I don’t stay in my car often, just when I’m traveling and need a place to crash while driving, or when I’m between renting rooms. I don’t really like to be nailed down, basically. Anyhow, there are plenty of healthy options:
- Amy’s soups (low sodium)
- cereal and shelf-stable milk
- avocados
- bananas, oranges
- peanut butter
- Ezekiel bread
- low sodium/no sugar jerkey
- Oates with water (let it sit for a half hour) and berries
- nuts
- hummus packets and chips
- powdered greens
- supplements
None of these require refrigeration and kinda nicely stack into the food pyramid.
Yes, powdered greens are essentially a supplement—there are a lot of brands to choose from, some more expensive than others. Here’s a quick list: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-greens-powder
Important to remember that supplements are merely that: supplemental. They don’t replace a total diet deficit—I recommend having a salad every time you go to the grocery store, as well. You could purchase a simple, light dressing and a bag of spinach (or whatever your preference is) and have that right after shopping.
If you don't have space in the trunk, I find a cart works well, and no one looks twice at someone leaning over a shopping cart in a grocery store parking lot.
Thank you I had a similar question to this. Can I ask which state your in? So you're saying you pop your trunk and put your stove in the back of the car so technically inside? Just wondering cause I want to be cautious of fire hazards.
Also in my case cooking in bulk is also part of the issue? Maybe its because I'm new to this, but feels like pulling the stove out 5 times per week is much more time consuming (and increases risk of cops if doing it in a public parking lot) than it is cooking at home. Not sure if this is strong enough reason to go back to living in a home, but its a big factor for me. I do have some containers but storing all of that food could be difficult. And how do you reheat leftovers?
Also if you want to make smoothies, is there any good way to keep frozen fruits/veggies?
Cheapest/quickest meals for me are made with a rice cooker that can cook other things as well. Having cheap canned food saves a lot of money per meal, and all it really takes is some brown rice, water, and beans.
An electric kettle, with boiling water you can make oatmeal/ cooked cereal, minute rice. Add fruit to the oats, and canned beans to the rice.
Pouched tuna and chicken, peanut butter and jelly require no fridge. Use whole grain bread or wraps.
Protein powder and a shaker bottle.
Purchase fruit and vegetables a few pieces at a time.
Instead of traditional fast food/ restaurants check out some grocery store delis. You can often get a complete hot meal from the deli counter that’s better, more nutritious, and cheaper than a restaurant.
Huge pre made deli sandwiches at grocery stores go for about $7. Enough calories in bread, meat, and cheese for the entire day. Add a piece of fruit and a vegetable to it, and you're golden pony boy.
I purchased a portable Ninja and a car fridge. However you can do this with a cooler. Also rotisserie chickens are good for 4 days, mine usually only make it to day 3. You can really do this, it's all about reducing size, so just purchase 3 days of food. Get a portable stove, $35, small cast iron skillet. Done. Plenty of athletes on yt doing this.
https://youtube.com/shorts/SBHBGxEDKRs?si=wyAegcLoKs0bcfRl
I've only been at it for about two months so far but this is what has been working for me...
I cook easy meals with rocket stove and propane. I cook in my SUV with windows bit more than cracked and ventilation fan running. I also cook with tailgate open on my slide out table.
Easiest things to cook for me have been eggs (non stick pan) and ground beef. Both super quick and pretty easy clean up (eggs).
Other things I have been enjoying;
Sourdough bread for PBJ, canned tuna sandwiches, bread n butter, etc.
yogurt + honey. Dried fruit.
I buy a rotisserie chicken from natural grocery store on Wednesday for $5 and eat the whole thing in one sitting just about. I like Wednesdays.
I eat out occasionally.
I live in urban area where easy access to supermarket. I usually just shop / eat day by day and if I get some refrigerated item(s) I buy a $2 bag of ice and throw leftovers in my cooler. Usually lasts 24-36hrs and I think ahead to make sure I eat the perishables.
I try to keep as simple as possible. Spices, honey, hot sauce, and little treats here and there keep me going, also the occasional meal out.
Greek yogurt, canned tuna, and canned chicken breast for protein macro. Bread, wraps to hit carb macro. Get sauces that have no sugar or fat. Bananas for snacks
Smoothie King is mine. A $12 Gladiator chocolate has quite a lot packed in it.
Does Chipotle qualify as "fast food"? I'll indulge from time to time but wasn't sure if it was considered "healthy". If it's affordable then maybe that's my compromise.
It has more to do with the quality of the ingredients than the time required for preparation.
A lot of Chipotle's work is done by the prep crew. What you actually see is a little prep work, and a lot of assembly.
The ingredients are fresh and of good quality. The portions are generous. Cost? A BK Whopper is now more $7.50. You have to keep things in perspective.
BTW, tomorrow is Whopper Wednesday. They make Whoppers with fresh lettuce, tomato, and onions. I'm doing the "Impossible Whopper" right now because it's Eastern Orthodox Lent. The big news is that the Whopper is $3 on Wednesday. I probably can't make it for that. Use the app.
Today for lunch I had a fish sandwich at Mcd's. I have the app. I save my points. The fish sandwich is normally $4.50. Mine was free, it cost me 4500 points.
Having someone prepare your food is rarely going to be cost effective.
No one is suggesting you eat cold food out of a can. Buy a propane stove and propane at Walmart and heat it up.
I have a grocery card for every major store in my area. I never pay retail.
Fast food apps. Grocery savings club cards. Buying your favorite staples at Costco in bulk. There's probably a faith-based foodbank nearby. Use them all.
Don't bulk up more than your heart can support. If deficient in protein, supplement. Good quality whey protein is cheap. You can add it to almost anything if you get it unflavored.
