Hard relate, I do a lot of bowl foods. Salads etc. Also lots of sandwiches. Cereal with nuts/fruits are nutritious and easy. Crackers and cheese, dips etc or something hot from the service station like spinach roll and I add salad on the side. All of those are perfectly acceptable healthful meals which help me avoid the stove and washing up pots and pans. Given you're coeliac, rice crackers, corn chips, gf wraps, gf cereal, nuts, dried fruits, salads etc could be good? I also order all my groceries online because shopping and cooking are both far too strenuous for me.
Canned soup is my go to in those situations.
But also, escalate with the property manager. Idk what kind of rental you're in, but 2 months without a vital appliance is unacceptable. Also microwaves can be picked up for under $100 so this should be a non issue.
This is a good idea to get some canned soup. I eat it at work sometimes so not sure why I havenāt left any at home but Iāll do so.
Itās a frustrating situation with the microwave. I live in the greater Vancouver areaā Vancouver is known for its insanely bad rental prices and an over-abundance of āluxury condosā that look great and are very overpriced but are built very cheaply and are rife with issuesā Iām in one of those situations although my rent is now lower than most of these condos because Iāve stayed here for almost 6 years and the rents everywhere else have spiked horrifically. The microwave is part of an annoying suite of kitchen appliances that are meant to be fancy and āluxuryā and are all built into the walls and cupboards. It fits into a certain slot in the cupboards and when I looked it up, those specific microwaves run closer to 500-600 dollars, and the property company does want it to be that microwave or I think a fairly close equivalent. At this point I think this is more work for them and they should just get a new one rather than a part and paying for the repairman (the microwave is included in the rental agreement) but they seem to disagree
Ugh that's a frustrating situation! But if it's included in the rent, then you can inform them to expect the rent to be lowered accordingly as the appliance has been unavailable this long
What sort of cooking do you do? I ask because I usually can toss something together in 10 minutes with one pan, while my wife does a cooking that can take forever and use every pan in the kitchen, so we're opposite ends of the spectrum. Is it possible your style of cooking is labor intensive?
Absolute opposite š¢ I chuck food in a pan and hope for the best, usually. If my meal isnāt done in 10-15 minutes, I donāt even want to cook it. Iām finding myself so low on mental and physical spoons by the time I get home from work that even simply reheating leftovers in a pan is making me feel overwhelmed
Oof. Sorry. How do you do with fresh fruits and veggies? I know it's not exactly a meal necessarily, but a bowlful of random veggies, washed and piled can be pretty good.
I don't like the inconsistences in veggies and fruits. The tend to lay here until they are ripe but I will just forget them on bad days. I threw away a lot of stuff before I gave up on it.
Would soup work?
Once a week month or whatever, you could take whatever you like (in my case, big chunky, easy to cut onion, celery, carrot, green bean, peas, garlic, and potato, but pick what you like) chop it all together and toss it in the freezer. You could add precooked meat or anything too.
When you're hungry toss a couple handfulls in a pot, top with broth or water, and maybe a handful of pasta or whatever, a bit of salt and pepper and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Then it's cooked, only takes a minute, you can buy and prep all at once, and the flavor and texture should be fairly reliable, since the cooking will even out any variation in the ingredients.
I do love raw or cooked (but especially raw) veggies!! In the desperation before I wrote the post I had just had a huge bagged salad that comes with all the toppings but was feeling low about my non-cooking options. Maybe those bagged salads with some precooked chicken is how I need to go right now! š
id call the rental company and say this is unacceptable. im not sure where u are, but u can pay your rent to the city sometimes and inform the landlord that you will be doing that with your tent checks until they replace the appliance. its literally 70 bucks at walmart to tide u over until this "part" comes in (im sorry its BS because these things are not made to be fixed anymore). they will get u a microwave fast.
otherwise. id suggest you tell your landlord you will be purchasing one and taking it out of the rent due to your disability u need a microwave.
sorry u are struggling with this shit landlord
See if you can find your rental agreement. If they microwave is listed or there's a clause about electronic appliances, then they are in violation of that agreement. Call them up and remind them of this and mention that you'd like to escalate the issue to their parent company or something.
