keto diet while on the road/shelf stable ideas

[Trebor English]

Do you cook hard boiled eggs while on the road?  How do you do it?

Yes, I eat one every day for breakfast plus a third of an egg per day in chicken salad. 

What I do is put a half dozen eggs into 2 cups of boiling water.  I keep the gas turned up until the water boils again.  Then I turn it down to just barely bubbling for 10 minutes.  Then I turn the gas off and let the eggs sit in the hot water 5 more minutes.  At that point I transfer the eggs with a big spoon into 2 cups of cool water and set aside the hot water.  I use the hot water for coffee or to cook my usual dose of 40 grams of cauliflower.  After a half hour I remove the eggs from the cooling water and put them on terry cloth to dry for an hour.  Then the ambient temperature eggs go to the fridge. 

Putting the eggs into boiling water rather than heating the water with the eggs in the water makes them easier to peel. 


I haven't used my alcohol stove to make a half dozen boiled eggs.  The 2 burner Ozark Trail propane stove puts out more heat.  Bringing the water back to a boil after adding the eggs is quick.  I would expect a slower stove might require adjustment of the 10 minute plus 5 minute cook time.  I keep the hot water covered to use less fuel and reduce evaporation.

I cook 6 eggs at a time because that's how many fit in my pot.  Five will fit lying down but with six they have to stand up.  I use 2 cups of water because I measured how much water it takes to cover 6 standing eggs.  I used to put the eggs in the pot, cover with water, then put the eggs in a bowl.  Measuring the water saves some time.  

If there is any chance you might confuse a raw egg for a boiled egg you can use a marker and put a dot on one end of each egg after they cool and dry before going into the cooler where they might get mistaken for a raw egg.

 

[B and C]

A boiled egg will spin on its' end like a top, a raw egg won't.

 

[RoamerRV428]

To save space in my small rv fridge I can crack 2-3 dozen eggs easily into a vertical container. So little space used, so many eggs available. Ditch the cartons etc. and just save a lot of room. I go thru eggs fast. I make omelets almost every day or scrambled so I need a lot of eggs with me but can't take up a ton of space in the little fridge. Space saver for me.

 

[Chris Anne the Mum]

Pepperoni Slices 
Cheese slices
pork rinds. 

Excellent, StarEcho!  I forgot about pepperoni AND pork rinds.  Which brand is best on the rinds?  We by Macs at Walmart.  I've heard it is highly recommended.  Not a fan myself, but if I really crave something crunchy it works!

 

[Chris Anne the Mum]

What I do is put a half dozen eggs into 2 cups of boiling water.  Putting the eggs into boiling water rather than heating the water with the eggs in the water makes them easier to peel. 


The 2 burner Ozark Trail propane stove puts out more heat.  

Maybe my problem on the peeling has been that I put the eggs in tap temp water and bring to a boil following much the same procedure as you after that.
I like how you reuse the water, but for coffee?  Let me ponder that...
Is that stove from Walmart?  Do you really like it?  Thanks.

 

[Queen]

I don’t like pork rinds at all, so when I want something crunchy I get parmesan crisps. They sell them at Aldi and I need to start looking other places.

 

[Trebor English]

I like how you reuse the water, but for coffee?  Let me ponder that...
Is that stove from Walmart?  Do you really like it?  Thanks.

When I first started with my mini van I had a 35 gallon drum for water.  Now I have 2 crates of 2 liter bottles plus a few gallons.  Water is scarce.  If an egg cracks when I put them in the boiling water there is usually no leaking.  If the egg white leaks it stays connected to the egg and cooks.  Spooning out the eggs leaves 2 cups of hot water.  I have used the boiling water to pour on ants or weeds (truly a waste).  Just leaving it (covered) on the stove to cool is good in January, not so much in June.  The egg cooling water is similarly not wasted.  Never pour it back into a container used for fresh water. 

If you treat eggs with sodium silicate, water glass, they last much longer without refrigeration.  A squirt of Pam cooking oil then rubbing it all around has a similar effect.  If I have Pam water I don't use it for coffee but I do use it for other cooking.  I haven't actually used sodium silicate but I think I would use that water for washing but not cooking or drinking.  Raw eggs will keep without refrigeration.  Boiled eggs are not shelf stable and won't keep without refrigeration.

Yes, I got the stove at Walmart.  It was significantly cheaper than the similar Coleman stove.  I like it.  The heat is like a regular residential stove.  The knob to adjust the flame works. The metal folding back and sides do block much of the wind.  I got it in 2015 and use it daily.   It lights instantly using a "fireplace" style long butane lighter.  It has been out of butane for years but the spark still works.  I still have the much smaller non-adjustable alcohol stove for a backup but I have never needed it.  