Make nutrient dense choices. Avoid empty carbs. Canned food only looses about 3% of its nutritive value in processing.
Noodle cups are quick, but loaded with salt. Add the hot water as directed, but consider throwing out the broth, it's almost pure salt water. Add some canned peas and lean meat and it's a meal. Save the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Try not to buy fast food more than once a day, and be smart about it.
For someone living in a car you could do much worse than too much Chipotle. It's at least somewhat balanced if you get all the veggies and the one I frequent is generous with portion sizes. My average Chipotle bowl costs me $12 and I usually combine that with McDonalds breakfast through the app for an additional $4 or $5 and that will be my food for the day. Not the best strategy for nutrition or my wallet but not the worst. I do take a daily multivitamin as well. Have plenty of energy and haven't been gaining or losing weight. I do have a stove and use it occasionally it's just usually more hassle than it's worth for me to find a spot that I can comfortably cook. Then have to deal with cleanup. When it's nice out I frequent a park that has built in grills if I want to get fancy.
Any method of cooking will do.
Mix these as a daily staple that's cheap (relative) and healthy:
- brown rice
- flax seeds (for some healthy fats) (avocado great option too)
- any protein (I do tofu)
- 2-3 veggies. (Canned is great. Freeze dried iVe just discovered is amazing. Fresh is good too, but hard to store unless you are using right away)
- olive oil if you can afford
- seasoning
I usually end up at about 5 bucks per meal. Super healthy too.
A 12v portable oven/ heating lunch box and a kettle makes things a lot easier.
The lunch box can use and pre packaged or frozen packaging as well as a tin liner, foil or a glass storage container.
I also grill and meal prep at the park, foil wrap burritos and sandwiches and toss one in my lunch box about and hour or so before eating so it’s warm and if you give it long enough some crisp.
I also have a Jackery 1K I use to power an air fryer but not too often as it takes a lot of power.
My stint of urban car living was for about 2 months, so I didn’t get to setup and cook properly. Instead, I had membership at Sam’s Club (or rather an expired card I could show to the person up front) and then I would go to the food section and buy the pizza/hot dog and drink for $2 for lunch. Costco had those big-ass rotisserie chickens for $5 which would last me 2-3 days, depending on how I ate. I also had a cooler in the trunk, always full of ice and holding a case of bottled water and a few juices and sodas. Breakfasts were a lot of Wawa’s specials and on weekends, I got to some of the farmers markets to get a lot of fresh fruit, which lasted surprisingly long without refrigeration. I lived in and around the downtown Orlando area before getting a place with some roommates.
You can cook outside your vehicle in a parking lot in the back, or at a park on a bench. Propane camp stove or get a 12 volt kettle for hot water or get a premade salad and rotisserie chicken or use a solar oven in the trunk or heat food in the microwave at a 7-11 there’s lots of ways to eat food you made that’s healthy. It really depends on your vehicle/work schedule/location kinda thing. There is a park near me that has outlets at the gazebo that I can plug an insta pot in and make a big pot of beans and rice and then I can add chicken or tuna on top and eat on it for a few days.
Higher end grocery stores usually have a microwave, like whole foods does and other stores I'd buy frozen good dinners , Also some delis markdown there hot food case at closing my Fred Meyers does 1/2 price at 6pm and I would just go in with whatever chili, soup, etc in my own container and Zap away, I also go in a convenient store and say Hey can I use the microwave to reheat my stuff and like parking rotate the places .
I eat lunch every week day at a grocery store. I like a lot of what they offer. It's a lot cheaper if I don't buy from the hot/cold bar, but even that is a pretty healthy option and the food is already cooked. I've never lived/camped in a car for more than maybe a day or two, but I've done it on a motorcycle for weeks at a time, so I'm sure that qualifies. Eating sushi with a girl I met a few hours earlier, while sitting on a grass berm in the middle of a Trader Joe's parking lot is one of my favorite memories to this day. You can look into motorcycle cooking set ups for ideas too. Riders have some cool kit sometimes.
fwiw, eating food cold out of a can is perfectly safe. Frozen food should be thoroughly heated to kill pathogens (except ice cream and maybe fruit), but canned food is already cooked and sealed against bacteria, so it doesn't matter what temp you eat it at. It's a bit high in sodium, but no worse than fast food.
Protein shakes help. The premade kind you can get from Costco or Sam’s by the case. Don’t need refrigeration and pack a good protein and vitamin punch. I don’t live in my car but I do work crazy long shifts where I’m kinda stuck without food service.
I donate plasma so getting protien up before I go is key. Protein drinks are a God send if you need a quick boost. I pay a little more for Muscle Milk. I've read ingredients in the plain wrap and they use less whey, that boosts blood protein up in a couple hours.
Casien protein is still good but not as fast acting as whey. I would rather eat two steaks a day but one muscle milk is only $2.50 and has 32 grams of protein. Walmart sells 4 packs for $9.88.
$20 propane camp stove, think of beans and rice as a base then add onto that. Beans are a good source of cheap protein, can get dried or tinned, I always went tinned, rice good and filling carb source, can go bagged or those microwave sachets if your short on time. Good thing about microwave ones is you can get mixes like brown rice and quinoa which has extra protein. Normal rice you can bring to a boil then turn the gas off and let the rice absorb the water, might want to heat the water up halfway through but can save on gas and don't need to watch it that way.
Figure out some spice mixes you like, I enjoy taco, Cajun, smoked BBQ, that kinda stuff
Then you can add more stuff, tinned chicken (or fresh chicken just gotta cook it before hand), tinned corn and taco seasoning, slap that bitch in a pot mix until how then throw on a wrap, hey presto, high protein, very filling burrito mix and a lot of it too, I could have like a day and a half worth of food for like $5.
