Feliz miercoles!
I enjoyed reading all of your guesses as to why my eats will be undergoing a makeover of sorts for the next month. I’m not training or traveling—though neither is bad idea (especially the traveling)! I’m not doing a vegetarian, grocery or budget challenge—though all sound oddly enticing (me gusta competition). And I am definitely not going dairy-free; you know that would entail giving up crack cream cheese AND a beloved Greek delicacy, right?
The one correct hypothesis came from resident smartie, Ms. SnackFace, in my numero uno comment. Kailey wrote:
Hmmm, my guess is that you’re cutting out dairy for a bit? I don’t know. Or you’re going to be in a living situation that doesn’t allow you to have your own food/kitchen.
As I said, erroneous on the dairy-free account—though you can’t blame a vegan for throwing that one out there ;). However, the kitchen-free living situation? Right on el dinero.
Yes, for the next month (hopefully not longer!!), I am a kitchen-less foodie. Oxymoronical, no? Worry not. I’m not moving to a third world country or a halfway house, or some other kitchen-less land. I’m just getting my kitchen renovated.
This is not a simple renovation, hence our contractor estimating 6-8 weeks of construction—with the kitchen being completely out of commission for at least 4 of those weeks. Oh, we’re also doing the dining room—which means that the entire contents of my kitchen and dining room are temporarily residing in my living room. It’s a pretty hysterical sight: refrigerator, dining room table, necessary kitchen appliances, plus pantry food I’ve deemed necessary—all in the corner of my living room.
So what does this mean for Los Foodie Diaries?
- Hopefully not its demise
- A LOT of microwaving
- A LOT of toaster oven-ing
- An influx in eating out (TWSS)
- A downgrade in food presentation :(—no kitchen means limited/disposable dishes & hand-washing everything. Que Amish!
- An increase in very simple & easy to re-create meals (that’s a plus, right?)
- Withdrawal from these:
Although the idea of having to microwave most of my food for an entire month is causing a littttle bit of anxiety, I’m determined to make this work. How? I am challenging myself to be as creative as possible with my microwave & toaster-friendly eats. Why? Porque I love you all, and I don’t want to bore you to death with canned soup for every meal. Trust me, canned soup will be aplenty—but I’m going to do my best not to let my kitchen-less restrictions get in the way of delicious, healthy food. If the dorm room chicas can work it out, so can I :).
If you have any tips for easy, virtually-appliance-free eating, I’d love to hear them. Also, local amigas, feel free to invite me over to use you for your kitchen cook for you :). Will work for kitchen-access.
Hopefully the challenges that come with a kitchen-free vida make for some interesting blogging!
Let’s get to Tuesday’s treats, a.k.a. day #1 of kitchen-free eats!
That’s Amore Oat Bran
…because clearly I can’t get enough strawberry amor.
In the bowl: 1/2 cup oat bran; 1 cup water; brown sugar; 2 fresas positioned in corazon shape; whipped cream also in heart-form. Cooked in the everyone’s favorite radiation-spewing household appliance—by necessity, not choice.
Non-Pleasantville foto:
Moral of this microwaveable story: Micro-ed oat bran is still delicious! I prefer stove-top cooking because it’s easier to control the texture. But for a simple bowl of oats—with few mix-ins—the microwave got the job done!
I imagine that cooking banana & pumpkin oats don’t work as well in the microwave; have you tried either?
Lunch gave me hope that simplicity can breed flavorfully creative eats.
After toasting two pieces of whole wheat toast, I smeared a Laughing Cow wedge & raspberry preserves on one side.
Honey maple turkey & “grilled” pear slices went on the other half.
How, you may wonder, does one grill pears without a kitchen? Well, if you can get past the mildly unsanitary method, you can simply throw the slices directly onto your toaster oven’s wire rack. I wasn’t above it.
The result: a knock-off Thanksgiving day sandwich!
I was reading a magazine with a turkey/pear/brie/cranberry sandwich yesterday, and I couldn’t shake my intrigue despite lacking half the ingredients. So, LC & raspberry preserves played the roles of brie & cranberry sauce. Encore, encore! This was SO GOOD.
