having trouble feeding myself!
June 18, 2012 9:15 AM Subscribe
I have a wheat allergy that I am terrible at managing, no real kitchen in my tiny apartment, no cooking skills, no time management skills, a fully-tested inability to wash food containers when I do manage to bring food to work, and sugar issues (hypoglycemia). As a roughly middle-aged human, I would like to try to get this under control and am looking for creative ways to do it/obvious ideas that haven't occurred to me.
I do have a mini fridge (with entirely separate freezer compartment), a single-burner hot plate, a cast iron pan and pot.
It recently occurred to me that I could buy a large bunch of disposable plastic food containers. I'm not excited to be so wasteful, but I think that may be the only way to pack food reliably.
So far the only thing that kept me free of wheat for weeks at a time is ordering a giant delivery from my local reasonably-priced macrobiotic restaurant two or three times a week and supplementing it with eggs and umeboshi plums which I added to everything. I loved the simple seaweed broths, the rice, the fish tempura, the non-wheat grains, the beans, burdock, seaweed, etc. I felt purely amazing. Sadly, I am averse to most of those flavors now after months and months of it and little else.
Since I can't shop for a lot of food at once (tiny fridge) or store big healthy batches of foods (tiny fridge), or even have a decent surface to chop vegetables on, and have zero passion for cooking at all (but I keep trying and trying), I have some challenges!
What are some ideas for simple approaches to feeding myself, ways to bribe myself, ideas for quick dense foods with high-protein content and no sugar (that aren't nuts...I am no fan sadly!), things I can keep in my bag that don't require refrigeration (so I can avoid my daily desperation-wheat-eating), foods that I can cook relatively quickly that don't require lots of space or create lots of dirty dishes. (Again: no sugar or sugary fruits, preferably.)
This allergy is not life-threatening, but I am left feeling terrible nearly all the time, which becomes a cycle for bad eating. Any ideas for breaking through my lazy/non-creative food system of bagels, pizza, sandwiches (and the depressing-like), would be great. I am not picky, and would happily eat human-chow if it was available. Having eaten two slices of pizza and a piece of cake already today (and feeling like total death as a result), I am seriously desperate. Thanks kind hive mind, for any ideas or helpful links or previously-asked questions which I may have missed.
I do have a mini fridge (with entirely separate freezer compartment), a single-burner hot plate, a cast iron pan and pot.
It recently occurred to me that I could buy a large bunch of disposable plastic food containers. I'm not excited to be so wasteful, but I think that may be the only way to pack food reliably.
So far the only thing that kept me free of wheat for weeks at a time is ordering a giant delivery from my local reasonably-priced macrobiotic restaurant two or three times a week and supplementing it with eggs and umeboshi plums which I added to everything. I loved the simple seaweed broths, the rice, the fish tempura, the non-wheat grains, the beans, burdock, seaweed, etc. I felt purely amazing. Sadly, I am averse to most of those flavors now after months and months of it and little else.
Since I can't shop for a lot of food at once (tiny fridge) or store big healthy batches of foods (tiny fridge), or even have a decent surface to chop vegetables on, and have zero passion for cooking at all (but I keep trying and trying), I have some challenges!
What are some ideas for simple approaches to feeding myself, ways to bribe myself, ideas for quick dense foods with high-protein content and no sugar (that aren't nuts...I am no fan sadly!), things I can keep in my bag that don't require refrigeration (so I can avoid my daily desperation-wheat-eating), foods that I can cook relatively quickly that don't require lots of space or create lots of dirty dishes. (Again: no sugar or sugary fruits, preferably.)
This allergy is not life-threatening, but I am left feeling terrible nearly all the time, which becomes a cycle for bad eating. Any ideas for breaking through my lazy/non-creative food system of bagels, pizza, sandwiches (and the depressing-like), would be great. I am not picky, and would happily eat human-chow if it was available. Having eaten two slices of pizza and a piece of cake already today (and feeling like total death as a result), I am seriously desperate. Thanks kind hive mind, for any ideas or helpful links or previously-asked questions which I may have missed.
