What's the cleanest, cheapest, most minimal eating I can do?

[RVTravel]

I live in an apt but found a way to eat without refrigeration. I do heat water at times mostly for boiled eggs but also for rice or couscous. My staples are mixed nuts, oatmeal/bran cereal, boiled eggs, tortillas, edamame, meat packets (tuna, chicken, salmon), canned mixed vegetables. And, occasional chocolate treats, tortilla chips and fast food. It is minimalist, cheapish and clean enough for me.

 

[hugemoth]

I will add this: I would like to NOT have to grocery shop every weekend just to stay healthy. The only place to buy food where I am now is WalMart and I fuckin hate going in there. The last thing I want to do every Saturday is spend four hours inside a WalMart.

I can handle cooking every weekend but grocery shopping every weekend? Nah.

I avoid spending time in a grocery store by ordering online with the Walmart or Safeway app then picking up the order in the parking lot. The employee will load your order in your rig so you don't have to get out of your rig. There is no added fee for this service.

 

[Mardo]

You might be interested in this, search on: "Erik the Black 1000 calorie one pot" for methods and recipes. Unless you are backpacking and actually need the calories, you should omit the "desert".

Here is another method, with recipes: "A Week of Lightweight, Nutritious Backpacking Food" at The Yummy Life.

In any case you should know how many calories you need (sitting in a van is not backpacking), and you should probably take a multi vitamin anyway, vanliving or not (but many on the market have ridiculous recipes, so find one for your needs).
Happy trails.

 

[thebarefootbadger]

This is a constant problem, eating healthy. Some good info here,

BUT

they all depend on having a refrigerator.

Buying salad ingredients, for example, one has to buy a huge packet which lasts a day, maybe two, before it has to be thrown out. This becomes extremely expensive, never mind the continual shopping.

Can someone please point to the answer? I have been struggling with this for years.

My lazy go-to salad dressing is olive or sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and a splash of soy sauce, none of which need refrigeration. I will also make up an oil and vinegar base with dried herbs in it like italian seasoning or tarragon, or add some garlic powder.

 

[thebarefootbadger]

If you like it, either green or red cabbage cut thin (but buy a whole head of cabbage, not precut) makes a decent crunchy salad base that lasts a lot longer than lettuce. It still works best to keep it cool but it doesn't need the kind of refrigeration that lettuce does, you don't have to clean it first, it's easy to chop, and if you wrap one of the large outer leaves over the cut surface, it won't get brown. Good nutrition, low calorie, moderately farty so maybe keep the windows open.

 

[MGfromBC]

I just learned some and confirmed a lot more. I'm still a part-timer and I eat very much on the road and at home. I gave up on a cooler long ago. It didn't seem to be worth the space it takes up. While I make plans for a more mobile life I find myself more inclined to consider a freezer than a fridge.

Just a few thoughts to add to all the preceding wonderful advice. One of my staples on the road and at home is staple foods. Things like potatoes, carrots, dates, nuts, apples and lots of other things will last a long time without refrigeration. Many years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This made reading the package labels very important. Over time I simplified the process. Most od the time a product has to have five or fewer products with short words before I'll even bother reading it. I need measuring containers. Yes, it is possible to sit and eat a very large bag of trail mix while sitting by a lake, reading and listening to the Grateful Dead. I have a tiny crock pot that draws 35 watts. It's not much bigger than a soup bowl. I insulated it with pieces of a yoga mat to make it more efficient. It gets even better if I remember to put food in it before I start driving, so I can cook with power from the alternator instead of the battery and/or panel.

 

[AZEnergizer]

Cheap nutritious foods I eat often:
Oatmeal almost every breakfast (optional raisins, fruit, cocoa, brown sugar, a few walnuts, ground flax seed, soaked chia seeds, cooked maca powder, ceylon cinammon, etc.)
Pancakes (whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, water, no eggs required. Fried with butter very small amount of butter. Optional almond flour, buckwheat flour, etc, oatmeal, raisins, Raw honey instead of syrup, ...)
Soup. (Dried bean soup mix + barley flavored with spices or canned soup once in a while)
Whole grain bread with butter, peanut butter, raw honey, etc.
Quinoa with spaghetti sauce, cheese sauce, soup, etc.)
Coleslaw with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, with optional onions, spices, raisins, etc.
I've tried frozen and raw vegetables for many years which is ideal, they don't keep well so I buy canned vegetables now
Popcorn popped on low heat with olive oil. Butter and nutritional yeast topping.
Raw potatoes are cheap. Good with butter, onions, spices, mushroom soup, canned tuna, vegetables, sour cream, cheese, etc.
Sandwiches.
I avoid anything that has vegetable oils in it but I'm not extreme about this. Causes chronic disease. Research Omega 6 health hazards of vegetable oil.
I also avoid foods with salt, sugar, and especially high fructose corn syrup. I no longer have a salt shaker but foods I buy might have a small amount of "bad" stuff.
For the last month I've been doing "intermittent fasting" because research shows it great improves health and longevity no matter what you eat (within reason). This has also saved a lot of money on food and I feel better. Now that I'm used to the routine, I'm rarely hungry.
Hope this helps. I'm wishing all of you good health.