Like these…
Actually, the sweet potato FSTG chips are my least favorite flavor so far. Don’t get me wrong; they’re good. But they’re not mind-blowingly good like every other FSTG flavor I’ve tried. I think it’s because they aren’t sweet potato-y enough. Compared to (admittedly less healthy) SP chips like Terra & whatever JetBlue serves in-flight, these have a very faint sweet potato taste. Perhaps I’m too much a cheetah-enthusiast to enjoy my dearly beloved orange veggie in any milder form.
This obviously did not deter me from eating half the bag. I wish I were exaggerating. However, when one is exiled from the entire first floor of her house (ahem, where all the food is) due to the demolition of the aforementioned kitchen & dining room, one is forced to hoard bags of chips to one’s bedroom and commence mindless munching. If you couldn’t infer, I’m one.
While those chips saved me from starvation, this little dorm-friendly appliance saved me from sickness.
Well, maybe not. But it made it better. I started to feel sort of sick in the afternoon, and my remedy for any and all illnesses is green tea. And lots of it. GT overconsumption was only made possible by the above water heater (not sure of its proper name).
I probably drank 16 cups—con honey, obviously.
When construction ceased for el dia, I hit up the previously forbidden fridge for a snack.
Container of plain greek yogurt & Fiber 1. This is one of my all-time favorite simple yogurt mixes. I know a lot of people stay away from F1 because it has high fructose corn syrup. But it’s one of the only cereals I really like—and I’m not really sure where I stand on the whole HFCS thing—so I enjoy it in moderation. What are your opinions of HFCS?
Dinner Part I was only made possibly by my foodie foresight. On Monday, before my kitchen was ground into debris, I decided to prepare some food that (1) could not be cooked sans kitchen and (2) might come in handy during these hard times.
One of these items was one of my dietary staples: Green Cheetahs.
That would be FIVE zucchinis—grilled to charry perfection—in that container. Seems like a lot, but it won’t last long.
I had a big pile of mis favoritos alongside some steamed green cauliflower, and Soy Vay!
For the main event: Toaster-oven pita pizza.
I prepared this the same way I do in my standard oven: Brushed with EVOO, baked at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes on each side. This time I topped it with 3 tbsp. (maybe more?) Greek Olive hummus, broccoli, spinach, red onion and roasted red pepper (all cooked in the microwave!) and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Broiled for 3-5 minutes after the toppings go on.
SO HUMMUS-Y.
SO CHEESY.
SO NOT PIZZA. I adore thee.
I have a feeling pita pizzas are going to become a staple. I promise to get creative with toppings. Any suggestions?
Something else that’s going to become (er, remain) a staple?
Popcorn! If I’m being confined to microwave cooking, you best believe my favorite microwaveable treat will be making frequent appearances. Also—it’s National Popcorn Poppin’ Month! I needn’t any more incentive. Without access to a popper, it’s going to be Jolly Time/Orville Kettle Corn. I prefer Jolly Time; it is the best Kettle Corn ever! Chemical-laden corn never tasted so good ;).
Still pretty sick, I drank this poison before bed.
Cherry Theraflu is gross. But it knocked me out and made me feel a little better—so I manned up and chugged.
Before I go, please check out:
- Natalie’s amazing non-profit program, Project Feed Me, which seeks to help feed families in need. Becoming a member and committing to food donations is ridiculously easy: All you need to do is buy two of the “recommended food items” each week for nine weeks. At the end of nine weeks, bring your items to your local food bank. It’s so simple—and really can make a huge impact.
- Jenn’s interview with breast cancer expert, Dr. Kristi Funk. Amid all of this month’s breast cancer awareness fund-raising efforts, we have to remember to be aware of breast cancer as it pertains to us. Jenn’s interview is very informative and taught me some things about breast cancer I’d never heard. Did you know that Ashkenazi Jews are exponentially more likely to carry a gene that’s been linked to breast cancer? Or that drinking in excess of 5-7 glasses of alcohol per week increases your risk for developing breast cancer? There’s a lot of very valuable and interesting information in the short segment, so I urge you to watch it!
Ok, I’m off to O.D. on more green tea and get creative in the kitchen living room.
Buenos noches,
-Sarah
THE FOODIE DIARIES 
OMG that sandwich looks incredible. You have the best meals ever. I’m sure you will do fine with the microwave and simple meals. They will probably still all look great! Oh, and to answer your question on my blog, I do most of my cooking and baking on the weekends. 🙂 But I do make dinner almost every night.
