No kitchen for 2-3 weeks

#1

So I bought a new kitchen this summer and it is going to be installed end of November and what hits me like a ton of bricks is that the installation is going to go until the 11th of December.
What do I do with keto?!! I wont be cooking at all for 2-3 weeks. No scrambled eggs for breakfast. No fried meats and cooked veg. All I can do is delivery for all that time. I guess I can avoid the rice and potatoes and bread. But it is going to be really hard.

#2

There are so many options… I would do my usual boiled egg/cheese/processed meat meals for a while but I surely would cook, an induction cooking top is cheap and I could use it in my room, not ideal but way better than not cooking. But so many things can be boiled in a room in that water boiling machine I actually don’t have… I probably would go with the cooking top.
And there are canned things. Veggies are easy: raw or fermented but of course it’s about personal taste.

(Laurie) #3

Do you still have a fridge somewhere in the house? If not, you can buy a bar fridge; they’re quite cheap. As Shinita mentioned, you can cook on an induction cooktop. Other possibilities are microwave, electric frying pan, toaster oven, slow cooker, or other small appliances you already have.

I’ve had incomplete kitchen facilities for much of my life, and I could still do a lot.

I hesitate to suggest anything specific, as I don’t know what you eat or how you live. But why not take the time to write down a few very simple meals that would be doable in your circumstance (possibly things you already have in your meal rotation). You could have each one of those several times over the course of 3 weeks.

Keep in mind that if you’re cooking and cleaning up in another room, you might not want a lot of dishes to wash, fried food smelling up the place, etc.

Good luck!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

When I eat out, I ask them to hold the bread and potatoes. It seems to work pretty well.

There is a burger chain near me that will give you your burger either wrapped in lettuce or in a bowl. If there’s a Five Guys near you, check it out.

The local diner and the local coffee shop are both good at giving me eggs and burgers without bread or potatoes, and they will happily let me order an extra side of bacon or sausage along with.

McDonald’s is pretty good about leaving the buns off burgers, and ordering French fries is not actually obligatory. (Dr. Westman tells of a patient, a homeless man who successfully ate keto at McDonald’s and lost a lot of weight, so it obviously can be done.)

Any restaurant will let you order steak and salad for dinner; omitting the potatoes, and maybe putting blue cheese dressing on the salad, makes for a great keto meal.

(Scott) #5

I solved this by moving the kitchen to another room in the house. When done I had two fully working kitchens. Most people I know that get a kitchen remodel set up some saw horses with a door or sheet of plywood to set up a coffee pot, toaster oven, skillet etc. with a micro fridge under it. Lots of new options for indoor cooking and a outside grill is a must. I wise person I know would not let the demo start until he could touch his new cabinets. He knew that contractor always blame the “cabinet guy” for the slow progress.

(Karen) #6

Aww good luck with the kitchen hope all goes well. Had mine done about 2.5 years go and now spend so much time in it. My old kitchen was a 70’s kitchen that I put up with cos I couldn’t afford to renew as I was single parent with young kiddies.

However a number of years later and when finances were starting to look up thankfully , I had to do without a cooker for about 3 years when my daughter had to get gasman in after she arrived home and smelt gas. I was on night shift and cooker got condemned! It was only when I was helping a friend buy a second hand cooker that I spotted a fabulous Italian style range and couldn’t resist. It didn’t fit where the old cooker had been standing and stuck out about 6" so eventually after another couple of years of bumping my hip as I walked passed it to get to the back room I finally made the decision to renew the kitchen. I can procrastinate forever lol and make do!!!

Not looked back … best decision ever after buying the beautiful range of course :slight_smile:

(Laurie) #7

Oops, sorry, I missed your phrase “not cooking at all.” A few no-cooking suggestions:

Canned salmon or sardines
Pork rinds with appropriate dip
Deli meats, kielbasa, etc.
Precooked bacon to munch on
Cheese, buy presliced or portions for convenience
Pickled eggs
Rotisserie chicken from supermarket
Cooked ribs might be available in same section

“Just the patty” from hamburger joint
Sandwiches without the bread
Pizza, just the toppings
Bacon and FRIED eggs from regular restaurant (scrambled egg or omelet might have carby fillers)
Some buffets have good food like salmon, roast beef, etc.