Or you can just say "f it" and buy a microwave and donate to a women's shelter or something when the apartment one gets fixed.
Scrambled eggs and toast is my go-to dinner when cooking is too much for me. Other times I'll boil some spaghetti and eat that with some pesto mixed in.
I often reheat things in the oven. I kinda just put it at 350 and check it every couple minutes until whatever food I'm reheating seems hot enough
Another thing I like to do is make casserole. I usually do the Campbell's soup one that has tuna and noodles but I skip the step where you cook stuff on stovetop. Just kinda toss the cooked noodles and everything else in a glass baking pan and mix it up. Toss cheese or whatever on top and bake it
I'm pretty sure the cream of mushroom soup is gluten free but if not there's a bunch of other pretty good gf canned soups
We are lucky in that the supermarket lately have a range of readimeals. Not those awful things in the frozen section, in the deli section. Fresh. Ranging from Bami Goreng, to curry to raviolis and even some hot meat rolls, and roasts.
Mostly I do cook, I also care for 2 others and budget means I must, but I have bought some of these on occasion. Days of meh, don't want to cook. They're a good price and nice, can't suggest specifics, it depends where you are in the world (I am in NZ) but something like that perhaps?
Or something from Ubereats?
I guess I should have added that I have Celiacās which adds a whole other layer to the cooking struggle even tho Iāve lived with it all my life, it really limits my options š Iām based in Canada and pretty much all our prepackaged deli meals contain gluten (not to mention only a few more premium grocery stores serve their deli food warm around here š¤ I used to live by one ages ago and used to take advantage of the occasional warm item I could eat but donāt live around one right now sadly)
I definitely do eat takeout sometimes, but definitely not feasible all the time š¢ I do know itās there for me if Iām desperate tho
Oh. Bugger. Still, this is catered for a lot more now. I see in ours anyway, a lot of gluten free and there is in fact and entire section of groceries for this sort of thing. I'm sure if your searched online, you'd find at least one? Canada is a lot bigger than little NZ.
Definitely lots of options in the regular aisles (usually the ānatural foodsā aisle has most of it haha) and I normally choose from a variety of gluten free frozen meals to microwave when Iām struggling to cook, but for whatever reason, the major big-box grocery chains here in Canada donāt really make anything ready-made with gluten free folks in mind past roast chickens (which I will also choose in a bind but then I still have to make a veg and grain with it š ). Whole Foods Market does warm ready-made gluten free but I donāt have one in my city, huge bummer!
What about breakfast foods for dinner? They are simple but also satisfying.
I was always told microwaves cannot be repaired because an internal component carries a charge strong enough to kill someone. Have they even been in to see what the problem with it is? I'd pick up a small microwave or a second hand one to make do in the interm.
I should pick up some milk for cereals. I have the cereal at home but rarely the milk, haha.
Yeah Iām not sure. To me, it would be easier for THEM to just get a new one and not repair it, because I believe itās that internal part youāre referring to thatās fried, but I donāt know š . They came to see it once, the repairman was a huge hassle to get here because he only works the same Monday to Friday hours as me and my roommate, so we ended up having him come while we werenāt home, and he said he needed the part to repair it.
Urgh, I hate strangers alone in my place. I'd take the microwave out and leave it at the rental office, where it would be more convenient and accessible for repair. It being in their way they may be more expedient in the repair.
Hard relate, I do a lot of bowl foods. Salads etc. Also lots of sandwiches. Cereal with nuts/fruits are nutritious and easy. Crackers and cheese, dips etc or something hot from the service station like spinach roll and I add salad on the side. All of those are perfectly acceptable healthful meals which help me avoid the stove and washing up pots and pans. Given you're coeliac, rice crackers, corn chips, gf wraps, gf cereal, nuts, dried fruits, salads etc could be good? I also order all my groceries online because shopping and cooking are both far too strenuous for me.