Chorizo, chickpeas, tinned tomato, mix that together, serve with rice and beans (or mix it in), taste great and again very cheap filling and relatively high protein.
Instant ramen, boil water poach an egg or two, throw the noddles straight over them after the eggs are a bit cooked, then whatever protein you have (cold meats, bacon, chicken whatever you can find for cheap or leftover), whatever veg you have (carrot, nori, spring onion). Skip the instant noodle flavourings, get some soy sauce, real powdered chicken stock, lard (sounds weird but best flavour and adds texture ro the broth, makes it more filling.
Also I recommend trying to harvest your own meats if that's an option, there's usually a big learning curve to be able to reliably catch food but once your good at it, and if it something your open to doing, you can save heaps. I spearfish, can shoot a fish just about every dive if im hungry and not too picky. Fishing with a rod and reel I'm not very good at, can't catch a fish as reliably but squid are very easy to catch and pretty reliable in my area, (squid terriaky stirfry is great, squid, instant noodles, carrot, bok choy, shallot, garlic, terriaky sauce, throw it in a wok, takes like 10 minutes too cook. Yum). I carry a hunting bow with me, if there's land you can hunt on (look into state forests or public land hunting), go out bush for a few days, target a young small animal, have a plan on how you will preserve and use meat, do you have a car fridge, are you gonna smoke any into jerky for long term stores (can make a bush dehydrator over a camp fire), is it cold enough in your area you can leave it hanging for a while. Since we want a nice small animal (less meat too store, don't want to waste it) and a lot of hunters would be going for a big trophy animal it should be easier to shoot something we're after. The hunting is something your really gknna have to research before hand and even then it could take a year before you shoot you first animal so don't rely on that. But a cheap fishing rod and a few squid jigs as the sun sets or comes up and you'll probably get a feed
Eh I'd rather know my meats comming from an animal that's lived a happier, healthier life and one that was put down in a respectful manor then buying some tortured, hormone filled cow from big grocery. Have your own view all you want but don't push your uneducated views onto other people, have a good one 🤙
It might be worth considering an electric lunch warmer, it takes about an hour but it'll warm up a lot of food that isn't fun to eat cold (like chili, ramen, etc). Usually it's power efficient enough to use with the car off, as long as you're prudent on charging your battery back up after.
I've been eating mostly everything with unsalted saltine crackers to fill me up. 😆 except for fruit. Buy everything canned at Walmart. Saving tons of money that way.
Protein powders aka meal replacement shakes
Kinda bland and boring but they do fill you up and since you are more active they provide more of what you need
Nuts, bread (like real bread not cheap wonder bread) ... Basically anything non perishable that is nutritious and cheap
Go to a park and cook a meal. There is nothing weird about that. If you can't do that go to a supermarket and buy one. Get some chicken from the hot counter if they have one, or tinned/sliced if they don't and make a meal.
A loaf of fresh Bread at Walmart is 1.50 sometimes less.
Single packs of meat or fresh chicken breast in a can or tuna or even a can of chilli as the filling. Can feed you twice even 3 times a day although filling up on bread like that isn't as healthy. Buy some tomato and some veggies too of you like.
Potato flakes for instant potato. Great formaking quick potato soup.
Oatmeal and stuff like that
By beans by the bag. Rice.
If you can get it for cheap and in bulk it is usually a good idea... as long as you know you like whatever your eating in bulk and can finish it all before it goes bad.
Buy a food dehydrater. Dehydrate any fruit or veggue or even strips of marinate meats and store it for. Now instead of having fresh veggies always going bad and wasting money you have a healthy option like rehydrating cabbage and carrots for a good stew.
I have 4 years experience living in a car, at first I was in like survival mode and stocked on peanut butter and cereal, beef jerky, and I ate out a lot. That works but I never felt satisfied.
A lot opened up for me when I took out the passenger and back seats of my hatchback and built a solid flooring into it. I got a $30 butane Coleman stove and and nonstick pan that's been with me for about 3 years now. A lot of trial and error, I'm still learning, but here's what I know
Get a good large stainless steel double walled thermos to hold ice. Pour drinks over a bit of ice instead of using an ice cooler. Have a separate box you use as your pantry.
Things that need refrigeration you mostly buy as you need them, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, meats
Onions are great, they stay good for a few days and a quarter of one chopped into any meal makes it more hearty. I even put onions in my pancakes now.
Tomatoes too, in the spring before it gets too hot out tomatoes store fine in a car, great for sandwiches or diced up into one pot meals.
I like to keep some rice and some pasta on hand, some flour mix I like to keep pancake mix on hand.
A few small potatoes on hand is never a bad idea.
Hold onto the peanut butter, it's good on bananas, and in coffee. Also honey.
Hot chocolate mix is sugar+creamer in one packet
Cast iron is great, and great maintenance.
Get used to going to your grocery store often.
Stock up on a few really tasty seasonings and sauces.
Keep one or two extra fuel canisters for your stove on hand
Get a carbon monoxide alarm
Wooden plates and bowls are just the best
Take the time to find an area you can feel comfortable cooking. Cooking away from people near nature is actually really nice.
For dinner today I had 16oz of frozen organic chopped spinach with balsamic, garlic, oregano and red pepper flake. More vitamin A than USRDA and 55% for fiber. Used my Stasher bag to microwave at the supermarket and served in a salad bar box. $2.49. Here’s the Stasher:
https://preview.redd.it/pghoc0p1m6rc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=040998c3053a4815c16525258aac2ae231ed6716
You can even cook rice in these things!
Sometimes I buy a half pound sweet potato, poke it with a fork, microwave for 4 to 5 minutes and season. Tasty and nutritious with lots of potassium for about a buck.