Some people use a hose to connect the stove to a 20 pound back yard BBQ grill tank.  I use one pound green tanks that I fill from a 20 pound tank.  I never refill the one pounders.  If the one pound tank is full I don't refill it.  I only fill empty tanks.  I use a scale to be absolutely certain that I never overfill a tank.

 

[Jimmyflorida]

Tuna fish is always a good one I make my own mayonnaise (1 egg avocado oil salt splash of apple cider vinegar) but tuna always a good shelf staple

 

[Dingfelder]

Maybe my problem on the peeling has been that I put the eggs in tap temp water and bring to a boil following much the same procedure as you after that.
I like how you reuse the water, but for coffee?  Let me ponder that...
Is that stove from Walmart?  Do you really like it?  Thanks.

I leave the eggs I'm going to boil out for a couple hours so they can come to room temperature.  Then, starting from an inch or two extra of cold water over the top of the eggs in a big pot, bring them to a boil.  Then I take them off the burner and let them sit in the hot water for a couple of minutes, after that letting them cool to room temperature on the counter.

I saw a chef boiling eggs on a video recently.  He put a hearty shake of baking soda into the water before boiling, noting that by changing the pH of the water, it somehow makes the eggs more easy to peel.  I tried it, and it worked for me, even using my usual technique.

 

[Rainier70]

Try steaming your eggs. Use a steamer basket in a saucepan. Bring the water up to a boil before you add the eggs. Cover and steam them for 13 minutes. When done cool them with cold water.

Steaming makes the easiest peal eggs ever.

 

[Chris Anne the Mum]

I don’t like pork rinds at all, so when I want something crunchy I get parmesan crisps. They sell them at Aldi and I need to start looking other places.

What is the carb count, may I ask please?

 

[Doubleone]

Can anyone recommend a brand of stevia?
I use Truvia which is a Stevia/Erythritol blend (I buy it at Costco).  Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, zero carbs, but some people may get stomach upset.  Straight Stevia can go from sweet to a bitter character with too much.  A little goes a long way.  If you want pure Stevia the best price I found is online from Bulk Supplements (on Amazon).


What is the carb count, may I ask please?
Pork rinds have Zero carbs, and unlike chips, pork rinds have a good amount of protein.  They're crunch, savory, and salty.  It's my go-to when I'm wanting something crunchy like chips.  I alternate between plain or spicy.  I find it a good traveling snack while on the road.  Also pork rinds are excellent crushed and used instead of bread crumbs on chicken recipes.

 

[Doubleone]

With no refrigeration 'shelf stable' items, protein will not be an issue; there are lots of canned proteins.  The main problem is getting enough fat.  For ready made foods, I'd look toward fish packed in olive oil, whole cans of olives, marinated artichoke hearts in olive oil, dry style sausages (although too much spicy pepperoni can cause upset stomach).  I love canned tuna in olive oil with Dijon mustard, Louisiana hot sauce, and salt.  Ghee and MCT oil are totally good at most any temp.  Butter and boiled eggs will keep fairly good if kept cool.  You can add bacon grease, MCT oil, ghee, or butter to just about any canned meat to give it more fat.  Funny thing with bacon grease is that it keeps fairly well if covered and kept cool.  Grandmother used to keep a jar unrefrigerated under the kitchen sink and use it as needed.  Canned veggies are second-best option to fresh or frozen, but certainly viable with added fats.  Canned southern style greens are de-lish and many come with ham, salt, and a small amount of fat.  And of course you've already heard about pork rinds.  You can crush rinds and stir into veggies to pick them up.  

Here's mostly what I tend to eat while out on the road.  I'm fortunate to have a fridge but most of these would only require a small cooler.  Coffee with C8 MCT oil, grass-fed butter (or ghee), and Truvia in the morning. For portable snacks I like Epic meat bars (Bison is my fav) or ready made boiled eggs with salt.  The 2 pack eggs seem to last longer than 6 count.  I suspect they use nitrogen or inert gas in the packaging to keep freshness, but once opened you only have 3 days in fridge.  I like to munch on bacon strips.  I pre-cook bacon in the oven a pound or two at a time, and once cooled I just put the whole stack into a baggie in the fridge.  I'll nibble on 2-4 strips a day and maybe use in other recipes.  Celery with almond butter is yummy for snacks (cashews and peanuts are tasty but sometimes upset my stomach).  

We typically source lunches and perhaps half of our suppers from restaurants.  For lunch I might get a burger as lettuce wrap, or bacon and eggs, omelette, Jersey Mikes cold-cut salad in a tub, or an antipasto salad.  For dinner I might get salmon with double veggies and butter, or a steak.  Mexican food I'll get carnitas or carne asada and only eat small amount of beans (no tortillas or rice).  More than a fork or two of beans makes my stomach go 2-40-6. 

