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Eating cheaper on the road.

13K views 94 replies 26 participants last post by  Reg 
#1 ·
For those of you who have traveled extensively for work, what are some good cost saving ways to eat? I've been working on the road for 6 out of the last 7 months and the am tired of restaurants.

Generally, I'm not in one location for more then a week, however Tuesday I'm leaving for FL and will be there for 2.5-3 weeks. I hate fast food.. Did I mention I hate eating out?! :rolleyes:

Need some good meal ideas, methods, etc from some of you more experienced road warriors.

I can throw down in a kitchen, so no issue with cooking. Throw some ideas out there!
 
#2 ·
Sheppards pie with beef or pork ids pretty great. You can make a few servings and freeze. Same with chicken pot pie.

Roast beef is another good one for stretching out the meals. You can make a few days worth of lunch sandwiches off what you don't eat.

Pataks curry chicken is really easy. Just follow the direction on the side of the jar. http://www.pataks.ca/products/ Lots of Indian recipes on their site if you like.

Buy a pre-made pizza crust and throw whatever yo want on there.

Spaghetti is as easy as it gets...
 
#6 ·
I don't travel, but maybe you can use these "go to" ideas:

pasta w/ pesto. Either farfale or mezze penne are good choices with this. Costco has a good pesto.

Grilled chicken breasts make good, quick leftovers. Slice and eat w/ home-made italian dressing. I like to keep a bottle handy, made with a "good seasons" packet, NO water, and add some soy & dijon mustard. Eat by itself or over salad, etc.

Crock pot stuff, chili, hearty soups. Very rewarding to get a couple good soup recipes under your belt, and make a pot of it. I just made "chili soup" w/ beef stock, fried ground beef, onion, can of beans, etc. Thicken it, spice as necessary (chili powder, salt, etc.)

All this stuff can be made ahead and be ready to go in the fridge or freezer.
 
#7 ·
If you're staying in an efficiency (with a kitchen) you have a lot of options. Things like pre-made meals you cook, or just shop like you would for home. Bring the basics from home. S&P, mustard, mayo, ketchup, storage containers (for leftovers), etc. Things you will use in small quantities.

If you're staying in a regular room, do what I sometimes do - I have a box with a small electric stove-type burner, a couple of pots and pans, plates, cups, utensils, S&P, paper towels, etc. Basic camping stuff. And a cooler to keep stuff cold. Works for me. Eating out gets old and you feel like you've had something 'home-cooked'.
 
#8 ·
Pan-fry some onions, then fry a piece of sirloin in the same pan (cut it up and cook it on the rare side). Microwave a potato or two (soak, poke some holes in it, wrap in plastic, microwave). Good stuff. You can also pay-fry some button mushrooms in butter (low heat).
 
#9 ·
I havent ever worked out of town much, but I used to use a hot plate and cook up some beef, peppers and heat up some tortillas or a hoagie. Tacos, until I hate it then a steak sandwich.

Not to original here. Pretty much jacked the idea from them boys south of me.
 
#12 ·
Typically for lunches and stuff I eat lots of things like yogurt, sardines, seaweed, salad, fruits, veggies, cottage cheeses, protein bars and sandwiches anyways. For me that part would be no different on the road or not.

What do you have to cook with is the big question... I always travel with my trusty rusty microwave and you can do a lot with that.
 
#13 ·
The owner 5hitballed us before I started and stopped paying per diem when he found out it wasn't mandated. Our wages are good and we stay in decent hotels with a full hot complementary bfast, so that somewhat makes up for it.

Great ideas here, keep them coming. After staying on the Strip in Vegas and paying 300$ that week to eat.. trying to cut back to 100$.
 
#14 ·
Canned beans and rice is always good...even if you use it as a base for a meat dish.

If I am going to be at a place that has a fridge, I always get a half-gallon of almond milk, a box of cereal or oatmeal, a loaf of bread, cheese, cold-cuts, and condiments. I could probably throw in a couple of big cans of mixed fruit and get it a few days worth of food for around $20.
 
#15 ·
Canned beans and rice is always good...even if you use it as a base for a meat dish.

If I am going to be at a place that has a fridge, I always get a half-gallon of almond milk, a box of cereal or oatmeal, a loaf of bread, cheese, cold-cuts, and condiments. I could probably throw in a couple of big cans of mixed fruit and get it a few days worth of food for around $20.
A man could like off canned Heinz beans...if you wanna get fancy fry up a sausage and add it in the mix.

Rice makes a complete protein...but who has time to cook rice!
 
