.

stove-
For boiling water for my morning coffee if nothing else.
There is the single propane stove Bob had on his web site, the other stand up one propane that many like or even the butane can cookers. I bought one in Quartzsite for $15 & it worked great for me!
Examples-

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Powe...76958245&sprefix=single+burner,aps,364&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Port...76958245&sprefix=single+burner,aps,364&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Bott...76958245&sprefix=single+burner,aps,364&sr=8-5



Pots, pans and such.-
Again the 2nd hand stores to do this cheap, I use my whistling tea kettle every morning.
You know what you like, KEEP IT SIMPLE when you start!

Headlamp-
The price of these swings widely, a $10 LED headlamp works great for me. Shop around.
I also bought a 5 pack of LED flashlights from Walmart for like $5, I hung them all over the van for when I needed one.

This will get you going, figure a way to use the 2nd hand blankets as window coverings for privacy



An ice chest is optional, if you keep in mind you won't have refrigeration it is doable.

A comfortable sleep, a light after dark, a table, chair & simple stove were enough for me to get started.

 

[vanbrat]

I love thrift stores for EVERYTHING.

 

[highdesertranger]

yep, I have picked up some real bargains at thrift stores.

helpful tip,
make sure any clothes, bedding, towels, or anything cloth is washed, disinfected, and treated for parasites by the store. if not don't even shop there.

highdesertranger

 

[Bliss149]

Guys (and gals), i LOVE your ideas and suggestions. Exactly what i was looking for!

And sure, i prefer brewed coffee but if i have half and half to go in it, i will do a cup of instant instead of paying $5 at Starbux. Ive also learned the $1 senior coffee at Mickey D's isnt too bad!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[becida]

A drip cone, a coffee filter & boiling water make me a great cup every morning. I bought my whistling kettle from a goodwill store, donated the old one to the same store right after I bought it.

 

[maki2]

Guys (and gals), i LOVE your ideas and suggestions. Exactly what i was looking for!

And sure, i prefer brewed coffee but if i have half and half to go in it, i will do a cup of instant instead of paying $5 at Starbux. Ive also learned the $1 senior coffee at Mickey D's isnt too bad!

Thanks again everyone!

You can purchase the Mini Moo or Carnation single serve, real dairy half and half, creamers that some restaurants use when serving coffee. They are available in a 24 count box or even 100 count in some grocery stores and also in stores that supply coffee shops and cafes as well as on the internet. They do not need refrigeration but you do need to watch the pull date on the box when you buy them, they might say 6 months which is what they are when produced but that does not mean that much time will be left when you buy a box of them..

 

[jacqueg]

You're going to have to make some compromises. I do carry canned and dehydrated food. But no spaghetti-os, yuck. Canned tomatoes, canned beans, canned broth, canned corn, canned meat if you like it, dehydrated noodles, can all be used to make soup/stew, fresh greens if you have them, your favorite herbs/spices, and presto. Just requires heating and tasting. Work on developing your own recipes, lots of info out there.

If you're stealth parking, don't cook where you intend to sleep. Park your vehicle somewhere - a city park? the parking lot where you work? - cook, eat, clean up. Then drive to your sleeping spot. Reverse in the morning. If you're urban camping, no need for a refrigerator, use a small cooler and buy fresh food every day or so. This is much easier if you don't use dairy milk and don't try to keep raw meat. There's a reason why people invented cheese and cured meats.

For inspiration on full-time minivan living, look up Foresty Forest on you tube. He does it in the winter in Canada, including cooking. Very inventive guy.

 

[Dingfelder]

yep,  I have picked up some real  bargains at thrift stores.

helpful tip,
make sure any clothes,  bedding,  towels,  or anything cloth is washed,  disinfected,  and treated for parasites by the store.  if not don't even shop there.

highdesertranger

Is it even possible to have a reasonable level of confidence in this?

I would wash and/or dryclean before even beginning to believe in the safety of the matter.

I wish I could say differently, but I do not tend to believe in the veracity(or even simply the knowledge) of anyone incentivized to get you out the door minus some cash without, necessarily, any further qualifications or countervailing incentives, such as to be honest or knowledgeable or kind.  In which case, as it tends to happen ... good luck.

Salespeople are just salespeople.  And often have far fewer latitude than they are granted or credited with.

I know I've been there.

 

[Dingfelder]

Re fresh-ground coffee: way overblown. I have served instant coffee to multi-millionaires time and again and they couldn't tell the difference. Some instant coffee is bad, but so is a great deal of fresh-brewed. A lot is about temperature. And America, at least, is a snob society full of baloney. Fall into the trap if you dig it, but for goodness sake don't let it change your habits in any significant way. At least without taste-testing the results for yourself. People can get very elaborate about coffee with negligible results.

 

[maki2]

I can certainly tell the difference between instant coffee and coffee made with ground beans. Unless of course it is some lesser quality brand of ground coffee such as Farmers, or Folgers. I am of course totally spoiled by some of the very fine quality roasting companies in the Pacific NW. Cafe de arte is by far the very best roast I have ever sampled. Head and shoulders above Star Bucks.
https://www.caffedarte.com/

 

[eDJ_]

Some time back I got into buying raw beans and roasting and grinding them.  A guy I met in Columbus, Ohio had an eCommerce business called "Sweet Marias"

I cupped some very good coffee but the cost of the stuff put me back to the off the shelf stuff.  

My most recent experiment was getting 4 Kentucky Coffee Bean Trees and planting them near the river bank close to my home.  The beans can be roasted and ground to make a coffee substitute.  The Southern States did this to have coffee during the Civil War.  (when the North embargoed their ports)  But again the off the shelf is more convenient. 

The same goes for soft drinks.  It doesn't have to be Coke or Pepsi.  A lot of it is whatever you get into the habit of drinking. 

Sweet Marias Coffee