In two days we will start our journey of 30 days or more without a kitchen. Yep we are ripping it all out and putting in new cabinets and counter tops. We are doubling the amount of cabinets we have and getting rid of those unsightly wire racks. The racks are nice. The amount of crap we have on them isn't so nice. One of the challenges we have is to be able to eat good meals and to not eat out all the time. My blood pressure has been high lately so I need to minimize my salt intake. So processed foods are out the door. B also needs variety or he will just eat out. So I have set up a mini kitchen in the basement. While we have more than we need accessible most of the stuff we can't use because there is no stove and we are trying to keep the use of dishes and appliances to a minimum. It will be like living in a dorm again. So here is what we have to cook with:
Vitamix
Microwave
Slow Cooker
Foreman Grill
Waffle Iron
Outdoor Grill
Utility Sink
Mini Fridge
Breakfast
My plan is to try and eat breakfast at work. We can take oatmeal and cook it in the microwave or I can do a batch of slow cooker oatmeal at the beginning of the week and eat it all week. Greek yogurt parfaits would be good too but I think it flares up my allergies. Although we don't use the waffle iron a lot, I can see myself making up a batch of waffles and putting them in the freezer at work. Some grilled chicken sausage on the Foreman and we are all set. Of course fruit and nuts make a good breakfast as well. Most of this will minimize the amount of dishes I have to do at home.
Lunch & Dinner
I have been looking on Pinterest for easy dinner recipes. While the slow cooker is great it's nice to have some variety. Here are some of the interesting things I found:
Groupon, Living Social, & Gilt City
Let's be real, we are going to want to eat out some days. There will be those days when we just don't have the right ingredients to make something happen or we are just lazy. It's allowed. So I decided to buy about $50 worth of coupons. Most of them are for fast casual food but I did get at least one for a nicer restaurant.