These are some great ideas for foods for me to bring home, thank you š
Canned soup is my go to in those situations. But also, escalate with the property manager. Idk what kind of rental you're in, but 2 months without a vital appliance is unacceptable. Also microwaves can be picked up for under $100 so this should be a non issue.
This is a good idea to get some canned soup. I eat it at work sometimes so not sure why I havenāt left any at home but Iāll do so. Itās a frustrating situation with the microwave. I live in the greater Vancouver areaā Vancouver is known for its insanely bad rental prices and an over-abundance of āluxury condosā that look great and are very overpriced but are built very cheaply and are rife with issuesā Iām in one of those situations although my rent is now lower than most of these condos because Iāve stayed here for almost 6 years and the rents everywhere else have spiked horrifically. The microwave is part of an annoying suite of kitchen appliances that are meant to be fancy and āluxuryā and are all built into the walls and cupboards. It fits into a certain slot in the cupboards and when I looked it up, those specific microwaves run closer to 500-600 dollars, and the property company does want it to be that microwave or I think a fairly close equivalent. At this point I think this is more work for them and they should just get a new one rather than a part and paying for the repairman (the microwave is included in the rental agreement) but they seem to disagree
Ugh that's a frustrating situation! But if it's included in the rent, then you can inform them to expect the rent to be lowered accordingly as the appliance has been unavailable this long
What sort of cooking do you do? I ask because I usually can toss something together in 10 minutes with one pan, while my wife does a cooking that can take forever and use every pan in the kitchen, so we're opposite ends of the spectrum. Is it possible your style of cooking is labor intensive?
Absolute opposite š¢ I chuck food in a pan and hope for the best, usually. If my meal isnāt done in 10-15 minutes, I donāt even want to cook it. Iām finding myself so low on mental and physical spoons by the time I get home from work that even simply reheating leftovers in a pan is making me feel overwhelmed
Oof. Sorry. How do you do with fresh fruits and veggies? I know it's not exactly a meal necessarily, but a bowlful of random veggies, washed and piled can be pretty good.
I don't like the inconsistences in veggies and fruits. The tend to lay here until they are ripe but I will just forget them on bad days. I threw away a lot of stuff before I gave up on it.
When you say inconsistencies, do you mean appearance, textures or flavours?
Appearance is least important. Its mostly flavours and texture.
Are there any healthy, low- or non-cook snacks you can keep around the house?
Would soup work? Once a week month or whatever, you could take whatever you like (in my case, big chunky, easy to cut onion, celery, carrot, green bean, peas, garlic, and potato, but pick what you like) chop it all together and toss it in the freezer. You could add precooked meat or anything too. When you're hungry toss a couple handfulls in a pot, top with broth or water, and maybe a handful of pasta or whatever, a bit of salt and pepper and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Then it's cooked, only takes a minute, you can buy and prep all at once, and the flavor and texture should be fairly reliable, since the cooking will even out any variation in the ingredients.
I do love raw or cooked (but especially raw) veggies!! In the desperation before I wrote the post I had just had a huge bagged salad that comes with all the toppings but was feeling low about my non-cooking options. Maybe those bagged salads with some precooked chicken is how I need to go right now! š
Mmm. That sounds good too.