#18 ·
Primarily Holiday Inns or Expresses. We were just in Little Rock and stayed in a Crowne Plaza. As old as their hot breakfast gets, I still tear it up every morning. To me, free generally tastes good.

I'm going to make a pot of chili, some cornbread, maybe a batch of potato soup. It's gotten so bad that I actually look forward to eating at Cracker Barrel, because that is as close to home cooked meal you can buy at a restaurant.

My checklist thus far includes, some cheap plastic dishes, utensils and roll of paper towels. Stuff I can throw away when finished.

I have an old school skillet similar to this that is bad ass. They don't make them like they used to.



We'll be staying on the beach in the FL panhandle, so I may take a small charcoal grill or buy one while I'm down there.

Packing light is not a necessity but IMO the smaller the footprint the better.

My list thus far includes
plastic bowls
plates
cups
spatula
stir spoon
some cheap silverware

Also. Buying sodas in the malls I generally work in adds up fast. I'm not brand loyal and don't mind generics. And it doesn't even have to be soda.. A batch of sweet tea or even kool-aid.

It's hard because everyone in my crew isn't on this frugal mindset. I'll have to be strong and resist the urge to say **** it.. I'll just go eat with y'all. Plus, sometimes, a steak dinner is just too hard to resist.

Now, if I can roll my own cigarettes and not drink Heineken, I'll be good.

My reasoning behind this is I'm trying to finally launch my own show this year. My goal was to do it by 30, but I wasn't quite ready financially. I've been laying the groundwork for years, and I really don't want to put it off much longer. If I can commit to this for the next couple months, I'll be ready to pull the trigger by late spring.
 
#19 ·
Chuck roast with some potatoes and onions in a crock pot is good, but not more than once a week. Will also yield some leftovers depending on how many people are eating.

There must be quite a variety of crock pots. We have one which I think can cook a 4 pound roast in 4 hours on low. I think it would go on to scorch the meat. I thought the whole idea was to turn it on in the morning when you leave the house and have it done about 8 hours later.
 
#21 ·
Here is a few more ideas.

Pre made tacos. Good bring a lemon to squeeze on at the last moment as it makes it taste fresh.

Beef or turkey stroganoff. I like to try to get greens in it so I sauté
zucchini or throw a handful of spinach in the pot while it's cooking.

Homemade soup in a thermos with buttered bread

Noodles with tuna and cheese, spoonful of mayo mixed in over a hot stove. Just to get greens, I always throw in a huge handful of spinach which cooks down to almost nothing but tastes great.

Salad with a few turkey or beef paddies on top. So delish with tomatoes, cucumbers and other favorite salad items.
 
#28 ·
Here's a good one for home or the road:
get a piece of flank or skirt steak (or similar), slice it up into strips on the bias and across the grain (angled, skinny cuts), marinade overnight in a ziplock with sherry cooking wine (yes, I'm serious). Separately fry up some onion & sliced green or red pepper, remove from pan, then fry up the meat (tender, not overdone). Serve it all with rice. Super easy, super tasty. I like to put some soy sauce on the rice.
 
#38 ·
I don't travel a lot, but when I do we are gone for a week or so at a time. The first night we always hit a grocery store up. Get fruit, nuts, trail mix, etc. for snacks through the day. Also get items for sandwiches for lunch. When I work out of town, it's 12 hour days minimum so snacks hold us over until dinner. For dinner we still do restaurants. Always try and find the local spots, not the chains.

If you want to cook dinner, Staybridge Suites has a great kitchenette in their rooms. They also have free dinner 3 nights a week.

Breakfast is almost always had at the hotel.
 
#41 ·
I eat 4 bananas every day...It WILL cut the charlie horses down !
I have horrible leg cramps ..Since my banana diet it's eased off.
Fish oil /shark cartilage works well for the joints..shoulders/knees.
 
#50 ·
I used to travel every week for two years. 4 days, three nights. We got a whopping 75 bucks for food. Most of the guys would eat Steel Reserve malt liquor for dinner. The rest would have cigarettes and tv dinners, the 89 cent ones.

I would hit the store and grab a three pack of petite sirloins and a stack of peppers, a couple packs of instsnt potatoes and cans of veggies. Cook the steaks in a nice chocolate stout and chow down. If not that, I would do a shrimp pasta for two days, maybe some fried mushrooms. Lots of good food to make.

For a while we had a resort chef from Mexico working with us. Man, could he cook. He also made those cool veggie carvings as he did it.

These days when I travel, I am much lazier about food. This week has been frozen burritoes, grocery store sushi at half off no less, and hotdogs. The first night I did frozen burritoes in Stag veggie chili, salsa and green sauce. It's a good thing I'm working alone.
 
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