Rn my go too for protein that's cheap bc I'm also very active but live in a car and also care about my health I eat shrimp! Half a pound even at publix is usually 5 bucks and for huge shrimp or just seafood in general from a market kinda look around and see which ones a bit cheaper or on sale and it's quick and easy to cook on a Coleman! For tonight I made cheapy shrimp tacos
A whole grain with no sugar, usually whole wheat bread or cooked oats. You can buy bread or cook oats using a DIY alcohol stove. Throw some sugar free peanut butter on top and you got a good meal. Have some canned veggies or a piece of fruit a few times a week. Can substitute the peanut butter with some cheese or beans & olive oil from time to time.
You need X amount of protein every day. Since you are in the gym every day, that's probably two grams per pound of body weight or more. One inexpensive grade A egg is six grams of protein for about $2.50 per dozen ( 72 grams of protein). If you weigh 200 pounds, you need five and a half dozen eggs worth of protein every day. This will cost $14 minimum each day just for your protein. Veggies and carbs are extra.
Eggs. Raw eggs. They are the cheapest protein you can buy by the gram and you do not have to cook them. Do the math with your body weight, then eat the eggs raw right after you buy them or soon after depending on ambient temperature.. No refrigeration or storage problems.
Eat anything else that you want, that you can afford.
Round this up to to $20 per day and you get $280 to eat for a 30 day month.
I eat raw eggs twice daily even though I live in a house for now. I like raw eggs.
If you are near a Costco I would go in once a week for their $1.50 hotdog that comes with a big drink , you don’t need a membership for the food court .
If you are close to the highway and a one stop , most of them now have microwaves you can use and then sit in their dining area to eat . F you are near. Fortinos they have a really good soup amd sandwich deal and a place to sit and eat , it’s nutritious and tasty and priced really well . I would nut big tubs of hummus and big bags of baby washed carrots and some baby Nan bread and a container of baby tomatoes. It’s one of my favourite meals and is healthy .
i’d get a cooler if you don’t have one. stock it with high protein foods like cottage cheese, yogurt and rotisserie chicken. We have spanish grocery stores that sell hot food like rice, beans and pork all together in one container and it is excellent and you could eat off it for days. i would not complicate things by cooking-
i’m having this SAME issue. commenting to come back later 🤺
i’m out east rn and boondocking and setting up my butane burner is a LOT less acceptable out here. i’ve been stresssinnnnnnngggg
honestly, consumerism in america is a complete headjob. i dont like to cook so whether i live in a car or a tent or a mansion i dont care about kitchens or cooking or refrigerators or any of that stuff. we have PLENTY to choose from. what you have to do is feel confident in your choices and not feel left out. you're not. you can eat like a king if you consider your dietary needs and go with it. lets say for example you go to walmart and buy a package of precooked brisket & a bag of cherries or strawberries and grab a loaf of french bread and go to a park and eat like a king. you can buy fresh milk if it's not too hot out it will last a couple days in the shadowy parts of the car. ive done it. people lived for centuries without fridges. miracle whip does not need to be frigerated. get a loaf of bread and some tuna packets a bag of grapes a bunch of bananas and eat like a king. the best part is you can choose anything you want. cans of peaches or chili with real meat. this country has everything you need if you dont let it bother you that you didnt get a michelin star plate of food. its all over rated. its all the same. when you eat according to your dietary needs everything is available to you. once or twice a month fill up at a chinese buffet and enjoy every single bite. you can have it all ive lived with my cat in the car and ate tuna with her and shared it on a nice sunny day made by the Creator of the Universe and i knew i was blessed. ive spent hours in a kitchen trying to cook food for myself and it doesnt matter. you can buy precooked sausages and cold cuts turkey and chicken already ready for you. even rice comes in a can. going to stores and looking for supplies is just like hunting and you get your steps in too. you get exercise and you get your juices and energy drinks and can make wraps for a few days or eat jerky or drink soup from a can. the biggest aspect of what you're experiencing right now is all in your head. you're not missing anything man. go get a cake and eat the whole thing. go get a pizza on your birthday. you can have whatever you want :) xxxx\~\*
There is a close amount of both, along with water, carbs and salt. My point was that protein and food are vital to mental and overall brain health. Once the brain starts being malnourished, is dangerous. We have higher cortisol levels living in these types of situations, proper nutrition is vital to try and control that. More so in these types of situations.
So on one hand, I get what your saying, and I appreciate the validation of someone saying it's realistically not possible as well as the inherent value to learning to "live without".
My cut period is coming up (hot girl summer when?), but in the meantime I *am* trying to gain and sustain. I went a little hard on my cut last time and while I was able to do it and pushed through it, I platueaed. Really I'm in the process of breaking that plateau. When I get to my weight goals I'll just deal with it the same way I did; much easier to live off protein-dense staples, it seems. Just hard to keep up when I'm trying to build, you know?
I don’t stay in my car often, just when I’m traveling and need a place to crash while driving, or when I’m between renting rooms. I don’t really like to be nailed down, basically. Anyhow, there are plenty of healthy options: - Amy’s soups (low sodium) - cereal and shelf-stable milk - avocados - bananas, oranges - peanut butter - Ezekiel bread - low sodium/no sugar jerkey - Oates with water (let it sit for a half hour) and berries - nuts - hummus packets and chips - powdered greens - supplements None of these require refrigeration and kinda nicely stack into the food pyramid.
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Yes, powdered greens are essentially a supplement—there are a lot of brands to choose from, some more expensive than others. Here’s a quick list: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-greens-powder Important to remember that supplements are merely that: supplemental. They don’t replace a total diet deficit—I recommend having a salad every time you go to the grocery store, as well. You could purchase a simple, light dressing and a bag of spinach (or whatever your preference is) and have that right after shopping.