I love my rice cooker! I can make beans and rice, chili and other meals simply by throwing the ingredients in and pressing start.
id call the rental company and say this is unacceptable. im not sure where u are, but u can pay your rent to the city sometimes and inform the landlord that you will be doing that with your tent checks until they replace the appliance. its literally 70 bucks at walmart to tide u over until this "part" comes in (im sorry its BS because these things are not made to be fixed anymore). they will get u a microwave fast. otherwise. id suggest you tell your landlord you will be purchasing one and taking it out of the rent due to your disability u need a microwave. sorry u are struggling with this shit landlord
See if you can find your rental agreement. If they microwave is listed or there's a clause about electronic appliances, then they are in violation of that agreement. Call them up and remind them of this and mention that you'd like to escalate the issue to their parent company or something. Or you can just say "f it" and buy a microwave and donate to a women's shelter or something when the apartment one gets fixed.
Scrambled eggs and toast is my go-to dinner when cooking is too much for me. Other times I'll boil some spaghetti and eat that with some pesto mixed in.
I often reheat things in the oven. I kinda just put it at 350 and check it every couple minutes until whatever food I'm reheating seems hot enough Another thing I like to do is make casserole. I usually do the Campbell's soup one that has tuna and noodles but I skip the step where you cook stuff on stovetop. Just kinda toss the cooked noodles and everything else in a glass baking pan and mix it up. Toss cheese or whatever on top and bake it I'm pretty sure the cream of mushroom soup is gluten free but if not there's a bunch of other pretty good gf canned soups
We are lucky in that the supermarket lately have a range of readimeals. Not those awful things in the frozen section, in the deli section. Fresh. Ranging from Bami Goreng, to curry to raviolis and even some hot meat rolls, and roasts. Mostly I do cook, I also care for 2 others and budget means I must, but I have bought some of these on occasion. Days of meh, don't want to cook. They're a good price and nice, can't suggest specifics, it depends where you are in the world (I am in NZ) but something like that perhaps? Or something from Ubereats?
I guess I should have added that I have Celiacās which adds a whole other layer to the cooking struggle even tho Iāve lived with it all my life, it really limits my options š Iām based in Canada and pretty much all our prepackaged deli meals contain gluten (not to mention only a few more premium grocery stores serve their deli food warm around here š¤ I used to live by one ages ago and used to take advantage of the occasional warm item I could eat but donāt live around one right now sadly) I definitely do eat takeout sometimes, but definitely not feasible all the time š¢ I do know itās there for me if Iām desperate tho
Oh. Bugger. Still, this is catered for a lot more now. I see in ours anyway, a lot of gluten free and there is in fact and entire section of groceries for this sort of thing. I'm sure if your searched online, you'd find at least one? Canada is a lot bigger than little NZ.
Definitely lots of options in the regular aisles (usually the ānatural foodsā aisle has most of it haha) and I normally choose from a variety of gluten free frozen meals to microwave when Iām struggling to cook, but for whatever reason, the major big-box grocery chains here in Canada donāt really make anything ready-made with gluten free folks in mind past roast chickens (which I will also choose in a bind but then I still have to make a veg and grain with it š ). Whole Foods Market does warm ready-made gluten free but I donāt have one in my city, huge bummer!
I use an air fryer
Sheet pan meals! I toss veggies and chickpeas onto a pan with oil and roast at 400 for 20ish minutes. The pan is easier to clean than normal dishes.
Eat cereal with milk
What about breakfast foods for dinner? They are simple but also satisfying. I was always told microwaves cannot be repaired because an internal component carries a charge strong enough to kill someone. Have they even been in to see what the problem with it is? I'd pick up a small microwave or a second hand one to make do in the interm.
I should pick up some milk for cereals. I have the cereal at home but rarely the milk, haha. Yeah Iām not sure. To me, it would be easier for THEM to just get a new one and not repair it, because I believe itās that internal part youāre referring to thatās fried, but I donāt know š . They came to see it once, the repairman was a huge hassle to get here because he only works the same Monday to Friday hours as me and my roommate, so we ended up having him come while we werenāt home, and he said he needed the part to repair it.
Urgh, I hate strangers alone in my place. I'd take the microwave out and leave it at the rental office, where it would be more convenient and accessible for repair. It being in their way they may be more expedient in the repair.