Preparing food in the rig mostly depends on where we are and any limitations on cooking equipment.  For example, I don't bring out our small grill when at Walmarts, but I would at a campground or open land.  If eating supper in with minimal cooking we like to get a rotisserie chicken from Wally World (eat skin and fat, wife saves her skins for me).  We'll steam up some green beans on the stove and smother with butter/bacon grease/onions/balsamic.  When I can use the grill I like to cook up a whole package of brats or an occasional ribeye steak.  The Johnsonville brand brats come in 5 packs so I'll eat one or two and put the rest (cooked) in the fridge for later.  Sometimes I'll pre-cook some salmon or a ribeye on the grill and put in the fridge to it nuke later.   I like to put grass-fed butter over my steak and occasionally on my brats.  Fresh cauliflower will keep for a good while and is great raw or steamed with lots of butter (you can also add some MCT over it).  Left-over rotisserie chicken is fantastic with yellow curry sauce (glass jar from Walmart) served over riced cauliflower with butter.  For variety I also like a low-carb meat-sauce (spaghetti sauce) over my brats.  Just watch out for hidden sugars in any prepared sauces.

 

[Dingfelder]

I'm surprised at two things there: the Walmart sauce (surely full of high-fructose corn syrup or sugar) and the green beans.

I do still eat the latter myself, though. But I am trying to cut way back on beans in general, though I like or love pretty much every kind.

I don't buy bacon enough to have bacon fat, but eat chicken all the time, and then turn the bones and skin into stock, so I always have chicken fat on the top after refrigeration. I'm starting to use that to cook with. Very flavorful, of course.

 

[solona]

Thanks for this thread. I'm trying to do keto, also. So far, my list of foods is:

- canned salmon and sardines (packed in water)
- dried meats
- coconut oil
- olive oil
- lacto-fermented pickles (jars)
- avocados
- dehydrated greens powder
- green leafy things that keep (and I have a plug-in cooler)
- Love Good Fats powder, for backup

 

[Doubleone]

I totally agree, watch out for hidden sugars.  We shop various brands of sauces and are very selective based on total carbs and sugars...  Also should mention to watch out with condiments; just try to find a mayonnaise that doesn't have high-fructose-corn-syrup or some other form of sugar.  They put sugar in salsa, bbq sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, pickles, canned veggies, you name it...

Yes, legumes (beans) are generally on the avoid list, but over time I've kinda learned what I can get away with...  I've used up a lot of pee strips to figure things out.  Listen to your body and eat accordingly.  In general, my go-to veggies are fresh or steamed broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and green beans (no particular order).  Snap peas, carrots, peas, celery, or edamame, also seem to work out ok for me, and provide a substrate for grass-fed butter, olive oil, nut butter, or bacon fat.  However, I can only eat very small amounts of other types of legumes or I get sick.  I tend to avoid pinto beans, re-fried beans, black beans.  I occasionally eat meat chili with red beans smothered over brats with some onions and cheese (yum!).  Peanuts and cashews are tasty and I totally crave the salt but my system just feels way off balance the next day so I tend to avoid those.  Almonds don't seem to bother me but I more prefer as almond butter on celery.  I love macadamias!  I'll also eat tomatoes which are technically a fruit and full of lectins but I like them with cider vinegar and salt.  Vinegar is a form of fatty acid that can be digested for energy.

 

[MrNoodly]

Watch out for coconut oil.

https://www.pritikin.com/your-healt...ng-right/1790-is-coconut-oil-bad-for-you.html

 

[Chris Anne the Mum]

I don’t like pork rinds at all, so when I want something crunchy I get parmesan crisps. They sell them at Aldi and I need to start looking other places.

Queen:  What is the carb count of the Parmesan chips you get at Aldi?  Are they zero carbs like pork rinds?  Please and thanks!

 

[Queen]

I’ve tried answering your question twice and it’s not showing up as posted. One more try.

Zero carbs, just cheese in half dollar sized circles.

 

[Dingfelder]

Watch out for coconut oil.

https://www.pritikin.com/your-healt...ng-right/1790-is-coconut-oil-bad-for-you.html

I'm not really worried about coconut oil anymore.  I've read so many conflicting things about it, including from doctors, that any of their claims should be suspect.

Most of my reading from modern sources has said that dietary cholesterol has no necessary relation to cholesterol deposited in our veins and arteries.  It's your liver making too much cholesterol that may be the problem.

Indeed, a vegetarian I know has sky-high cholesterol.  She literally eats no animal fats.  No coconut oil either.  Nor eggs, milk, butter.  

This is why people on keto diets don't necessarily show elevated levels of cholesterol, and may even show less cholesterol after going on keto.  Even though they are probably eating vastly more fatty meats and sometimes "bad" oils.