Cooking Challenge Part 2: Food Allergies + No Kitchen for 3 Days

July 25, 2006 11:32 PM

Cooking Challenge Part 2: Food Allergy + No Kitchen for 3 Days! Tips needed for keeping food fresh, for making food that doesn't go bad, and for getting all my nutrients! (And Davis, CA suggestions for restaurants! See inside)

After some helpful info from Cooking Challenge Part 1, I have gone a good 22 days with this crazy allergy-elimination diet [rules described in Part 1 and summarized below], but am a bit lost without a kitchen.

I have a plane trip to Davis, CA from 1pm Thursday to 9pm Saturday. I need to keep myself fed during this time. I can probably bring a cooler as one of my checked-in bags, and I'll be staying at a Motel 6, which maybe(?) has an ice dispenser? (anyone know?)

So.

•Staple #1: Dried fruit/honey/almond butter balls.
These are good, and 200 calories a piece, but I imagine eating more than 4 of these a day will cause unfortunate intestinal distress, so I'm gonna need something else. Also, not much protein in these.

•Staple #2: Turkey meatballs: I'll eat 'em cold, if I can keep them from going bad. How long can I keep these safe in a cooler if I don't have ice? Do Motel 6's have ice?

*Staple #3: Assorted fruits and nuts. Avocados. Also wary of eating too much of these for same reason as Staple #1.

Remaining needs:
•How do I make vegetables edible without a kitchen? Which vegetables? Can I cook something in advance that will be somewhat palatable cold and last in the (potentially ice-less) cooler?

•Some restaurants in Davis that would be willing to grill me some orange roughy, halibut, or salmon without anything but lemon and salt and maybe an herb or two? (No pepper or non-olive-oil, for example)

•Any road-trip recipes that will help me through these few days. I've gotten pretty good at substitutions, though a recipe that is based upon a forbidden ingredient doesn't really work (garlic crusted broccoli, when garlic is a no-go, will be hard to substitute)


Elimination diet rule recap
Meats: Turkey, Lamb, Deep ocean fish, wild game. Nothing else
No grains(rice, wheat, anything)
No milk products
No tomato, apple, garlic, onion, legumes (including peanuts), peppers, soy
No fermented products or mushrooms
Other fruits and veggies OK
Tree nuts OK

posted by sdis to food & drink (8 comments total)

ground lamb with fresh mint and cabbage. larb^
posted by hortense at 12:29 AM on July 26, 2006

What do you mean by making "vegetables edible without a kitchen"? Most can be eaten raw, with the horrible exception of bitter greens and the like. If I were you, I'd get an electric kettle or a small steamer and steam the veggies. This might also work for frozen turkey meatballs.
posted by boo_radley at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2006

You might find some workable recipes in the FEMA Healthy Hurricane Disaster Cookbook (PDF link). It's all recipes for folks with no power. I'm sure many will be out because of the limitations you currently have, but give it a browse - you might find a couple recipes that work for you. (I can't believe that I've posted this link on 3 different questions in the past year or so...) This thread may also help.
posted by chr1sb0y at 6:33 AM on July 26, 2006

Davis has a really great food coop where you might be able to get prepared food that meets your specifications. Delta of Venus is a vegan/vegetarian cafe that might meet your needs, or might be willing to otherwise help out. There's also a permanent outdoor barbecue pit in Putah Creek Lodge (in the campus arboretum) where you might be able to grill fish yourself. Or you could go hang out at The Domes (aka Baggins End), the on-campus commune, where they might have a place for you to grill outdoors.
posted by footnote at 7:06 AM on July 26, 2006

Last thing - Soga's Restaurant is probably the highest-end restaurant in town, so you're most likely to find things like lamb on the menu there, and perhaps their staff might be more willing to accomodate special requests than the hippies at Delta of Venus etc.
posted by footnote at 7:12 AM on July 26, 2006

Call your Motel 6 to find out what will be in the room for you. Sometimes, as some motels, you can request a mini-fridge.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:38 AM on July 26, 2006

These are neither particularly healthy nor filling, but did you know that Lightly Salted Kettle Chips contain only "Select Russet Potatoes, Safflower Oil, & Sea Salt"? These were my primary source of "junk food" while I nursed my son on an elimination diet. Sorry, I can't give you a proper link to the specific product because of their GODDAMN FLASH. They also have an unsalted version.
posted by peep at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2006

Alrighty, got me a fridge! Just no cooking appliances, so we're going for stuff that takes ok cold.
posted by sdis at 12:32 PM on July 26, 2006