I’ve learned more ways to use a microwave than I thought possible since moving into a dorm. you’ll do just fine I’m guessing.
That sandwich sounds so good right now! I need to find me some deli turkey because it would go amazing with TJ cranberry apple butter which tastes JUST like that HFCS-laden canned stuff
I can’t get down with the HFCS – although I’m sure I eat it more often than I care to know when I eat out. Kashi Go Lean is my cereal of choice – very good in greek yogurt too!
I’m sure you’ll get into a groove without a full on kitchen to work in, I can’t wait to see what kind of creative meals you come up with though!
p.s. That turkey sandwich is making me hungry!
Oh holy cow, I can’t even IMAGINE the crap I would consume if I didn’t have my kitchen. Your meals looked awesome – even without the proper tools. That thanksgiving sandwich – yummers.
I used to have one of those water boilers and I TOTALLY forgot about it until I saw that picture. I used to make soup in it all the time in college – it got a little disgusting because it’s harder to clean than a pan – but it works.
Can’t wait to see your creativity in action. 🙂
That pizza looks good. Anything with hummus looks good to me, basically.
Fiber 1 has HFCS? I know it has aspartame in it, but I don’t think it has HFCS. I could be wrong.
Ohh, I dreaded my dorm days with the good ol’ microwave. I actually found a lot of good microwave cookbooks..and my favorite microwave meal was microwaved omelets. You can get these really sweet contraptions to make em’ at like Target or whatever! Good luck 🙂
You are so creative that I know you’ll manage to do just fine without your kitchen. I wish you lived near me so you could come use mine and cook for me!!!!!! 🙂
That pita pizza looks so amazing and HEALTHY! 🙂
Just sing Destiny Child’s “Survivor” while you are microwaving up a storm and it will all be fine.
Dang girlie. That sandwich and pizza look sooo good!
I can’t wait to see what you think up when you are kitchenless 🙂
What kind of pita do you use for your pizzas?? It looks super yum. Im sure you will come up with some great cooking ideas while you are “kitchenless”. I look forward to seeing pics! 🙂
I love Thanksgiving sandwiches! You are also very brave to drink theraflu- I am such a baby about medicine. Hope you feel better!
So, this is *way* too personal, but I’m going to ask anyway. As an Ashkenazi Jew with a mother who has breast cancer, I’ve considered getting checked for the gene. As I believe you have the same two risk factors, I’m wondering if you have had the test or considered it, and if anything sold you one way or another?
So far, so good on no kitchen month! My parents had ours re-done when I was four. My mom thought it would mean four weeks of eating out a lot. It ended up being four weeks of PB&J and soup. Yum.
“An influx in eating out (TWSS)” bravo, girl…bravo. That is absolute brilliance!
I have no doubt in my mind that you will rockkkk the micro recipes. In fact, i’m quite excited ’cause I shall be back to dorm room living in a few months… blech. Woe is me! So you can help a sistah outttt.
ah, I am impressed! I am kitchen-less whilst I am in the city, and only have access to a microwave in the evening…tonight I successfully made kabocha squash (cut with a plastic knife, no less!) but other than steaming veg, haven’t done anything more creative…lots of sandwiches are being consumed! Though I don’t have ANY kitchen utensils/supplies. I miss oatmeal and peanut butter the most 😛 Can’t wait to see what you come up with 🙂
Can’t wait
ugh i bet cherry theraflu tastes like ass! i do a lot of toaster oven/microwave cooking – i think you’ll do great!
Good luck with your kitchen-less eats! I’m sure you’ll make do and get creative. Can’t wait to see everything you come up with. PLUS, you’ll end up with a brand new kitch, right? Sweet deal 🙂
And, no apologies for speaking Espanol in my comment box! I took 7 years of spanish so i understood your lingo !
Well, I’ve been cooking w/out an oven.. (the stovetop works) so if you need any ideas. All I can say is when I ONLY had a micro, I ate a lot of salads, bought a lot of rotisserie chicken, and microwaved a lot of oats. 🙂 But I’m sure you’ll do just fine.
I have a slight fear of HFCS. It’s the reason I always read the nutrition labels in the grocery store, and often look up nutrition contents of menus, before I go out. But I’m sure a little won’t kill ya!
I’ve been there with half my furniture relegated to the kitchen and bedroom when the living room was being redone, only to have the microwave and steamer make a cameo in the living room while the kitchen was extreme makeover-ing. Fun times.