 

[closed account]

frozen vegetables, canned both have most nutrients redacted

REDACTED Veggies! Oh No!

I can't speak for the cooked canned variety, which requires a LOT of label reading at the least, but the majority of >uncooked< frozen veggies found in supermarkets are flash frozen and every bit as healthy as what you'd buy at a farmers market. In fact, I just made an awesome soup earlier today using freshly diced and boiled potatoes along with frozen veggies and various spices and seasonings... 4 or 5 very healthy servings for around $3.00 bucks!, which should definitely meet the requirements of the OP.

 

[Anon]

I just learned some and confirmed a lot more. I'm still a part-timer and I eat very much on the road and at home. I gave up on a cooler long ago. It didn't seem to be worth the space it takes up. While I make plans for a more mobile life I find myself more inclined to consider a freezer than a fridge.

Just a few thoughts to add to all the preceding wonderful advice. One of my staples on the road and at home is staple foods. Things like potatoes, carrots, dates, nuts, apples and lots of other things will last a long time without refrigeration. Many years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This made reading the package labels very important. Over time I simplified the process. Most od the time a product has to have five or fewer products with short words before I'll even bother reading it. I need measuring containers. Yes, it is possible to sit and eat a very large bag of trail mix while sitting by a lake, reading and listening to the Grateful Dead. I have a tiny crock pot that draws 35 watts. It's not much bigger than a soup bowl. I insulated it with pieces of a yoga mat to make it more efficient. It gets even better if I remember to put food in it before I start driving, so I can cook with power from the alternator instead of the battery and/or panel.

Hey I have that same table at home!

REDACTED Veggies! Oh No!

I can't speak for the cooked canned variety, which requires a LOT of label reading at the least, but the majority of >uncooked< frozen veggies found in supermarkets are flash frozen and every bit as healthy as what you'd buy at a farmers market. In fact, I just made an awesome soup earlier today using freshly diced and boiled potatoes along with frozen veggies and various spices and seasonings... 4 or 5 very healthy servings for around $3.00 bucks!, which should definitely meet the requirements of the OP.

I'll consider the canned option but I can't be eating SCP veggies.

@Mardo 1,000 calories in a pot sounds like an OCD dream to me, I'll check it out.

 

[closed account]

I'll consider the canned option but I can't be eating SCP veggies.

Hummm... that's a new one for me and I'm truly clueless. Please fill me in on SCP veggies.

 

[Anon]

Hummm... that's a new one for me and I'm truly clueless. Please fill me in on SCP veggies.

Oh it's just a reference to this database of online cryptoids and horror stories. It's kind of a MIB/X-Files roleplay. I say SCP veggies because a lot of the things in the SCP, "reports" have the info removed and replaced with "[REDACTED]" because of either sensitive information or to hide details that might, "hurt your brain."

So when a bunch of veggies have [REDACTED] ingredients, I have to wonder what the hell is in them.

 

[metaglypto]

Someone else mentioned how some things like potatoes and carrots will last quite a while without refrigeration. I would like to suggest a couple of options as well, though not fresh foods. I am talking about commercially dried foods. Both air dried and freeze dried, and what I have discovered about them. Their are several companies that offer products made with these methods. I will skip over the prepared meals that you add hot water to for preparation, and just talk about individual food items. Augason Farms produces a number of different foods in #10 cans (the big ones) that I find are great. I especially like their "Potato Shreds" and recently bought a 5 gallon bucket of them for home use, then I just put some in another container for trips and camping. They make great hash browns, potato pancakes, or just as a starch for any meal. They have a number of other products as well, not all as good as the potato shreds, but that retain most of their nutrition. I have found that a lot of dehydrated (air dried) foods take much longer to rehydrate than freeze dried foods. Freeze dried foods generally have a better flavor and texture, but also are more expensive. Stay away from Augason Farms "Potato Slices" though, they are hard to rehydrate, and I don't like the quality. You can also buy freeze dried meats like beef, chicken, sausage, etc., from a company called Nutristore, and they sell products in a #10 can as well, that need no refrigeration. While the #10 cans may not be the best thing for small spaces, they can be repackaged into smaller containers. With any dried food, the food quality will suffer some, but many of these products, it is minimal. Some things, like powdered peanut butter, and powdered butter I stay away from, but I did buy a can of powdered cheese, that is okay, but nothing too special, though it is fairly good as a cheese sauce for dips and such, but nothing that great.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Lentils are great. They really got a bad rep from The Young Ones.
Cook much faster than dry beans. like 15 minutes. You can make a simple lentil soup with carrots and a few other veggies.
Little bit of salt and some herbs, yum.
If you are into East Indian food lentil dal is also fast and easy to make. However in some parts of the country it can be hard to locate garam masala and other spices. I just use some cumin, cayenne, and pinch of curry powder.
Short cook times are essential when you are cooking off your battery or from 1lb propane cans.