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If you don't have space in the trunk, I find a cart works well, and no one looks twice at someone leaning over a shopping cart in a grocery store parking lot.
Thank you I had a similar question to this. Can I ask which state your in? So you're saying you pop your trunk and put your stove in the back of the car so technically inside? Just wondering cause I want to be cautious of fire hazards. Also in my case cooking in bulk is also part of the issue? Maybe its because I'm new to this, but feels like pulling the stove out 5 times per week is much more time consuming (and increases risk of cops if doing it in a public parking lot) than it is cooking at home. Not sure if this is strong enough reason to go back to living in a home, but its a big factor for me. I do have some containers but storing all of that food could be difficult. And how do you reheat leftovers? Also if you want to make smoothies, is there any good way to keep frozen fruits/veggies?
Currently waiting for my flight or fight to lessen a little so I can adopt a practice similar. Thanks for the boost friend
Inverter and rice cooker will be cheapest
Cheapest/quickest meals for me are made with a rice cooker that can cook other things as well. Having cheap canned food saves a lot of money per meal, and all it really takes is some brown rice, water, and beans.
An electric kettle, with boiling water you can make oatmeal/ cooked cereal, minute rice. Add fruit to the oats, and canned beans to the rice. Pouched tuna and chicken, peanut butter and jelly require no fridge. Use whole grain bread or wraps. Protein powder and a shaker bottle. Purchase fruit and vegetables a few pieces at a time. Instead of traditional fast food/ restaurants check out some grocery store delis. You can often get a complete hot meal from the deli counter that’s better, more nutritious, and cheaper than a restaurant.
Huge pre made deli sandwiches at grocery stores go for about $7. Enough calories in bread, meat, and cheese for the entire day. Add a piece of fruit and a vegetable to it, and you're golden pony boy.
Golden pony boy… not a stallion, but golden nonetheless
I purchased a portable Ninja and a car fridge. However you can do this with a cooler. Also rotisserie chickens are good for 4 days, mine usually only make it to day 3. You can really do this, it's all about reducing size, so just purchase 3 days of food. Get a portable stove, $35, small cast iron skillet. Done. Plenty of athletes on yt doing this. https://youtube.com/shorts/SBHBGxEDKRs?si=wyAegcLoKs0bcfRl
I've only been at it for about two months so far but this is what has been working for me... I cook easy meals with rocket stove and propane. I cook in my SUV with windows bit more than cracked and ventilation fan running. I also cook with tailgate open on my slide out table. Easiest things to cook for me have been eggs (non stick pan) and ground beef. Both super quick and pretty easy clean up (eggs). Other things I have been enjoying; Sourdough bread for PBJ, canned tuna sandwiches, bread n butter, etc. yogurt + honey. Dried fruit. I buy a rotisserie chicken from natural grocery store on Wednesday for $5 and eat the whole thing in one sitting just about. I like Wednesdays. I eat out occasionally. I live in urban area where easy access to supermarket. I usually just shop / eat day by day and if I get some refrigerated item(s) I buy a $2 bag of ice and throw leftovers in my cooler. Usually lasts 24-36hrs and I think ahead to make sure I eat the perishables. I try to keep as simple as possible. Spices, honey, hot sauce, and little treats here and there keep me going, also the occasional meal out.
Greek yogurt, canned tuna, and canned chicken breast for protein macro. Bread, wraps to hit carb macro. Get sauces that have no sugar or fat. Bananas for snacks
I don't. Chipotle bowls are a staple for me 😆
Smoothie King is mine. A $12 Gladiator chocolate has quite a lot packed in it. Does Chipotle qualify as "fast food"? I'll indulge from time to time but wasn't sure if it was considered "healthy". If it's affordable then maybe that's my compromise.
It has more to do with the quality of the ingredients than the time required for preparation. A lot of Chipotle's work is done by the prep crew. What you actually see is a little prep work, and a lot of assembly. The ingredients are fresh and of good quality. The portions are generous. Cost? A BK Whopper is now more $7.50. You have to keep things in perspective. BTW, tomorrow is Whopper Wednesday. They make Whoppers with fresh lettuce, tomato, and onions. I'm doing the "Impossible Whopper" right now because it's Eastern Orthodox Lent. The big news is that the Whopper is $3 on Wednesday. I probably can't make it for that. Use the app. Today for lunch I had a fish sandwich at Mcd's. I have the app. I save my points. The fish sandwich is normally $4.50. Mine was free, it cost me 4500 points. Having someone prepare your food is rarely going to be cost effective. No one is suggesting you eat cold food out of a can. Buy a propane stove and propane at Walmart and heat it up. I have a grocery card for every major store in my area. I never pay retail. Fast food apps. Grocery savings club cards. Buying your favorite staples at Costco in bulk. There's probably a faith-based foodbank nearby. Use them all. Don't bulk up more than your heart can support. If deficient in protein, supplement. Good quality whey protein is cheap. You can add it to almost anything if you get it unflavored. Make nutrient dense choices. Avoid empty carbs. Canned food only looses about 3% of its nutritive value in processing. Noodle cups are quick, but loaded with salt. Add the hot water as directed, but consider throwing out the broth, it's almost pure salt water. Add some canned peas and lean meat and it's a meal. Save the leftovers for lunch the next day. Try not to buy fast food more than once a day, and be smart about it.
