Recipes Suggestions for a Barracks Room

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BreakerBreaker

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This has nothing to do with SAF, but seemed like a fun off-topic topic to pick your collective brains on. My enlisted DS just arrived at his base, and will be in a barracks room for the next six months at least. He has no car, and the chow hall is a long hike in the wrong direction from his job, so he's looking for meal suggestions that he can prep with just a fridge and a microwave. He's not allowed to have other heating elements in his room, so no rice cookers, hot pots, coffee makers, etc. This has been a fun challenge, and the collective experiences in this forum seemed like the perfect group to help me brainstorm ideas for my DS.

Any recipe ideas that would fit within the above restrictions? Thanks in advance.
 
BreakerBreaker said:
This has nothing to do with SAF, but seemed like a fun off-topic topic to pick your collective brains on. My enlisted DS just arrived at his base, and will be in a barracks room for the next six months at least. He has no car, and the chow hall is a long hike in the wrong direction from his job, so he's looking for meal suggestions that he can prep with just a fridge and a microwave. He's not allowed to have other heating elements in his room, so no rice cookers, hot pots, coffee makers, etc. This has been a fun challenge, and the collective experiences in this forum seemed like the perfect group to help me brainstorm ideas for my DS.

Any recipe ideas that would fit within the above restrictions? Thanks in advance.
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Lots of the grocery stores have come out with ready made meals you can put in microwave. They are really good. He might want to add some salt and pepper to the meal to season. He could buy 5 at a time. You can also get a microwave steamer for veggies. Eggs in microwve are good too. Egg in a cup, look up recipes. Oatmeal, cereal, sandwiches, there are all sorts of bigger packages of cooked meat in meat department. There are read made mac n cheese, potatoes, lots of frozen options too if he has a freezer. Can he Uber to store once a week?
 
If a buddy can give him a lift to the Commissary, he can stock up on all the frozen and chill items for single meals that are available, from pre-cooked chicken strips to Caesar salad kits to small frozen veggie steamer packs, etc., and the non-chill soups, beans, ramen noodle packs, pasta mixes in packets available.

I do have one thing I still occasionally make in the microwave, an ancient favorite from college dorm years. Slice up a ripe banana in microwaveable bowl. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Add a few chocolate chips or broken-up chocolate bar. Cover with wax paper. Zap on high, 30 seconds at a time, until banana goes hot and soft. Swirl melted chocolate around, enjoy. It’s like hot, sweet banana pudding with a chocolate swirl. Add salted nuts on top for crunch and contrast. Will satisfy a sweet tooth.
 
Microwave steamer, that's a great idea. He could buy an extra large side of rice from a Chinese restaurant, so steaming veggies and some of your other suggestions to go with that would be perfect.

He can ride with a friend to the store once a week no problem. He's a super-responsible kid and is just waiting until he can pay cash for a car.

MRE's. Haha, ouch. :eek:
 
Food Network, Amazon, WalMart, Target, run searches for “microwave cookware.” There are rice steamers, pasta cookers, egg cookers, all-purpose bowls, veg steamers, etc. Some judicious choices there, and he could get creative. I know I’d buy the pasta cooker to make the pasta in the “Chef Mike,” and buy jars of pasta sauce. With pre-cooked chicken strips, he could make fettuccine Alfredo with chicken.
 
If he is Army and is not provided the time to get to the DFAC, eat a meal, and return to work in the allotted time ensure he learns how to submit a missed meal voucher. This is also applicable if he is not released from work in time to get to the dinner meal or between PT and reporting to work. He may choose not to submit but it's a good administrative process to understand. This gets him reimbursement of BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence -might be called something else now) that he is missing so he can purchase the food himself. Platoon Leaders and Company Commanders should know the process too though NCO's should be guiding their direct reports in the process. Edit: Get a cheap bicycle on Craigslist.
 
Not my go-to way of making rice, but you can do it in the microwave.
Use a glass pyrex dish with glass lid, or any number of vented microwave-safe bowls.

Use a ratio of 1-1/2 cups rice and 2-1/4 cups water.
Rinse and drain your rice 2 or 3 times, before adding the water and putting in the microwave.
Microwave 5 minutes on full power, 15 minutes at 50% power, let rest for 5 minutes.

After you have rice, you just add vegetables and maybe a liitle Hoisin sauce.
 
At Norwich there is a tradition to creating "Rookie stoves".
Basically a homemade holder so you can use your iron as a hot plate.
Whole world of possibilities.
The "Rookie fridge" is your subzero Vermont windowsill
 
Rookie stove...that's clever! I never heard of that hack in my student days. Just have to watch to not get grease on the iron or there will be expensive replacements of uniform parts. :oops:
 
I recommend a bottle of: hot sauce, oyster flavored sauce (Don't get hung up on it's name; it's fantastic on veggies. Try it; I'd be surprised if you don't like it.), & a lite sodium soy.
Does he have a fridge available?
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Barracks often have a cookout area with grills. He could organize a potluck, with everyone bringing their own meat to grill plus contributing a side dish or dessert.
 
Wishful said:
Does he have a fridge available?
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Yes, a full-size fridge with freezer. So he can stock up on items, as long as he can eat them before they go bad.

I never knew you could cook an egg in a microwave. That + rice + rotisserie chicken + the sauces @Wishful suggested and he'd have an awesome fried rice. I'm getting hungry.
 
There are all kinds of egg things that do an Egg McMuffin shaped egg for a sandwich, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs. I used to do something with with a beaten egg, some cheese, some herbs, a bit of seasoned salt, a dash of milk, in a microwave bowl for scrambled eggs. I am sure the internet is full of recipes for stuff like that.
 
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BreakerBreaker said:
Rookie stove...that's clever! I never heard of that hack in my student days. Just have to watch to not get grease on the iron or there will be expensive replacements of uniform parts. :oops:
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Might want a 2nd iron for...ironing!;)
 
If he has access to grills, he may want to get a $12 Lodge cast iron pan...you then can do a lot!
 
Wishful said:
Might want a 2nd iron for...ironing!;)
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Double-wrapped aluminum foil packet. Butter your bread, add cheese, wrap up in foil, 4 minutes a side with hot iron.

Extra tasty if you add pre-cooked bacon bits from the bag in the reefer.
 
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