Do you have a rice cooker? For someone with only a hot p,ate it would add to your cooking options. You can cook up the rice, add seasonings and whatever you want to mix in it, steam veggies up top, all in one go. Toss an egg in when the rice is done and it will cook by mixing through it - all in very short time. Protein bars, if you get them without wheat sound ideal for your needs, but boring.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 9:40 AM on June 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by lesbiassparrow at 9:40 AM on June 18, 2012 [3 favorites]
Identifying that you are not likely to cook or wash reusable containers is a very realistic way to approach this and be successful. With that in mind, I would focus on finding more delivery / carry-out options friendly to your diet, and just keep some fast snacks or small meals on hand both at home and at work.
On the other hand, if you're looking to save money by avoiding restaurants, canned foods that just require reheating (like chili) would be a good option, supplemented with fresh vegetables that require little preparation, like baby carrots or snap peas and dip. I don't know what the markets are like where you are, but here, there are a lot of pre-cut vegetables.
A third option would be to hire a personal chef service to deliver your meals once a week. That can be less expensive than ordering from restaurants.
When bringing food to work, you may be able to store it in a plastic zip bag instead of a container.
Also, I find that a lot of things that 'require refrigeration' don't really - like hummus or cheese and gluten-free crackers could easily survive the day in your bag unless it was really hot.
posted by beyond_pink at 9:47 AM on June 18, 2012
On the other hand, if you're looking to save money by avoiding restaurants, canned foods that just require reheating (like chili) would be a good option, supplemented with fresh vegetables that require little preparation, like baby carrots or snap peas and dip. I don't know what the markets are like where you are, but here, there are a lot of pre-cut vegetables.
A third option would be to hire a personal chef service to deliver your meals once a week. That can be less expensive than ordering from restaurants.
When bringing food to work, you may be able to store it in a plastic zip bag instead of a container.
Also, I find that a lot of things that 'require refrigeration' don't really - like hummus or cheese and gluten-free crackers could easily survive the day in your bag unless it was really hot.
posted by beyond_pink at 9:47 AM on June 18, 2012
Do you have room for a rice cooker? You can buy foil packets of curries and other Indian food and boil it in the package and then serve it over rice.
Packaged string cheese and cured meats are obvious snacks if you like pizza. Hummus with carrots or rice cakes are also good. You may be able to find prepackaged individual servings at fancy grocery stores.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:49 AM on June 18, 2012
Packaged string cheese and cured meats are obvious snacks if you like pizza. Hummus with carrots or rice cakes are also good. You may be able to find prepackaged individual servings at fancy grocery stores.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:49 AM on June 18, 2012
Your profile says you're in Finland, so I have no idea if such a thing exists where you are, but in the US and in Canada and in France there are organizations for people with celiac disease that create very detailed websites about where to find gluten-free food. If there is a Finnish Association for the Gluten Intolerant, maybe they'll have some leads for you (I know you said you're allergic to wheat, which is of course not the same thing as celiac disease, but anything safe for people with that disease will be totally wheat-free--I say this as someone who is also allergic to wheat!)
So I have a lot of "human chow" options that I get in the health-food section of my supermarket (there is this one microwaveable lentil and rice pilaf that I eat several times a week), but I doubt those specific products are available to you. To supplement my human chow, I generally eat things like sliced meat, cheese, and fruit. Is that easy to find in Finland? Dried sausage, some kind of tiny cheese (like a Baby Bonbel) and an apple?
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:52 AM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
So I have a lot of "human chow" options that I get in the health-food section of my supermarket (there is this one microwaveable lentil and rice pilaf that I eat several times a week), but I doubt those specific products are available to you. To supplement my human chow, I generally eat things like sliced meat, cheese, and fruit. Is that easy to find in Finland? Dried sausage, some kind of tiny cheese (like a Baby Bonbel) and an apple?
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:52 AM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Getting a rice cooker might be a good idea. Even without one, you can cook a batch of rice in the pot (takes 20 minutes and one batch should be enough for several meals) and cook various things to serve with it (stir-fries, beans, etc.) in the pan.
I'm a lazy cook, and I eat this way a lot. Fried rice, black beans and tuna with rice and other simple rice and bean recipes are staples of my diet because they're really, really, really easy.
