Help me eat better...

[Idahotrucker]

Ok so here is my problem: I have no fridge or micro. I'm sick of sandwiches. I do have a cooler. I just don't know what to eat that would be better for me on the truck. if you have any ideas on what to do or eat please let me know. Thanks.

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[RailroadRIDER]

Well you could do what a few of my drivers do, grab yourself a small 12volt refrigerator and a crock pot.
Most of our runs are in-state but they still take over a day to complete. Put your lunch\dinner on before you head out and it's ready by time you pull off to eat.

Carbs will put weight on someone faster than anything, it increases your body's insulin response which tells the body
to store fat. Eat lower carb meals and increase your protein intake along with veggies.
12 volt fridge link

My family uses a crock pot when we go camping, usually chilly or a roast gets whipped up that morning or the night before.
Once we set out we turn the pot on and let it cook all morning and in to the afternoon as we travel, we pull in to
our overnight spot and we have dinner ready to go!

 

[Rigjockey]

You can do what I do and make up some meals before you haed out for the week and freeze them . Then you get yourself a small lunch box oven to heat them up . I eat like a king on the road .

BTW I think the small 12v lunch box oens are on sale right now only 25 bucks at the J .

The one time I got some chicken breasts at the grocery store and some BBQ suace threw the sauce on the chicken and let it cook it was awesome .Those little ovens get pretty hot so you have to keep an eye on your cooking .

 

[RailroadRIDER]

^ The last thing you want is BBq flavored chicken charcoal haha!

 

[Duck]

I've cooked canned stuff before. But at the time, I had a Freightshaker that had two bars that crossed laterally, right over the flat Cummins valve cover. With some chicken wire and baling wire, I made a nice little basket. I told the mechanics I used it to carry rags for the dipstick, but actually I used it as an oven.

A very slow, ... very slow oven. Good mostly for heating up soup, beefaroni and spaghetti-o's and cans of corn n' stuff but if the truck is moving, it doesn't get hot enough to bake potatoes or anything like that.

And don't try a Rotella-mesquite steak that way, because even if you wrap it in foil, the drippings get all over the engine and it attracts bees.

 

[Idahotrucker]

Thanks for the input info and ideas. I will have to test these out.

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[2xR]

Fresh fruits, granola/breakfast bars, sugar free chewing gum, and, lots of water will keep you slim, trim, and, healthy without the use of 12v hardware.

 

[RailroadRIDER]

That is easily one of the most entertaining replies to a thread I have seen in my time here.

I've cooked canned stuff before. But at the time, I had a Freightshaker that had two bars that crossed laterally, right over the flat Cummins valve cover. With some chicken wire and baling wire, I made a nice little basket. I told the mechanics I used it to carry rags for the dipstick, but actually I used it as an oven.

A very slow, ... very slow oven. Good mostly for heating up soup, beefaroni and spaghetti-o's and cans of corn n' stuff but if the truck is moving, it doesn't get hot enough to bake potatoes or anything like that.

And don't try a Rotella-mesquite steak that way, because even if you wrap it in foil, the drippings get all over the engine and it attracts bees.

 

[DubbleD]

LOL... when I first read the title to this thread I thought it said..."butter" and thought we'd located the refer bandit in Io.

 

[Idahotrucker]

Lol

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[Road Dust]

Always read labels for nutritional content (avoid excessive sugar, sodium, and fat content), and choose fresh when available.

 

[midwestbound]

breakfast bars won't keep you slim, they are loaded with calories, sugar, fat, and salt.

 

[2xR]

breakfast bars won't keep you slim, they are loaded with calories, sugar, fat, and salt.

They will if you only eat one a day... and an apple... then gum and water to balance your diet.

What's in your lunch box? :neener:

 

[RailroadRIDER]

Fresh fruits, granola/breakfast bars, sugar free chewing gum, and, lots of water will keep you slim, trim, and, healthy without the use of 12v hardware.

And that Xtradent gum is said to help whiten your teeth!
My personal favorite is stride, that stuff lasts until your jaw is crying lol.

 

[Mr. Q]

I've cooked canned stuff before. But at the time, I had a Freightshaker that had two bars that crossed laterally, right over the flat Cummins valve cover. With some chicken wire and baling wire, I made a nice little basket. I told the mechanics I used it to carry rags for the dipstick, but actually I used it as an oven.