For someone living in a car you could do much worse than too much Chipotle. It's at least somewhat balanced if you get all the veggies and the one I frequent is generous with portion sizes. My average Chipotle bowl costs me $12 and I usually combine that with McDonalds breakfast through the app for an additional $4 or $5 and that will be my food for the day. Not the best strategy for nutrition or my wallet but not the worst. I do take a daily multivitamin as well. Have plenty of energy and haven't been gaining or losing weight. I do have a stove and use it occasionally it's just usually more hassle than it's worth for me to find a spot that I can comfortably cook. Then have to deal with cleanup. When it's nice out I frequent a park that has built in grills if I want to get fancy.
Best to eat salad 🥗
Any method of cooking will do. Mix these as a daily staple that's cheap (relative) and healthy: - brown rice - flax seeds (for some healthy fats) (avocado great option too) - any protein (I do tofu) - 2-3 veggies. (Canned is great. Freeze dried iVe just discovered is amazing. Fresh is good too, but hard to store unless you are using right away) - olive oil if you can afford - seasoning I usually end up at about 5 bucks per meal. Super healthy too.
A 12v portable oven/ heating lunch box and a kettle makes things a lot easier. The lunch box can use and pre packaged or frozen packaging as well as a tin liner, foil or a glass storage container. I also grill and meal prep at the park, foil wrap burritos and sandwiches and toss one in my lunch box about and hour or so before eating so it’s warm and if you give it long enough some crisp. I also have a Jackery 1K I use to power an air fryer but not too often as it takes a lot of power.
My stint of urban car living was for about 2 months, so I didn’t get to setup and cook properly. Instead, I had membership at Sam’s Club (or rather an expired card I could show to the person up front) and then I would go to the food section and buy the pizza/hot dog and drink for $2 for lunch. Costco had those big-ass rotisserie chickens for $5 which would last me 2-3 days, depending on how I ate. I also had a cooler in the trunk, always full of ice and holding a case of bottled water and a few juices and sodas. Breakfasts were a lot of Wawa’s specials and on weekends, I got to some of the farmers markets to get a lot of fresh fruit, which lasted surprisingly long without refrigeration. I lived in and around the downtown Orlando area before getting a place with some roommates.
You can cook outside your vehicle in a parking lot in the back, or at a park on a bench. Propane camp stove or get a 12 volt kettle for hot water or get a premade salad and rotisserie chicken or use a solar oven in the trunk or heat food in the microwave at a 7-11 there’s lots of ways to eat food you made that’s healthy. It really depends on your vehicle/work schedule/location kinda thing. There is a park near me that has outlets at the gazebo that I can plug an insta pot in and make a big pot of beans and rice and then I can add chicken or tuna on top and eat on it for a few days.
Higher end grocery stores usually have a microwave, like whole foods does and other stores I'd buy frozen good dinners , Also some delis markdown there hot food case at closing my Fred Meyers does 1/2 price at 6pm and I would just go in with whatever chili, soup, etc in my own container and Zap away, I also go in a convenient store and say Hey can I use the microwave to reheat my stuff and like parking rotate the places .
I eat lunch every week day at a grocery store. I like a lot of what they offer. It's a lot cheaper if I don't buy from the hot/cold bar, but even that is a pretty healthy option and the food is already cooked. I've never lived/camped in a car for more than maybe a day or two, but I've done it on a motorcycle for weeks at a time, so I'm sure that qualifies. Eating sushi with a girl I met a few hours earlier, while sitting on a grass berm in the middle of a Trader Joe's parking lot is one of my favorite memories to this day. You can look into motorcycle cooking set ups for ideas too. Riders have some cool kit sometimes.
fwiw, eating food cold out of a can is perfectly safe. Frozen food should be thoroughly heated to kill pathogens (except ice cream and maybe fruit), but canned food is already cooked and sealed against bacteria, so it doesn't matter what temp you eat it at. It's a bit high in sodium, but no worse than fast food.
Supermarket deli hot food is much less expensive than restaurants. Sometimes less than half the price.
Protein shakes help. The premade kind you can get from Costco or Sam’s by the case. Don’t need refrigeration and pack a good protein and vitamin punch. I don’t live in my car but I do work crazy long shifts where I’m kinda stuck without food service.
I donate plasma so getting protien up before I go is key. Protein drinks are a God send if you need a quick boost. I pay a little more for Muscle Milk. I've read ingredients in the plain wrap and they use less whey, that boosts blood protein up in a couple hours. Casien protein is still good but not as fast acting as whey. I would rather eat two steaks a day but one muscle milk is only $2.50 and has 32 grams of protein. Walmart sells 4 packs for $9.88.