You can find soy sauce that doesn't have wheat in it if look for it. Tamari, a style of Japanese soy sauce, frequently doesn't. (Also very yummy, though more expensive).
posted by nangar at 9:53 AM on June 18, 2012
I'm a lazy cook, and I eat this way a lot. Fried rice, black beans and tuna with rice and other simple rice and bean recipes are staples of my diet because they're really, really, really easy.
You can find soy sauce that doesn't have wheat in it if look for it. Tamari, a style of Japanese soy sauce, frequently doesn't. (Also very yummy, though more expensive).
posted by nangar at 9:53 AM on June 18, 2012
As for the reusable containers, I agree it's not an awesome option, but think of it this way - every time you order out, they give you a reusable container that you then throw away, so buying them yourself and throwing them away is no worse than eating out in this regard.
Or you could get into the habit of washing stuff, even though you don't want to. A single lunch container should take less than 30 seconds a day to wash.
posted by zug at 10:13 AM on June 18, 2012
Or you could get into the habit of washing stuff, even though you don't want to. A single lunch container should take less than 30 seconds a day to wash.
posted by zug at 10:13 AM on June 18, 2012
I have a wheat allergy as well and had to change my lifestyle. I got one of those blenders by Bella Cucina, you basically use the cup you are dirnking out of as the blending container. no muss no fuss. I made fruit smoothies in the morning with bananas and frozen berries. I also have the rice cooker and I throw chicken, frozen veggies, and rice all together and boom! a whole meal in under an hour. I don't have time to chop either which is why I buy the frozen veggies and fruit. It's just as good. Get some gluten free bread too and you can make eggs or omelettes. For lunch I usually eat a salad from a pre packaged bag salad and throw some chicken in it with balsamic vinegar.
posted by glitrqn at 10:19 AM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by glitrqn at 10:19 AM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is my lazy, sugar-free way of making oatmeal:
Put some oats in a bowl.
Boil water.
Pour the water in the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a plate and wait a few minutes.
I add cinnamon and Chinese five spice blend and sometimes yogurt or cut-up fruit.
That's just one small piece, but seems like something you could add to your repertoire. Here's some other possibilities: hummus, cheese (which you can keep unrefrigerated at least for a day or two), tortilla chips (which aren't the healthiest but at least won't trigger your wheat allergy), rice cakes. Have you tried eating breads that aren't made from wheat flour?
posted by overglow at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012
Put some oats in a bowl.
Boil water.
Pour the water in the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a plate and wait a few minutes.
I add cinnamon and Chinese five spice blend and sometimes yogurt or cut-up fruit.
That's just one small piece, but seems like something you could add to your repertoire. Here's some other possibilities: hummus, cheese (which you can keep unrefrigerated at least for a day or two), tortilla chips (which aren't the healthiest but at least won't trigger your wheat allergy), rice cakes. Have you tried eating breads that aren't made from wheat flour?
posted by overglow at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012
I don't know which of these are available in Finland, but maybe some:
beef jerky
hard boiled eggs (don't require refrigeration, at least for a day)
cottage cheese
85% dark chocolate
yogurt
olives
canned smoked clams or oysters
canned sardines (optional rice crackers)
salmon jerky
pickled herring or mackerel (but I think vinegar sometimes has gluten, so check with the manufacturer)
miso soup - some misos have gluten (I don't know about wheat specifically), some don't so check carefully
here in the US you can get tofu that's been prepared with marinades and just needs reheating, I don't know if you have that in Finland
Your diet sounds nutritionally incomplete. Sardines are very nutrient dense and could help make up for that.
Here in the US there are quite a lot of canned soups that are wheat-free. That would work on your hotplate, and requires little planning.
Maybe you could go to your local health food type store and ask the people there for suggestions. Also, whatever brands are prominent in Finland, they may have a website with a list of their gluten free products.
A microwave really helps with convenience foods. If your kitchen is too small, perhaps you could put it in a different room.