A very slow, ... very slow oven. Good mostly for heating up soup, beefaroni and spaghetti-o's and cans of corn n' stuff but if the truck is moving, it doesn't get hot enough to bake potatoes or anything like that.

And don't try a Rotella-mesquite steak that way, because even if you wrap it in foil, the drippings get all over the engine and it attracts bees.

In colder climates sometimes I would set a can or two of soup on the dash and run the heater on the defroster setting. An hour or two later the soup would be hot enough to eat. If these engines weren't so dirty I probably wouldn't mind grilling a steak on top of the engine. *Note - I never said that I would eat the thing, but simply cook it to see how it would come out.*

 

[Idahotrucker]

In colder climates sometimes I would set a can or two of soup on the dash and run the heater on the defroster setting. An hour or two later the soup would be hot enough to eat. If these engines weren't so dirty I probably wouldn't mind grilling a steak on top of the engine. *Note - I never said that I would eat the thing, but simply cook it to see how it would come out.*

I tried the heater thing...worked pretty good. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Q]

I tried the heater thing...worked pretty good. Thanks.

This also works good if you have tea bags and bottled water lying around. The tea gets very hot though if you let the bottle sit long enough on the dash.

 

[patriciajnsn]

I'm not a tea drinker but that's a really good idea.

This also works good if you have tea bags and bottled water lying around. The tea gets very hot though if you let the bottle sit long enough on the dash.

 

[Racer X 69]

I've cooked canned stuff before. But at the time, I had a Freightshaker that had two bars that crossed laterally, right over the flat Cummins valve cover. With some chicken wire and baling wire, I made a nice little basket. I told the mechanics I used it to carry rags for the dipstick, but actually I used it as an oven.

A very slow, ... very slow oven. Good mostly for heating up soup, beefaroni and spaghetti-o's and cans of corn n' stuff but if the truck is moving, it doesn't get hot enough to bake potatoes or anything like that.

And don't try a Rotella-mesquite steak that way, because even if you wrap it in foil, the drippings get all over the engine and it attracts bees.

When I was a kid my family moved from the West coast to the East coast, and we drove cross-country in the family car. My mom made a stew with ground beef, fresh veggies, etc. on the intake manifold. She wrapped it all up in a double layer of extra heavy duty foil, and then laid it on the manifold, being careful not to let anything sharp poke holes in the foil.

A driver could do a similar thing on the exhaust manifold of a big truck, but the heat is pretty high, so maybe using a layer of crumpled up foil to create a layer between the manifold and the food, to keep the heat down a bit.

And be sure to provide some way to keep the stuff from falling off.

Do a web search for "Manifold Cooking".

Here is some stuff I found:

Manifold Roast (Car-b-que)

1. Start with a 2- to 3-pound roast, the flatter the better.
2. Season with dry Good Seasons Salad Dressing mix or dry mushroom soup, salt and pepper or any way you season a roast before roasting.
3. Double or triple wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping on sides so liquid will not leak when you turn the roast. Place on or against the flat part of exhaust manifold or against hot part of engine block.
4. Drive five to six hours.
5. Turn once halfway to destination.
6. You will arrive with a tender, juicy roast, ready to eat, and you will enjoy the smells of a home-cooked meal en route. Note: This will not work on all vehicles, only those with appropriate engine design.

​

Sounds tasty!

And there is a book, Manifold Destiny. A cookbook of sorts created by a couple of car guys and journalists.

View attachment 14601

Bon Appetit!
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[Duck]

In colder climates sometimes I would set a can or two of soup on the dash and run the heater on the defroster setting. An hour or two later the soup would be hot enough to eat. If these engines weren't so dirty I probably wouldn't mind grilling a steak on top of the engine. *Note - I never said that I would eat the thing, but simply cook it to see how it would come out.*

Just one EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER.

While the air from your defroster vents is heated by hot water and won't be over 212 F, if you're using an exhaust manifold or an auxiliary fuel-fired bunk heater like an Espar or Webasto (Webastard as I call them) the temp can get over 212.

I'm not sure how the salt in soup will affect it's boiling point but if the liquid inside a sealed can reaches boiling, (212 Fahrenheit for water) the steam pressure will make the can EXPLODE. It might just split a seam and make a mess, but it could potentially EXPLODE, with shrapnel. So be careful if you're using a heat source that can possibly raise the soup temperature to boiling.