I want to start this post by apologizing for the recent radio silence. It’s been over a MONTH since my last blog post. Not that I’ve been very good so far this year anyway. But I promise this will change. I am rededicated to my blog and you lovely readers.
The main reason for my absence is because we have spent the last several weeks without a kitchen while the new one goes in. Six weeks to be exact. I know that may seem like a long time, and it is, but we had a lot of stuff to do to get the room ready for the actual kitchen itself. And once it was in, it took me about another 2 weeks before I finally decided what countertop I wanted. Who knew choosing the right shade of gray could be so difficult!?
To say it was tough living without a kitchen is an understatement. I was absolutely hurting for a good home-cooked meal by the end of it. Just a simple bowl of soup. Nothing fancy. Well I’m happy to say my kitchen is pretty much done and I’ve spent all week cooking up my favorites like broccoli “cheddar” soup, malai kofta, peanut noodle salad and veggie soba noodle soup. Aaaand breathe.
After experiencing so many weeks without a kitchen, I learned a few things along the way that I wanted to share with you, so you can be prepared in case you ever find yourself without a kitchen as I did.
- Make sure you are still able to store fresh food. This means having a fridge and freezer plugged in somewhere (ours was in the garage) so you can keep any staple items such as almond milk and fresh vegetables.
- Get a few small, key appliances to cook with. My saviour during this time was the microwave (also kept out in the garage). It will allow you to make some home-cooked meals and reheat leftovers or drinks. I’d also recommend getting a small toaster oven if you have space – this will allow you to make a broader range of foods like roasted veggies and chips.
- Purchase paper plates and cups. Ok, this one was tough because I hate being wasteful, but if you don’t have a sink there aren’t many options. (And I doubt you’ll want to rinse your cups in the bathroom sink).
- Get a table/temporary countertop. This is important. I had very little space to prepare even simple things like toast or chopped veg, which put me off cooking quite a bit.
- Stock up on frozen goods. I can’t tell you how many Amy’s frozen meals we ate. To keep it interesting, serve it with different side dishes like roasted broccoli and tofu.
- Keep key spices and utensils stored within easy access. When we packed up our kitchen I didn’t give a second thought to how the boxes were organized, and spent way too much time trying to find a certain spice, spoon or gadget.
- Research good takeaway restaurants. While it’s nice to try and cook at home as much as possible, it gets boring and tiresome after a while so chances are you’ll end up getting takeaways more often than not. Do a little research to find healthy, vegan friendly places. We ended up eating quite a bit of Greek and Lebanese food because they have tons of vegan choices and are better for you then say, Chinese or pizza.
- Treat yourself! Use this as an excuse to go out and try some restaurants you’ve been meaning to visit.
Not having a kitchen is a pain, but it doesn’t mean you have to suffer as long as you plan ahead. Plus, knowing that you’ll have a shiny new kitchen at the end of it makes it all worthwhile!