The woes of hotel living

[zentoast]

So, I'm in the Navy and have been sent to Augusta, GA for a class. I'm being put up in a hotel for the next twenty-five days, with nothing but a microwave and the tiniest mini-fridge known to mankind. (Even those two amenities weren't included at first - apparently none of the rooms include them, they're a ten dollar charge each. So me and the hotel had a talk and they hooked me up for free, haha.)

Anyways, I've been doing pretty well eating healthy this year, despite a few missteps, and I don't want this month-long trip to screw that up for me. I've been focusing lately on gaining muscle, so I've been eating accordingly, but after the first two days of this trip I'm finding it difficult to keep my protein intake up, mostly due to the fact that I'm not sure what to do meat-wise when eating from a hotel. I've also been eating paleo, so despite my first thought of "eat sandwiches!" that's not really an option.

I've stocked up on some tuna pouches, almonds, fruits, larabars...I love tuna, but I don't know if I'm going to want to eat tuna as my lunch and dinner-time protein for the next month. (That post about getting mercury poisoning a few posts down doesn't help that.) Does anyone have any good, relatively healthy options? I'm already getting kind of tired of tuna, and I'd like to leave a dinner feeling satisifed at least a few times in the next month.

Thanks for any help you guys can give, you guys are the best!

[Elastigirl]

Eggs are microwaveable. Milk is not paleo, but if your stomach can handle it, it is a good protein source. Bacon is good cooked in the microwave.

[Driftwood]

Some grocery stores have tuna-like pouches of chicken. If you invested in a can opener then canned chicken and other meats would be available. I guess I don't have much food advice, but I was stationed at Fort Gordon for 4 years. If you need ideas of stuff to do there in your free time let me know.

[msuroo]

Most grocery stores carry roasted whole chickens - you can portion those up and keep 'em in the fridge.

Also, what's your schedule like? Do you have any days off? Lots of local parks have grills for public use (like this one) - take a bunch of meat and grill it up. Keep it in the fridge and reheat as needed.

And just because you aren't eating bread doesn't mean you can't eat cold cuts.

[Kirkor]

Do you get a per diem for eating out or does all the food have to be made in your room?

[zentoast]

Elastigirl, seriously, I had no idea you could microwave eggs. So you are amazing for saying that because it has only been two days and I'm having egg withdrawals.

Driftwood: Yeah, if you have any recommendations for stuff to do, that'd be cool. It seems pretty empty around here (at least comparatively; I'm stationed in San Antonio so it's quite the change) and I'm not sure what there is to do really. I'd like to find a good trail to run on!

msuroo: I never even thought of this - this is an awesome idea!

Kirkor: I am getting a per diem but I'd rather not be eating out all the time, especially considering my hotel is surrounded by nothing but fast food. It's a pain because there's three of us sharing the same rental car, so I'd rather just have food available in my hotel to eat when I want.

[Raincloak]

Go to a large supermarket and head for the deli section. Stock up from their salad bar, and ask them to slice you some meat. Take home, put in fridge, profit -- I mean, eat.

[wildross]

Wendys and chick fil a are both offering grilled chicken nuggets or strips now.

Tuna and fish pouches are definitely useful. Can you rent a bicycle (or buy one at a thrift store) for additional mobility? Or roller blades if you have the skillz

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[---]

Elastigirl, seriously, I had no idea you could microwave eggs. So you are amazing for saying that because it has only been two days and I'm having egg withdrawals.

She beat me to it, but yeah. I even have a recipe for quick egg salad using microwaved eggs. You can also microwave potatoes, as long as you stab them with a fork first. (I'm not paleo, so I have no idea if mayonnaise or potatoes are paleo-friendly, though.)

[wildross]

A george forman grill might work too if you have someway to clean it

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[Librarian of Doom]

I don't know what your budget is like, but if you can spring for a small crock-pot, you could cook some cheap cuts of meat during the day and have it ready when you come back. I'd recommend probably either a 2-4 quart; anything bigger would be pretty much impossible to clean in a hotel sink (and the 4 would probably get tricky). I had a little 2-quart in my dorm room back in the day; I'd get the cheapest beef roast, some carrots and potatoes, and 8 hours later, I would feast

[Driftwood]

Trail Running: This is a mountain biking trail system but it's awesome for running as well. Depending on the distance you want you can link trails together. I'm pretty sure it's over 25 miles of trails. I've biked and ran these trails and they are pretty fun. It's a bit of a drive though: http://www.imba.com/epics/forks-area-trail-system.