Do you have a steamer? If so, you can make craploads of rice, veggies, even meats (if you like meat…TWSS awaits). Overnight oats don’t need to be cooked and can be reheated a la microwave, awesome salads with chickpeas, avocado, hummus…lots of options, especially if you have a toaster oven.
However, that still kind of sucks. Good luck and I look forward to this month o’ the micro!
Cherry theraflu sounds like death!
Ahhh I was so close! I really didn’t think you’d give up dairy, but you’re right, I had to throw that out there.
Gosh, I remember the days of dorm rooms with no kitchen. Lots of soups, frozen Kashi meals…mostly things I could never eat again because I ate so much of it. But now, I still use it regularly for my balls (teehee), sweet ps when I’m lazy, tea, and oats when I’m lazy. And yes, banana and pumpkin oats still turn out well in the micro! You just have to stop it every minute or so to stir it and check the consistency!
I’m pumped to see what you create! LOVE xoxox
That is so exciting that you’re getting the kitchen re-done! Get an electric skillet! That will help a ton- you can make a million things on there
I have a feeling you’re going to have a good time during this “lack of kitchen” experience….you’ll look at it as a challenge…can’t wait to see what you come up with! Looks like you’re doing pretty well so far!
I eat Fiber One cereal on my greek yogurt too!! I’m kind of a “everything in moderation” girl so I don’t get too worried about things. 🙂
I think you’re going to be completely fine sin real kitchen appliances. In fact, I think you’re going to be even more creative than ever! If you can use a toaster over, microwave and maybe a Foreman grill, you’ll have plenty o’ options. I love that pizza! Looked so delish. I’ve never thought to toast both sides of the of the pita…interesante! And I’ve never tried using hummus. Have you ever tried spreading pesto on your pita and then adding a few sun dried tomatoes, white cannellini beans and feta? It’s amazing!
I hope you feel better. So sorry that you are sick. Make sure to get a lot of rest and drink another 16 cups of GT con miel 😉
Sounds exciting getting a new kitchen! Sure it’ll go by in a flash! Well maybe not… but It’ll be awesome when it’s done! Loved your pizza…. mhmmmm 😉
I have a feeling, as creative as you are, you’re still going to have delicious (and photogenic) meals. That sandwich and pita pizza look wonderful. I should really stop reading food blogs this late at night.
haha i had that exact same hot pot in college, many moons ago…i used to make mac & cheese in it. 😛
I make my banana and pumpkin oats in the microwave all the time, no sweat 😉 As far as the HFCS, I am opposed to it because of the fact that corn is used in so many refined and processed foods in the US but the farmers get very little of the profit. Of course the fact that HFCS is just like cheap, refined and overprocessed sugar isn’t cool either.
No te preocupes! Toaster ovens are heaven sent! You can do so much with a toaster oven, so fear not. Practically everything I bake is done in the toaster oven. It just doesn’t make sense to use the huge oven if I’m baking one tray of b-nut squash fries lol. You can bake pizzas! But you already know that 😉 YOU CAN EVEN MAKE POLENTA IN THE MICROWAVE!! Sorry I just got really excited. If you have a rice cooker.. those are incredible versatile. There’s one blog where she uses her rice cooker a lot to make some great looking meals:
http://www.thehungryyogini.com
Muchos besos y espero que te mejores!!
XO
my B I gave you the wrong URL. It’s :
http://www.hungryyogini.com/
ANYWAY, I’m staying in south Florida.. like an hour north of Miamiiii 😉
p.s.s. If you need a great frozen meal.. try Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake. Except you might have to beef it up with something else 🙂 It’s sooo yummy though!
Hey! I don’t live in a dorm room, thank you very much. That was soooooo last year 😉 I’ve upgraded to a sorority house…but still livin’ off of microwavable foods and whateva the house chef makes, so I can understand the slip up!! Hahaa, do I sound like a bitch?? Not trying to be!!!
But in all seriousness, that first TWSS was the best i’ve ever heard-totally caught me off guard! And this… is why I love you.
Also love the pita pizza! And the yogurt mess. I’ve usually stayed away from HFCS, but I just know it’s lurking in the salad dressings my sorority house supplies. Plus every other little snack-y food stocked in the house. Which is why I buy some of my own food (including whole food’s graham crackers!!! obsessed)….so that I can work it in moderation, like you!! 😉
Emailing you soon! Ciao bella!
