Kitchen-less tips

Just wondering if anyone has any tips and tricks for being without a kitchen for a while. We are in the process of redoing our kitchen and as we're doing it ourselves, around work it'll probably be a couple of weeks at least until I have a fully functioning kitchen again.

I filled up the freezer with some batch meals before the old kitchen was ripped out but there isn't enough there for 2 of us for 2 weeks and I feel like I'll get bored of salads after a while. I was hoping we could do a lot on the bbq but the weather doesn't look like it'll let me do that too much.

Basically does anyone have any tips of healthy meals I can make with just a microwave, toaster, kettle and George foreman grill? I want to avoid living off ready meals or having to eat out too much.

[lucigret]

Meat on your George Foreman and lots of veg in your microwave, you can get microwave rice or do jacket potatoes in your microwave (unless your not eating carbs of course). You can cook up your meat and mix with cooked veg and add a sauce. How about getting a 'grasshopper' from a camping shop, you could make omelettes on that or one pot meals, such as a savoury mince with loads of veg in it. Do you have a slow cooker? Do you have family or friends nearby that would let you borrow their kitchen to do another batch cook?

The kitchen is the worst room in the house to have disrupted - I hope you are not without it for too long. Well done on being prepared and doing some batch cooking. Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to lucigret]

Thanks, that's helpful. It's silly but I'd kind of forgotten you can do jacket potatoes in the microwave - I tend to only use the microwave to heat up leftovers but you're right there are plenty of options, I just need to get creative.

Unfortunately no slow cooker, that would be really useful right now! but I think we do have a camping stove somewhere in the garage that will be worth digging out.

It's definitely the worst room to be without, but hopefully our DIY skills will come into their own and we'll finish it in no time at all (yeah right!!) Thanks for the luck, I think I'll need it.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I'm afraid I use my microwave for heating and defrosting only, but Mr Google is a wonderful fellow

bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide...

greatist.com/health/surpris...

eatingwell.com/recipes/2216...

fitnessmagazine.com/recipes...

foremangrillrecipes.com/

I'm sure these will give you some ideas and there are plenty more where these came from.

Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

Oh amazing, thanks. I'm the same as you, microwave is for defrosting or heating leftovers. I've never been one for surviving with the microwave so it's thrown me a bit suddenly having only that to hand. those links look really helpful though

[lucigret in reply to Hidden]

well there you go, moreless to the rescue, I don't know why I never think to google!

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

We're such creatures of habit aren't we! I'd be lost without my kitchen! I hope all goes well for you

[Hidden in reply to moreless]

me too, but the new one is going to be so much nicer so it needed to be done. I'll be much happier prepping meals in there once it's done

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Hidden]

That's absolutely true, it'll be wonderful!

[Stevo5585 7lbs]

I use the BBQ all the time in the rain, just put my huge garden brolly over it, but if you haven't got one of those it's an issue.

Any slow cookers in the house? No, they're great for easy stews, chicken, pulled pork etc. You can probably pick one up for the price of a takeaway.

Foreman grill is great for grilled chicken, fish (pick the firmer varieties), steak, peppers.etc. Use the microwave for frozen veg. You could do wraps if you slice your steak real thin (cook it whole), bundle up with grilled pepper and onion and avocado.

Good luck with the new kitchen!

[Hidden in reply to Stevo5585]

No garden brolly or slow cooker but that wrap sounds delicious, definitely be trying that out one night!

[Hidden]

Fish on the Forman, wrap the fish in tinfoil (add any spices. Lemon juice, chilli, etc) make into parcels cook as you would meat xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'm a big fan of salmon so that sounds like it'll work really well. Thanks

[ButterflyPrincess1 2st 7lbs]

Most varieties of rice and pasta can be bought in microwavable pouches now (I tend to buy brown rice and wholewheat pasta, where possible).

Also, tinned foods like baked beans and soup (lower salt and sugar, of course) can be done in the microwave.

[James40Cheshire]

Microwave cooking bags are great for fish. I use them if I need a quick meal. Add some microwave vegetable pouches and some brown rice or similar and away you go. I would completely agree that it would be better with a kitchen, but it is much better than a ready meals.

[Bernieis8]

I cook fish in the microwave all the time

A fillet of salmon covered over done on high takes 3-4 minutes and is moist and leaves kitchen odour free

Rice in a bowl with lots of water 20 minutes on high