DP will be living in a hotel for 6 weeks, meal ideas please!

[KiwiBanana]

DP has a new job which means for the first 6 weeks of it he will be living in a hotel during the week. He likes to eat healthily so doesn't really want to be in the pub every night but I'm struggling to think of things he can have with no access to a cooker or microwave.

Has anyone done this before and got any advice?

[HazeltheMcWitch]

Will he have a supermarket handy?

[KiwiBanana]

I hope so, not sure yet. I would have thought he'll be near enough one as they seem to be everywhere.

I know I can get him a big bag of almonds, apples, bananas etc to keep him happy. Maybe he'd be better off having a big meal for lunch at work where he would have access to a microwave and then less to eat on a night?

[HazeltheMcWitch]

THat's what I used to do - 'dinner' at lunch, and salads/crudities etc at dinner.

Veggies were more in the vein of carrots, cabbage, cauli, cherry toms etc that I would chop up and eat with tinned chickpeas, or packet lentils.

Pre-cooked rice in packets (that you'd normally heat up in micro, but obvs I didn't) were good for carb. Bready things too sometimes.

I am veggie so didn't do the meat/fish thing, but colleagues did take good tinned fish when they did similar. Also, I really like raw veggies! It might be hard to do this for Atkins-type diets.

I used to take a small knife with blade cover, and a camping bowl and plate - and chop on the latter.

Obvs fruits as well, and lemons for dressing.

I ate quite happily like this,as did a few other colleagues, although others would do the pub food, or sandwiches from M&S foods/petrol stations.

[CMOTDibbler]

I'd do hot lunch, and then a salad or sarnie for dinner. If work have a fridge, then he'll be able to leave some stuff there like mayo and spread. In fact if he got a food flask, then he could heat soup up at work before he left, and have that in the evening.

[SantasLittleMonkeyButler]

Could he not get a cheap microwave (second hand off eBay maybe?) to take with him?

Either that or, yes, heat up a main meal at lunchtime and have more of a light/snacky tea. I'm not sure that would suit me though, as I always feel tired in the afternoon if I eat my main meal at lunch.

[sashh]

Those pots of porridge you can get are quite filling.

You can actually cook pasta by pouring boiling water over, adding a lid and leaving it.

What about a slow cooker at work? (don't think a hotel would like it) go in early and prep it, cook during the day, take half back to the hotel in a food flask and then leave the other half for lunch the following day.

Will he have a fridge in the hotel? If not there must be one at work.

You can get some self heating tins but not sure how healthy they would be.

What about couchsurfing? It's not just about sleeping on someone's couch, you can arrange to meet people for a meal / coffee.

How far will he be driving between the hotel and work? It is possible to cook on a car engine (food in foil secured where the engine will warm it).

Ziplock bag omelets? he might have to boil the kettle a couple of times but no reason why you couldn't do it in a kettle rather than a pan.

Check out the local kebab places, a lot sell just salad or salad in a pita bread.

Maybe think about heating rather than cooking, tins of things like soup can be heated in a kettle (heat the can before opening).

Think about tins and jars that don't go off.

So maybe a tin of tuna, some dried pasta and some sort of sauce that doesn't need refrigerating, either a small one use pesto or something like salad cream or salt and pepper.

Boil the kettle and empty into a container with the pasta, put a lid on and leave for 7mins. Open the tuna, drain and mix with the sauce.

Once the pasta is cooked drain and mix with the tune. Add a ready made salad.

[firesidechat]

Will he be allowed to cook food in his room? I think electrical appliances may need to be checked for safety and bringing in his own may possible annoy the hotel. Just a thought.

My husband stays in hotels regularly for work and he usually has breakfast in the hotel, lunch at work and eats out in the evening. Maybe your partner could eat breakfast and lunch at work and find a cheap meal out in the evening to keep costs down.

[Slackgardener]

He could have a fairly healthy breakfast in the hotel, soup for lunch and eat out for dinner. I think it sounds like a lot of hassle and expense planning anything else. Will he be required to eat with his colleagues?

[atthestrokeoftwelve]

Doe he get a meal allowance?
If so I would spend it out. THere are lots of places to eat apart from pubs, but if e eats in the hotel than, pre packed salad, crusty bread, hummus, cooked meat, fruit, cheese etc.

I think the hotel would take a dim view of finding a microwave in the roo. It could be a fire risk.

[90sthrowback]

Rotisserie chicken and self serve salad from a super market on the way home?

Take a toaster and use those toast pockets to have beans on toast.

Couscous doesn't need any cooking, just boiling water.

Not so nice for next person to use it, but he could boil eggs in the kettle

[sixlive]

Are the company putting him at the hotel - they will pay for his meals.

[Laquitar]

So he wants breakfast and dinner ideas and they have to be healthy and no cooking?

For breakfast i would have banana sandwitch.
For no cooking dinner i love tinned mackerel but the hotel room will stink!