Wow. I’m super intrigued how you’ll survive! I won’t be able to, I’ll die! But all kudos to you when you accomplish it!
p.s. Some ideas: couscous, bulgur…they don’t really need to cook, just soak them in hot water for abt 20 mins…oh, and if you have a crockpot or rice-cooker….
OMG.
Total Cheetah porn.
I want Cheetahs. NOW.
It’s 11:50pm.
Is this wrong???
Hi,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while without commenting (I know, how rude ;-)) but I felt such an overwhelming surge of sympathy on this one – I’d actually have to move house to avoid being without a kitchen I truly believe… that I had to make an exception.
Do you own a rice cooker – or could you pick one up cheap? If you ever read the blog http://www.hungryyogini.com, Courtney (who is one of those dorm room chicks) has used hers to cook stir fries, casseroles & chilli, egg dishes… oh, and rice of course… if you feel the way I would in your situation that might be enough to keep you sane!
Serious food porn alert! this post is rated R! By the looks of it you can totally master the art of dorm room cooking once again. I love the thanksgiving sammie to bits and the pizza oh the pizza looks fantastic!
You are so sweet for posting about my interview. Thank you so so much 🙂
Wow! I am v. intrigued by your forced kitchen-less challenge. Particularly the part where you said “An influx in eating out (TWSS)” – what would we do without The Office, seriously?
Your strawberry amor and hummus not-pizza got me salivating this morning. I love that you do what I do with whipped cream (TWSS??) – make pretty designs to make food look better 😉 Works like a charm! And I so want to try that turkey sandwich – it screams Thanksgiving, which I can’t wait for, by the way.
Happy Thursday!!!!!
I actually steam most my veggies in the microwave anyways! I just put them in a covered bowl with a little water and they come out perfect 🙂 Do you have a crockpot or George Foreman? Those could help!! 🙂
Definitely know what living off a microwave is like too! I also steam my veggies in the microwave. And I also microwave sweet potatoes allll the time. Seriously a life saver. And veggie burgers or Amy’s products. Good luck!! At least you’ll have a beautiful kitchen at the end 🙂
Wow, that will be quite the challenge, but I know you’ve got the skills it takes
That sando is right up my alley! And the hummus/pita non-pizza is genius!
I’m sorry you’ll be kicthen-less for a while but I have a feeling you’ll be just fine! 🙂 Creativity seems like it’s not a problem for you at all!
i still need to try green cheetahs. and drink 16 cups of tea with honey. and try raspberry preserves + laughing cow. and make heart-shaped breakfasts.
ohhhhh good luck with your challenge girl! this definitely isn’t ideal, but i have a feeling it will make for hilarious fodder on the blog. yes, i just said fodder.
have a lovely day dear 🙂
As I read this post I was munching on Jalapeno tortilla/cracker thingies from Food Should Taste Good. Holy perfect spiciness, Batman! Anyway, I have complete faith that you will do just fine without your kitchen 🙂
daymn girl, that pita pizza looks absolutely delicious in all it’s cheesy glory 🙂
i get the grape leaves at costco. pre-made because i’m a lazy ass, ha!
i’m pretty sure they’d be easy to make… you would just need rice, herbs, olive oil? and grape leaves. that is if you know where to find grape leaves, cause now that i think about it i have no idea where you would get them! haha, i’ll stop now because clearly i have no clue what i’m talking about.
have a lovely thursday lady!
I try to stay away from HFCS but I’m not like, crazy about it (love me some grocery store cake and frosting, for example!). I’m more strict about staying away from trans fats, but I’m not even 100% there either.
Good luck with no oven…with a microwave though, you’ll be fine. You can steam veggies (and even fish, if you dare) in the micro, and my only advice on the oats is WATCH it carefully because I have had them explode in the microwave before and…big bummer, especially in the morning when you are hungry and/or running late, as I usually am.
I am a PRO microwave cook! Good luck being kitchen-less for the next month!!
Those zucchinis and that pita pizza look incredible!! Cheesy, hummusy, what more could you need?! One of my favorite pizza toppings is pineapple – it’s bueno!
i love making home made pizza! it is so much healthier 🙂
jenna