Avoid heating up plastic; it releases unhealthy compounds into the food :(
posted by Surprised By Bees at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
beef jerky
hard boiled eggs (don't require refrigeration, at least for a day)
cottage cheese
85% dark chocolate
yogurt
olives
canned smoked clams or oysters
canned sardines (optional rice crackers)
salmon jerky
pickled herring or mackerel (but I think vinegar sometimes has gluten, so check with the manufacturer)
miso soup - some misos have gluten (I don't know about wheat specifically), some don't so check carefully
here in the US you can get tofu that's been prepared with marinades and just needs reheating, I don't know if you have that in Finland
Your diet sounds nutritionally incomplete. Sardines are very nutrient dense and could help make up for that.
Here in the US there are quite a lot of canned soups that are wheat-free. That would work on your hotplate, and requires little planning.
Maybe you could go to your local health food type store and ask the people there for suggestions. Also, whatever brands are prominent in Finland, they may have a website with a list of their gluten free products.
A microwave really helps with convenience foods. If your kitchen is too small, perhaps you could put it in a different room.
Avoid heating up plastic; it releases unhealthy compounds into the food :(
posted by Surprised By Bees at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
Or, forget about the rice cooker and just buy packets of precooked rice (if that's available where you are). A can of beans, a packet of rice, and a bag of frozen veggies (frozen because they're conveniently pre-chopped - I know you don't have a freezer) mixed together makes you two healthy meals.
posted by mskyle at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by mskyle at 10:23 AM on June 18, 2012
Quick and easy way to wash plastic containers: fill halfway with water, add a splash of dish soap, put lid on and shake. Take lid off, dump soapy water and rinse.
I do not judge. But after figuring this out, I do a better job of washing containers.
posted by vitabellosi at 10:54 AM on June 18, 2012
I do not judge. But after figuring this out, I do a better job of washing containers.
posted by vitabellosi at 10:54 AM on June 18, 2012
Another thing you might like is a Crock Pot. There are Crock Pot liners now that will eliminate clean up hasslel.
You can buy a small Crock Pot, and make two servings, one for dinner, the rest for lunch the next day.
Beef stew: Some meat, frozen stew veggies, water, bullion cube (or can of stock)
Cacciatore: Chicken, carrots, small jar of spaghetti sauce (organic, no wheat or sugar), wine, carrots, onion, mushrooms (frozen or a few fresh)
Chili: Ground meat, cans of beans, some chili powder.
None of it is very complicated, all of it is pretty tasty.
Get some gluten-free pasta and you can make buttered noodles and cheese.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:01 PM on June 18, 2012
You can buy a small Crock Pot, and make two servings, one for dinner, the rest for lunch the next day.
Beef stew: Some meat, frozen stew veggies, water, bullion cube (or can of stock)
Cacciatore: Chicken, carrots, small jar of spaghetti sauce (organic, no wheat or sugar), wine, carrots, onion, mushrooms (frozen or a few fresh)
Chili: Ground meat, cans of beans, some chili powder.
None of it is very complicated, all of it is pretty tasty.
Get some gluten-free pasta and you can make buttered noodles and cheese.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:01 PM on June 18, 2012
Lots of good suggestions here. I have only this addition: set weekday alarms on your phone or email. "Wash Breakfast Dishes" "Wash Lunch Dishes". I set them at times I am unlikely to have meetings, and "snooze" them if I am meeting with someone.
If you don't want that popping up visibly for people, put coded pop up task instead. "Call power service about breaker" "Check with Vel for Sushi Night".
posted by tilde at 1:03 PM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you don't want that popping up visibly for people, put coded pop up task instead. "Call power service about breaker" "Check with Vel for Sushi Night".
posted by tilde at 1:03 PM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Many great ideas, thanks all! I've always had something against rice cookers (for no good reason), but I'm now realizing their broader potential utility. I also *love* the idea of setting alarms on my phone, for cleaning and cooking appointments. Also, i like the idea of Ziploc bags instead of plastic containers when possible. And there are some good food suggestions too... The tragic part is that some of the very best solutions (sardines, hummus, hardboiled eggs, olives) are among the *very* few foods I actively dislike despite years of trying to embrace them! Oh, to be able to build my days around a can of sardines and rice cakes with hummus! But there are some really good food ideas here otherwise, like salmon jerky. That sounds great, and like something I can always have in my backpack for emergencies. I will be reading answers more closely later, but thanks very much for all the helpful ideas.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 1:33 PM on June 18, 2012
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 1:33 PM on June 18, 2012
A friend of mine keeps a blog Eating Freakishly in NZ, where she has a bunch of recipes with gluten free food.