Lots of veggies that we refrigerate dont need it. Onions are obvious, but did you know tomatoes keep flavor better if you dont refrigerate them?
Romaine will keep longer if you put it base down in a saucer of water. It'll even grow a bit!

 

[RVTravel]

Backpackers will even cold soak some lentils (split red lentils) without cooking and add to meal.

 

[user 16179]

I would carefully inspect the nutrition labels of any Augason Farms products. Especially if you are on any sodium limiting diets. The Augason Farms products I have looked at have ridiculously enormous levels of sodium in them. They would be dangerous to anyone with any hypertension issues.

 

[Anon]

Cooking is very dependent on your location and your vehicle. Are you in areas where it is appropriate and climatically suitable to cook outdoors or does it have to be done from inside the vehicle most of the time? What are the characteristics of the vehicle with regard to space, appliances, and power? In a car with no fridge, no running water, and no countertop, cooking with only a camp stove is going to be a hassle. The setup is only conducive to making basic meals. At the other end of the spectrum, there are vehicles with complete kitchens including an oven. Meals are only limited by your culinary skills

I like traveling, but I want the conveniences of home, I do not like camping. My haunts are small towns, cities, and suburban areas. All of my cooking on the road is done from inside my van. Though I like to eat outside and take in scenic views...

My build is very basic, but I can stand up and move around, have a couple of feet of countertop space, a sink with running water readily available for meal prep (and washing dishes). My most used appliances are my convection microwave and Instant Pot. Everything is powered by a mid sized power station.

On road trips, I like to pull over around 4 pm and do meal prep. I throw everything into the Instant Pot and turn it on. Then I hit the road again and drive (generating power) for another hour or so while it cooks. When I stop for the evening, the meal is ready to eat.

Iiii am so sorry, this thread blew up and I couldn't keep up with all the responses while working. I still can't read it all!

I have an FJ Cruiser. I'm thinking maybe I have enough room for a small table to put a hot plate and a pressure cooker on, but I'm not too certain how well that will work in the vehicle. I'd rather not get more advance than frying eggs in a skillet and cooking rice and lentils in a pressure cooker.

@MGfromBC what power source do you use for the pressure cooker again? Or was it you who mentioned it? Do you use the car battery or a portable generator?

 

[Ravella and X]

I don’t think anybody uses their car battery for cooking— except for those 12v crockpots and such that folks use while rolling down the highway. I think you’ll find that the folks who use electric appliances while camped have a house battery (not the same as your car’s battery) and solar panels and an inverter.

 

[vanbrat]

My experience:
I buy head lettuce; will keep almost 3 weeks refrigerated.
- I only cut off what I need.
Cut leaf lettuce; lasts 2 weeks refrigerated.
Chopped lettuce; lasts about 3-4 days refrigerated.
Spinach; keeps about 10 days refrigerated, repackaged.
Cabbage; a head keeps long, never thrown one out.

Root vegetables; last long if not peeled.
Peeled carrots (baby carrots, matchsticks); last about 3 weeks.
Cucumbers, zucchini; only last about 4-5 days before getting soft and mushy.
Tomatoes; will last 2 weeks, last 2-3 days after being cut, refrigerated.
Cauliflower, broccoli; last 3 weeks.
Mushrooms; stored in paper bag, last 4 days tops.

Bananas; don't travel well, don't last for more than 5 days without getting brown and mushy.
Apples, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, lemons, limes, grapes, dates, . . . travel well and last. Don't last once cut.

Bannas need a hammock or ? so they don't get bounced around. Make sure what ever they hang in doesn't reach a wall or counter or ?????

 

[Frood]

Oh it's just a reference to this database of online cryptoids and horror stories. It's kind of a MIB/X-Files roleplay. I say SCP veggies because a lot of the things in the SCP, "reports" have the info removed and replaced with "[REDACTED]" because of either sensitive information or to hide details that might, "hurt your brain."

So when a bunch of veggies have [REDACTED] ingredients, I have to wonder what the hell is in them.

Link please. Sounds like a fun site!

 

[Anon]

Link please. Sounds like a fun site!

The SCP Foundation