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View Full Version : Foods/recipes that don't require refrigeration



alysee
Apr 19th, 2012, 01:55 AM
I am going into the hospital soon(I'm 12 weeks pregnant, with a high risk pregnancy...not exactly sure exactly when and how long I'll be in there for but they don't seem to have much in the way of soy-free vegan meals so I'm on my own. I am going to need to eat and my fiancé is going to be visiting me once a day at dinner so he can bring me dinner but what about other foods that on't need refrigeration. My list so far, apricots, dates, apples, bananas, walnuts, almonds, wraps, Oranges, grapefruit.

Firestorm
Apr 19th, 2012, 07:11 AM
How about Lara bars, rye bread (the stuff that lasts for ages - think it might be vacuum sealed), Clif bars, UHT Soy Milkshakes, soy/almond milk powder, cous cous (you could take a whole bag, then just add boiling water and leave for 5 minutes to cook), nut butter, breakfast cereals/muesli.

Robinwomb
Apr 19th, 2012, 11:02 AM
Even carrots, brocoli, snap peas, cauliflower and celery will keep for a few days unrefrigerated if your husband could bring those every now and then, or bring you a cooler to put them in. You could have them with the nut butter. Even small cartons of plant milks could be kept in a cooler for a few days as they dont generally need refrigeration.

Vegan granola or trail mix are others, as well as a good vegan cracker. You could bring plain oats and some spices and sugar. Then ask the hospital to bring you hot water and just pour some over the oats and let it soak for a few minutes and you have a nice hot bowl of oatmeal, just add your spices and dried fruits.

When I go canoe camping I like to have tortillas with almond butter in them for breakfast or a snack too.

I hope everything works out for you and that your pregancy goes smoothly! I can only imagine the stress you must be under not knowing what is going on. Best wishes!

Abacaxi
Apr 19th, 2012, 05:41 PM
Would you have space by your bed for a mini fridge? You should be able to get a decent-sized one for around £25.

Best of luck with your pregnancy.

alysee
Apr 19th, 2012, 10:58 PM
Would you have space by your bed for a mini fridge? You should be able to get a decent-sized one for around £25.

Best of luck with your pregnancy.

I called the hospital and they said no. They won't allow that. I didn't even think of the cooler! I am going to buy a cooler! Perfect idea. That way I can have PB&B Wraps for breakfast or lunch, maybe even overnight oats! Hmmm..except I would be weary of having overnight oats without a refrigerator or just a cooler...not sure that's safe.
Thanks for the other suggestions as well!

Cacique
Apr 20th, 2012, 06:39 AM
You would think hospitals would cater to healthier, alternative diets! The hospital downtown from here has like 1, maybe 2 vegan options in their cafeteria, but the visitor would have to get it for the sick person lol. The same branch hospital that's closer has nothing. They really need to work on this, and also with allergies! It all seems so dated.

I hope they don't give you any trouble about taking a cooler! Maybe if you had family or friends that could go at different times of the day, maybe you could have prepared meals with them to bring you or something. The Lara bars idea is good, also the cliff bars. They are VERY filling and have become one of my favorites for in-between meal snacks, could even work for a breakfast.

Good luck and hoping for the best!

Robinwomb
Apr 20th, 2012, 11:05 AM
Cacique, the medical complex where I work has the same problem. There are three cafeterias there and none of them have more than one or two token vegetarian entrees on any given day, rarely vegan although two of the cafeterias at least have a measly salad bar. Even the sides of cooked vegetables are loaded with cheese or butter, and their breads are not vegan. When school is out in two weeks I am planning to write a letter to the director of food service there about adding more vegan options and food for people with allergies to dairy etc. You'd think a hospital would at least be sensitive to that! And it isnt like bean dishes or pasta dishes made without cheese and egg is that expensive either. Sighs.

Cacique
Apr 24th, 2012, 04:37 AM
That's great that you're sending that letter Robinwomb, I should do the same to the hospital closer to us...all though it is a Christian hospital and religious makes me quite uncomfortable...so maybe I'd rather drive myself to the other one! Then I could drag myself to the cafeteria and get the 1 vegan meal they have lol. When we went to it we thought they had more the way they said we could get vegan food there lol. But, the lentil soup they had that day was quite good.

I think the bad thing about hospitals is that they focus more on medicine than on nutrition. I hope I don't offend anyone that works at hospitals, I'm not trying to say they do a bad job at taking care of people, but their food could be much better. Maybe in the (not so distant) future.

StacyEchelson
Jul 19th, 2012, 11:50 AM
There is a huge list of foodstuff that requires no refrigeration. Canned food, dry nuts, junk foods and some drinks. Some examples are candies, cookies, chips, pastries, toasters, almond, energy bars, dried fruits and so on.