Feeding family without a fridge, freezer, or cooker

[headlikeasieve]

Hi,
I am in need of some help. I've just moved house and don't have a fridge freezer or a cooker, and I'm not likely to be able to afford either any time soon. I am really struggling to think of anything healthy and tasty I can buy and make so would love some ideas please. I am really missing not having a grill, frying pan or the ability to roast anything, but I do have a microwave, a lean mean grilling machine, and a blender. We are all getting a bit depressed and fat eating 'junk' all the time. Thanks in advance :)

Kettle? with boiling water you can make cous cous, use that as a base for a greek salad with chopped tomatoes, olives, cucumber, spring onion, parsley and grill some halloumi on your LMGM.

You can also use the grill to grill veggies - asparagus, red peppers, big flat mushrooms for veggie burgers.

Ummm healthy microwave stuff. scrambled eggs? syrup sponge pudding? www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/02/dan-lepard-steamed-sponge-pudding-recipe

Oh goodness, can you get them from ebay? Or buy now pay later?

Anyway, back to your question.

Cous cous and fine noodles can be made with just boiling water from the kettle, just add grilled veg + meatfrom the George foreman.

Shop bought soup + crusty bread.

Fish/ meat/ veg on grillin machine ( will have to buy meat or fish on the day though)

Fresh stuffed pasta can be done with just boiling water in a bowl. Add grilled veg ie courgette/ onion/ mushrooms and mix in pesto

Tilda rice in a bag with grilled chicken

Any way you can buy a fridge on eBay/ local s/h shop. Being able to store things like milk/ meas and cheese will save money in the long term. Or ask friends/ fb/ at work/ schools if anyone has one. ( we have given one away before simply as it was a tall one and wouldn't fit in new kitchen)

x post Tiredy

oooh yes fine noodles! boil water, pour onto noodles, stir in miso paste, add grilled salmon or pork and handfuls of green veggies that will wilt in the hot water, finely chopped spring onions, chillis, some fresh ginger.

Oh and look on gum tree/ free cycle for freebies

ps I don't know where you live, but have you checked your local freecycle for any of the things you need? if you're in a biggish town or city there's a fair chance you'll find something.

www.freecycle.org/

local recycling charity ? We've given away working fridge/freezer before now which would be resold.

Tesco do a ff for £129 and cooker from £209 but you may find cheaper

Cookers under £200 here

You can get microwave cookery books, I have one here (i would send it but it's not mine) and there's loads you can do.

borrow a slow or halogen cooker ?

honestly, people give away fridges/fridgefreezers every week on freecycle/freegle. Get on your local one pronto!

Maybe have a look at the camping threads? Actually, do you or extended family have a camping stove at all? Simple meals would be perfectly possible (and are far quicker to cook in a kitchen than on a windy, wet campsite!)

I'm on freegle, and in the last year have given away two cookers and a freezer and a dishwasher. I sold a fridge on Tescos noticeboard for £10

If you don't have a hatchback and/or are not big and strong you would have to place a Want ad for someone to help, or ask around for a Man With Van

fridges and freezers are much lighter than cookers.

Assuming you are shopping every day, what about salads (expensive but not as much as takeaway, and worth it to eat something fresh): avocado, tomato, mozzarella with crusty bread and garlic butter, and cured ham if you like it; potato salad made from those shrink-wrapped packs of potatoes (which are certainly available where I live in France, maybe in UK too?), with chopped ham and cornichons; salade nicoise with microwaved green beans and bought hard-boiled eggs; chicken caesar salad with torn up chicken breast, avocado, and bought crispy bacon.

Where abouts in the UK are you? Would a slow cooker be of any use to you?

Pasta in a microwave is quick, cheap and easy. Cook the pasta in a big bowl generously covered with water with a loose fitting lid, drain and leave in drainer in sink for a minute, pour jar of sauce into microwave bowl (the one you've already used) heat for a couple of minutes, add the pasta and lightly mix it into the sauce, if you like food steaming hot return to microwave for another couple of minutes.

If you like pesto you can just drain and mix in the pesto. This can be made i to more of a meal by mixing in some green beans (add for the last few minutes of cooking the pasta), and finely sliced cooked chicken - either purchased that way or done in your lean mean grilling machine.

Or make your own simple pasta sauce by using pasata as the base and then adding herbs, garlic etc. You could add tuna as a meal completely from the cupboard.

Lidl do some nice soup meals in a can with big chunks of meat, veg and pasta. Really nice with fresh chunks of bread and again no fridge/ freezer needed.

Just because you haven't got a freezer doesn't mean you shouldn't shop from the freezer section. It just means you need to eat up what you buy within a day or so (depending on the weather).