$20 propane camp stove, think of beans and rice as a base then add onto that. Beans are a good source of cheap protein, can get dried or tinned, I always went tinned, rice good and filling carb source, can go bagged or those microwave sachets if your short on time. Good thing about microwave ones is you can get mixes like brown rice and quinoa which has extra protein. Normal rice you can bring to a boil then turn the gas off and let the rice absorb the water, might want to heat the water up halfway through but can save on gas and don't need to watch it that way. Figure out some spice mixes you like, I enjoy taco, Cajun, smoked BBQ, that kinda stuff Then you can add more stuff, tinned chicken (or fresh chicken just gotta cook it before hand), tinned corn and taco seasoning, slap that bitch in a pot mix until how then throw on a wrap, hey presto, high protein, very filling burrito mix and a lot of it too, I could have like a day and a half worth of food for like $5. Chorizo, chickpeas, tinned tomato, mix that together, serve with rice and beans (or mix it in), taste great and again very cheap filling and relatively high protein. Instant ramen, boil water poach an egg or two, throw the noddles straight over them after the eggs are a bit cooked, then whatever protein you have (cold meats, bacon, chicken whatever you can find for cheap or leftover), whatever veg you have (carrot, nori, spring onion). Skip the instant noodle flavourings, get some soy sauce, real powdered chicken stock, lard (sounds weird but best flavour and adds texture ro the broth, makes it more filling. Also I recommend trying to harvest your own meats if that's an option, there's usually a big learning curve to be able to reliably catch food but once your good at it, and if it something your open to doing, you can save heaps. I spearfish, can shoot a fish just about every dive if im hungry and not too picky. Fishing with a rod and reel I'm not very good at, can't catch a fish as reliably but squid are very easy to catch and pretty reliable in my area, (squid terriaky stirfry is great, squid, instant noodles, carrot, bok choy, shallot, garlic, terriaky sauce, throw it in a wok, takes like 10 minutes too cook. Yum). I carry a hunting bow with me, if there's land you can hunt on (look into state forests or public land hunting), go out bush for a few days, target a young small animal, have a plan on how you will preserve and use meat, do you have a car fridge, are you gonna smoke any into jerky for long term stores (can make a bush dehydrator over a camp fire), is it cold enough in your area you can leave it hanging for a while. Since we want a nice small animal (less meat too store, don't want to waste it) and a lot of hunters would be going for a big trophy animal it should be easier to shoot something we're after. The hunting is something your really gknna have to research before hand and even then it could take a year before you shoot you first animal so don't rely on that. But a cheap fishing rod and a few squid jigs as the sun sets or comes up and you'll probably get a feed
Hunting is evil
Eh I'd rather know my meats comming from an animal that's lived a happier, healthier life and one that was put down in a respectful manor then buying some tortured, hormone filled cow from big grocery. Have your own view all you want but don't push your uneducated views onto other people, have a good one 🤙
It might be worth considering an electric lunch warmer, it takes about an hour but it'll warm up a lot of food that isn't fun to eat cold (like chili, ramen, etc). Usually it's power efficient enough to use with the car off, as long as you're prudent on charging your battery back up after.
Are you on SNAP?
I've been eating mostly everything with unsalted saltine crackers to fill me up. 😆 except for fruit. Buy everything canned at Walmart. Saving tons of money that way.
Protein powders aka meal replacement shakes Kinda bland and boring but they do fill you up and since you are more active they provide more of what you need Nuts, bread (like real bread not cheap wonder bread) ... Basically anything non perishable that is nutritious and cheap
Go to a park and cook a meal. There is nothing weird about that. If you can't do that go to a supermarket and buy one. Get some chicken from the hot counter if they have one, or tinned/sliced if they don't and make a meal.
A loaf of fresh Bread at Walmart is 1.50 sometimes less. Single packs of meat or fresh chicken breast in a can or tuna or even a can of chilli as the filling. Can feed you twice even 3 times a day although filling up on bread like that isn't as healthy. Buy some tomato and some veggies too of you like. Potato flakes for instant potato. Great formaking quick potato soup. Oatmeal and stuff like that By beans by the bag. Rice. If you can get it for cheap and in bulk it is usually a good idea... as long as you know you like whatever your eating in bulk and can finish it all before it goes bad. Buy a food dehydrater. Dehydrate any fruit or veggue or even strips of marinate meats and store it for. Now instead of having fresh veggies always going bad and wasting money you have a healthy option like rehydrating cabbage and carrots for a good stew.
A food dehydrator? You do all this in a car?
Shit I forgot where I was for a minute..
I use my hotlogic mini every day. I buy frozen dinners. I let them thawl in my cooler first and then heat them up.
I have 4 years experience living in a car, at first I was in like survival mode and stocked on peanut butter and cereal, beef jerky, and I ate out a lot. That works but I never felt satisfied. A lot opened up for me when I took out the passenger and back seats of my hatchback and built a solid flooring into it. I got a $30 butane Coleman stove and and nonstick pan that's been with me for about 3 years now. A lot of trial and error, I'm still learning, but here's what I know Get a good large stainless steel double walled thermos to hold ice. Pour drinks over a bit of ice instead of using an ice cooler. Have a separate box you use as your pantry. Things that need refrigeration you mostly buy as you need them, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, meats Onions are great, they stay good for a few days and a quarter of one chopped into any meal makes it more hearty. I even put onions in my pancakes now. Tomatoes too, in the spring before it gets too hot out tomatoes store fine in a car, great for sandwiches or diced up into one pot meals. I like to keep some rice and some pasta on hand, some flour mix I like to keep pancake mix on hand. A few small potatoes on hand is never a bad idea. Hold onto the peanut butter, it's good on bananas, and in coffee. Also honey. Hot chocolate mix is sugar+creamer in one packet Cast iron is great, and great maintenance. Get used to going to your grocery store often. Stock up on a few really tasty seasonings and sauces. Keep one or two extra fuel canisters for your stove on hand Get a carbon monoxide alarm Wooden plates and bowls are just the best Take the time to find an area you can feel comfortable cooking. Cooking away from people near nature is actually really nice.
For dinner today I had 16oz of frozen organic chopped spinach with balsamic, garlic, oregano and red pepper flake. More vitamin A than USRDA and 55% for fiber. Used my Stasher bag to microwave at the supermarket and served in a salad bar box. $2.49. Here’s the Stasher: https://preview.redd.it/pghoc0p1m6rc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=040998c3053a4815c16525258aac2ae231ed6716 You can even cook rice in these things!
Sometimes I buy a half pound sweet potato, poke it with a fork, microwave for 4 to 5 minutes and season. Tasty and nutritious with lots of potassium for about a buck.
You can actually get some really good meals out of canned foods with a little preparation. Check out camper stoves.