posted by dhruva at 1:50 PM on June 18, 2012
posted by dhruva at 1:50 PM on June 18, 2012
Apparently celiac disease is on the rise in Finland so there are probably lots of gluten-free (and thereby wheat-free) options. This blog post is a couple years old but it has some recommendations for restaurants and bakeries that you might find useful:
celiac chicks
posted by lovelygirl at 3:31 PM on June 18, 2012
celiac chicks
posted by lovelygirl at 3:31 PM on June 18, 2012
In the easy cooking, no refrigeration wheat/gluten-free grain department vein, I'd recommend trying out the different hot cereals for breakfast or as a side dish. There's:
cream of rice
quinoa flakes (a high protein grain)
oats and steel cut oats (make sure they're wheat/gluten-free brand)
cream of buckwheat (despite the name, isn't related to wheat)
corn grits
They make a great, filling hot breakfast that cooks anywhere with boiling water or a microwave in less than 5 minutes. And I'd recommend cooking them in broth and adding some veggies or egg or chicken. Downside is some of these cereals are hard to find and they might be only available online depending how good the shops are near you... I've got a wheat allergy too, and this is what I eat for breakfast.. sometimes lunch too, if I can't cook.. lol...
posted by Aliera at 3:36 PM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
cream of rice
quinoa flakes (a high protein grain)
oats and steel cut oats (make sure they're wheat/gluten-free brand)
cream of buckwheat (despite the name, isn't related to wheat)
corn grits
They make a great, filling hot breakfast that cooks anywhere with boiling water or a microwave in less than 5 minutes. And I'd recommend cooking them in broth and adding some veggies or egg or chicken. Downside is some of these cereals are hard to find and they might be only available online depending how good the shops are near you... I've got a wheat allergy too, and this is what I eat for breakfast.. sometimes lunch too, if I can't cook.. lol...
posted by Aliera at 3:36 PM on June 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you like the idea of a protein rich spread on crackers, but just don't like hummus, try cream cheese, cottage cheese, avocado, bean dip or baked beans.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:14 PM on June 18, 2012
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:14 PM on June 18, 2012
I don't know if you can get this brand easily where you live, but for snacks, Enjoy Life makes a number of products that are free of all eight major allergens -- including granolas and snack bars. The snack bars do have sugar but not nearly as much as most processed snack bars, and they also have sunflower seed butter for protein (but you can't really taste it). And the granola is, of course, nut-free. I imagine if you kept some wheat-free granola and / or snack bars in your bag for hunger emergencies while you were out, you'd be able to avoid wheat more easily.
I keep Enjoy Life snack bars plus a few pieces of fruit leather in my purse at all times for my son (who has an allergy to peanuts that IS life-threatening. No cheating for him).
My cousin who is allergic to wheat eats a lot of stir fry with rice, which is not hard to cook even if you don't like cooking. I know you said you don't like cutting vegetables in your small space, but you can often buy bags of pre-cut vegetables at fancier grocery stores here in the U.S.; I assume they have those in Finland, too. Get a batch of nice precut vegetables and all you'd have have to add is some oil, some protein (tofu or chicken, say) and some sauce (look for wheat-free soy sauce).
posted by BlueJae at 6:35 PM on June 18, 2012
I keep Enjoy Life snack bars plus a few pieces of fruit leather in my purse at all times for my son (who has an allergy to peanuts that IS life-threatening. No cheating for him).
My cousin who is allergic to wheat eats a lot of stir fry with rice, which is not hard to cook even if you don't like cooking. I know you said you don't like cutting vegetables in your small space, but you can often buy bags of pre-cut vegetables at fancier grocery stores here in the U.S.; I assume they have those in Finland, too. Get a batch of nice precut vegetables and all you'd have have to add is some oil, some protein (tofu or chicken, say) and some sauce (look for wheat-free soy sauce).
posted by BlueJae at 6:35 PM on June 18, 2012
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posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:30 AM on June 18, 2012