Tengu said:
Sandwedges make me depressed....
In this new job Im out all day and eat out of my car. (I know most people eat off plates but Im different)
I am used to hot food
I want some good ideas for healthy feeding.
I have a car kettle (a godsend) s I can make hot drinks, but pot noodles are almost as depressing as things with bread...
any suggestions of things I can make with boiling water?
also suggestions for entertainment....I have a laptop (am getting a car charger for it; at the moment the internal battery lasts about an hour) so I can write or watch DVDs. I also have books.
Ill think up some hobbies, take my portable model box perhaps...at the moment I am making a leather holder for my ID card...
But I may pack some boots and my gaiters (to keep me clean) so I can have a walk. Saturday I was 5 hours at Seven Springs in the cotswolds. so I need a way to keep occupied.
Like you I used to work away from home, which entailed spending long periods of time living in my car. I found that preparation was the key. I have in the past relied on the dreaded sandwich until I discovered wide-necked flasks and the ever useful trangia.
I used to keep a cardboard box of camping gear in the back of my van, with cups plates knives and spoons, a stove and an inch thick ply-wood board which I used as a table. If the weather is dry it only takes but moments to set up a stove and a couple of pints of water on the boil. Whilst you are waiting, you get to eat the contents of the wide-necked flask. I was partial to stew, or sausage and mash. I worked with a chap who had meat and two vegetables from a flask, most weekends.
Ive cooked in some of the oddest places, lay-bys, under bridges, park benches next to the car. Half an hours work and you have a hot meal a hot drink, a relaxing read. And the rest of your time you can spend napping or reading paperwork
Good foods for the car, depending on the time of year.
Winter time, keeping pork pies pasties cooked meats cheese salad making things like vinegar olive oils mustard etc is not a problem, Ive stored food in my car boot for several days.
Summer is harder, but most village shops will still sell you two slices or ham or a couple of ounces of cheese. If you take a pre-boiled potato, and get the rest of your stuff when you stop at some local shop, buy some fresh eggs, and you are all fixed up. Use your frying pan (or trangia lid) to heat up the cold potato (use some oil to stop it sticking) , add two beaten eggs, cook until firm but still fluffy . Turn over and put back into the pan, add the ham/meat what ever, then the cheese, put on the lid and cook until the cheese has melted. If you do it right, you have a light fluffy frittata. Either eat it with a fork or cut slices and put in some French crusty bread. Boiled eggs and bacon is just as easy. Thin sliced whole chicken breast takes longer but is nice with just some black pepper. Again either in bread or on its own. Any thing that you can cook before hand makes your lunch time that bit more relaxing.
Try stopping 40 minutes before lunch and heating up a Cornish pasty wrapped in two layers of thick foil you can use the exhaust manifold of most older cars. (It doesnt matter if the food is not scalding hot, as the food is pre-cooked.)
My recommendation is what ever you take, take condiments as well. English mustard salt vinager black pepper, olive oil. It adds a hell of a lot of flavour to everyday foods, Ive even been know to use it to make service station food more palatable
(ok that is not strictly true, hunger after three days living on boiled sweets and chewing gum, is what made the food palatable, the English mustard just took of the edge)
audio books and magnetic scrabble always good to pass a few hours.
, get super (or cheaper still tesco/asda own) noodles musch cheaper and seem to be more filling!