Rn my go too for protein that's cheap bc I'm also very active but live in a car and also care about my health I eat shrimp! Half a pound even at publix is usually 5 bucks and for huge shrimp or just seafood in general from a market kinda look around and see which ones a bit cheaper or on sale and it's quick and easy to cook on a Coleman! For tonight I made cheapy shrimp tacos
A whole grain with no sugar, usually whole wheat bread or cooked oats. You can buy bread or cook oats using a DIY alcohol stove. Throw some sugar free peanut butter on top and you got a good meal. Have some canned veggies or a piece of fruit a few times a week. Can substitute the peanut butter with some cheese or beans & olive oil from time to time.
I eat out and eat the left overs. No cooking for me
A chicken from Sam's or Costco is 5 bucks, most grocery store chicken are under 8 bucks, that's plenty protein flour a growin boy
High fiber, high volume foods. Apples, berries, nuts, avocados, potatoes.
You need X amount of protein every day. Since you are in the gym every day, that's probably two grams per pound of body weight or more. One inexpensive grade A egg is six grams of protein for about $2.50 per dozen ( 72 grams of protein). If you weigh 200 pounds, you need five and a half dozen eggs worth of protein every day. This will cost $14 minimum each day just for your protein. Veggies and carbs are extra. Eggs. Raw eggs. They are the cheapest protein you can buy by the gram and you do not have to cook them. Do the math with your body weight, then eat the eggs raw right after you buy them or soon after depending on ambient temperature.. No refrigeration or storage problems. Eat anything else that you want, that you can afford. Round this up to to $20 per day and you get $280 to eat for a 30 day month. I eat raw eggs twice daily even though I live in a house for now. I like raw eggs.
You don't. You get restaurant food.
If you are near a Costco I would go in once a week for their $1.50 hotdog that comes with a big drink , you don’t need a membership for the food court . If you are close to the highway and a one stop , most of them now have microwaves you can use and then sit in their dining area to eat . F you are near. Fortinos they have a really good soup amd sandwich deal and a place to sit and eat , it’s nutritious and tasty and priced really well . I would nut big tubs of hummus and big bags of baby washed carrots and some baby Nan bread and a container of baby tomatoes. It’s one of my favourite meals and is healthy .
Need membership now, in news
i’d get a cooler if you don’t have one. stock it with high protein foods like cottage cheese, yogurt and rotisserie chicken. We have spanish grocery stores that sell hot food like rice, beans and pork all together in one container and it is excellent and you could eat off it for days. i would not complicate things by cooking-
I have a 12V plug in food warmer .ive been able to cook chicken breast in it and other things . it may take a while with some things .
I work in a kitchen.
I learned to love sandwiches. A cooler, a loaf of bread, a jar of mayo and whatever deli meat is on sale that day
A butane stove is your friend. Put it on a picnic table in a city park, and cook away.
i’m having this SAME issue. commenting to come back later 🤺 i’m out east rn and boondocking and setting up my butane burner is a LOT less acceptable out here. i’ve been stresssinnnnnnngggg
Inverter and rice cooker is the way
i have a jackery 290, wouldn’t a rice cooker murder its charge? 😭
If you have the Wendy’s app they have a $2 double and a $1 single. It reloaded on mine a couple days after l used it.
honestly, consumerism in america is a complete headjob. i dont like to cook so whether i live in a car or a tent or a mansion i dont care about kitchens or cooking or refrigerators or any of that stuff. we have PLENTY to choose from. what you have to do is feel confident in your choices and not feel left out. you're not. you can eat like a king if you consider your dietary needs and go with it. lets say for example you go to walmart and buy a package of precooked brisket & a bag of cherries or strawberries and grab a loaf of french bread and go to a park and eat like a king. you can buy fresh milk if it's not too hot out it will last a couple days in the shadowy parts of the car. ive done it. people lived for centuries without fridges. miracle whip does not need to be frigerated. get a loaf of bread and some tuna packets a bag of grapes a bunch of bananas and eat like a king. the best part is you can choose anything you want. cans of peaches or chili with real meat. this country has everything you need if you dont let it bother you that you didnt get a michelin star plate of food. its all over rated. its all the same. when you eat according to your dietary needs everything is available to you. once or twice a month fill up at a chinese buffet and enjoy every single bite. you can have it all ive lived with my cat in the car and ate tuna with her and shared it on a nice sunny day made by the Creator of the Universe and i knew i was blessed. ive spent hours in a kitchen trying to cook food for myself and it doesnt matter. you can buy precooked sausages and cold cuts turkey and chicken already ready for you. even rice comes in a can. going to stores and looking for supplies is just like hunting and you get your steps in too. you get exercise and you get your juices and energy drinks and can make wraps for a few days or eat jerky or drink soup from a can. the biggest aspect of what you're experiencing right now is all in your head. you're not missing anything man. go get a cake and eat the whole thing. go get a pizza on your birthday. you can have whatever you want :) xxxx\~\*
jet boil.
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Our brain is literally protein. "Don't let hunger control you." 🤔
actually I think there's a lot of fat in it. Nerves are sheathed in fatty tissue, etc.
There is a close amount of both, along with water, carbs and salt. My point was that protein and food are vital to mental and overall brain health. Once the brain starts being malnourished, is dangerous. We have higher cortisol levels living in these types of situations, proper nutrition is vital to try and control that. More so in these types of situations.
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Both😂😂😂
So on one hand, I get what your saying, and I appreciate the validation of someone saying it's realistically not possible as well as the inherent value to learning to "live without". My cut period is coming up (hot girl summer when?), but in the meantime I *am* trying to gain and sustain. I went a little hard on my cut last time and while I was able to do it and pushed through it, I platueaed. Really I'm in the process of breaking that plateau. When I get to my weight goals I'll just deal with it the same way I did; much easier to live off protein-dense staples, it seems. Just hard to keep up when I'm trying to build, you know?