Veggies sold precut, e.g., celery, broccoli
Baby lettuce or spinach leaves can be eaten by hand
Cherry tomatoes and whole cucumbers also

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #8

No microwave or instant pot that could be set up in another room and used to do some things at home?

(Jane) #9

I was going to suggest instant pot, sous vide or crock pot in another room. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery, cold meats and cheeses

(Heather ) #10

Would you be able to use a BBQ in the garden?
Pop a woolly hat on dine alfresco :wink:

#11

Thx guys for all the ideas! You are all so kind! I wrote to the kitchen guy and asked him why it takes so long? What would I do? He told me he would bring me some hotplates so I can at least fry some meat or boil an egg. I get to use the fridge during this time too. So now it looks like I should manage. I guess I will have to take the plates up to the bathroom to wash them, but maybe I will buy a set of paper plates to make my life easier.

#12

@Heather21 It is going on to winter here and my yard is full of brown leaves!!! That would be an odd picture if I tried to eat outside! :sweat_smile:

#13

@Karen18
Yeah I am very excited about it. Mine was about 25 years old and that old “shabby chic” was just looking shabby. I have chosen a kitchen in very odd colors- all in cappuccino shades. On one wall I will have a bronzed mirror behind some shelves to make it look bigger. So I am very excited for sure!!!:smiley:

#14

When we were doing mine over I put the microwave in the living room, Foodi and coffee maker in the dining room and lived on everything that could come of of them and whey shakes, wife wasn’t so much of a fan as I was.

(Karen) #15

@Chantarella that sounds awesome. I like to see something different. Have to say I have never liked the shabby chic look. Always feel it looks tatty… similar to baroque don’t like that look either. I love colour myself and went for fuchsia pink worktops and splashbacks on stone cupboards. Went so well with stainless steel range, cooker hood, fridge and tap. The worktops are toughened glass as I live here on my own. It was a huge decision as I was thinking about the day my daughter may have to sell the place but she said go with the dream and enjoy. Love that girl.

I hope everything goes smoothly and you end up with your dream … I smile everytime I enter my kitchen, in fact it’s hard to get me out hahahaha xx

#16

LOL! @Karen18 - no my kitchen wasn`t shabby chic from the beginning. It was that country kitchen look. It became shabby due to wear and tear in all those years. :joy: Now I am going for a more modern, streamlined look.

(Karen) #17

Hahahaha bless talk about cross communication! I like sleek and I like country cottage … couldn’t decide between the two so got a bit of both. The cupboards look country and the tops looks sleek and streamline xx

#18

I feel your pain in regards to not having your kitchen for an extended length of time and wanting to stay true to the keto lifestyle. I just finished up 5 weeks in an RV with a child’s sized kitchen. With a crappy propane burner, instant pot, and sous vide setup I managed to churn out dishes just as delicious and nutritious as my full time kitchen. Upon my return we sold our home and are living among stacks of boxes waiting to move out. Most of my kitchen appliances are packed up and I’ll be damned before I mess up my clean oven. Up next is a tiny rental for one month before we can move into our permanent home. Where there is a will there is a way. Good luck. I’m sure your new kitchen will be a delight!

#19

We took an rv vacation and managed keto using a propane stove and my instant pot. Instant pot boiled eggs were so easy. Hopefully you have a fridge somewhere in your house. If all else fails, I like ketologic meal shakes for when I really am in a pinch. There are lots of other meal replacement options out there too. Definitely not as good as real food. Good luck and congrats on your new kitchen.

#20

Thank you one and all for your thoughtful responses - I will take them all into account.
I was told I will still have my fridge so thats good. And latest news: the team will bring me a hotplate to cook on. So thats a relief as I can then scramble eggs or fry a steak. I have the feeling I will be ordering delivery a lot too. Like McDonald’s without the bread maybe. But yeah- I am excited about a new kitchen. I spent all summer looking for a good deal. That was a good way to spend the time with corona limitations.