There's a short trail in between the Savannah River and the Augusta Canal. Next to the canal there is a towpath which is flat and wide, but pretty scenic. http://www.augustacanal.com/canalmap.pdf

If you want a kickass hill to run on base there's one off of 8th Ave. Take 8th Ave north off of Chamberlain Ave. It turns left, and parallels Chamberlain. On the right side of the road (north side) there is a sandy area and a break in the trees. There is a paved sidewalk that runs up the hill there.

I never went out much so I don't have any advice on the social scene there.

[Jcannon98188]

Its not paleo, but you have GOT to try out firehouse subs while you are in Georgia, there are 2 in Augusta I think. They are SO DELICIOUS.

[Avalon]

Most grocery stores carry roasted whole chickens - you can portion those up and keep 'em in the fridge.

...And just because you aren't eating bread doesn't mean you can't eat cold cuts.

Yes and yes and yes. Lots of grocery stores carry rotisserie chickens now, and they're usually pretty cheap (1 chicken for $6 or similar). Some stores have begun to expand on this and are carrying pre-cooked racks of ribs and other slow-cooked meats, so give those a try.

And cold cuts are fantastic if you've got no real way to cook things. Make "naked sandwiches" (sandwich w/o bread) and you're good for protein and a serving of veggies too.

The only other thing I'd suggest is maybe grab a few of those pre-packaged cold cuts that come in tupperware containers. I'd be worried about using a hotel fridge and not having things sealed up - just a personal opinion, but you don't know who's used it before or how many nasty chemicals they've used to clean it that you don't want getting on your food.

Good luck with the rest of your class!

[Oogiem]

You can also microwave potatoes, as long as you stab them with a fork first.

Poking with fork not required, they might explode but usually not. I wrap them in a paper towel in case, they cook faster if they are not poked.

[---]

*shrugs* I'm always the one that the random disasters happen to, so I never took the chance, however slim it may be.

And on that note, zentoast, don't do what my husband did and take your eggs out of the microwave immediately after the timer beeps. Your eggs may go "BOOM." (That was a fun morning. And of course this happened about an hour before church...)

[shiggles]

A george forman grill might work too if you have someway to clean it

I would actually go with this option. Invest in a cheapo version of something like this.

All the above suggestions are also fine, but they are missing out on what is (at least to me) a bit thing. Red meat. You can get chicken and fish easily enough but red meat cooked in the microwave is far from great. And if you get it precooked it's more expensive. You might be able to score something like a cheap electric hot plate or electric wok (even second hand) you could use as well and offload it when you leave.

[illc]

I spend 50% or more of the year in hotels. While I do get a decent per diem I try and keep myself stocked with extras so that I'm fueled when the schedule doesn't allow a trip to a restaurant for a full meal. Two of my major staples are Vega and canned sardines or other small fish. The first is a "whole food health optimizer" product ...a vegan (no-soy, no-gluten) shake blend that's really high in protein, essential vitamins and minerals (100% RDI of all of them in a single serving) and fiber. It's not a meal in and of itself as far as I'm concerned but does supply a concentrated punch of what veggies would deliver if I could have them on hand. The second, well, is small oily fish that grosses a lot of people out. They pack a bunch of protein, rebalance the Omega 3 to 6 oil ratio and come from a sea life population that isn't nearly as threatened as the bigger sexier fish like tuna.

Oh yes: nuts and trail mix. I see you do already have almonds. I keep a lot of nuts and trail mix around. Often a bit pricey but they're pretty much pure protein and fat and do not require refrigeration. They could just be that missing link to provide the satiety you're looking for.

[zentoast]

I would actually go with this option. Invest in a cheapo version of something like this.

All the above suggestions are also fine, but they are missing out on what is (at least to me) a bit thing. Red meat. You can get chicken and fish easily enough but red meat cooked in the microwave is far from great. And if you get it precooked it's more expensive. You might be able to score something like a cheap electric hot plate or electric wok (even second hand) you could use as well and offload it when you leave.

Yeah, I've spent all of this (what feels like very long) week craving red meat. The chicken idea worked out fantastically, and I just bring the pouches for lunch with spinach and veggies for a salad, but damn do I miss red meat. I'm thinking about investing in the George Foreman grill or looking at some second hand stores to find something to use. Zentoast need steaaaak.

Also, Celidah, I microwaved eggs this morning and they kind of exploded, so I feel your pain haha.