It’s that time of year where the weather is warming up and people start thinking about home renovations.

A few years ago, I went through a kitchen renovation that took almost 4 weeks to complete. Although I was very pleased with the end result, living without a kitchen for 4 weeks was pretty tough. For one, my oven stood next to the television in my living room, my fridge in the dining room and pots, pans and dishes were stored in plastic bins which were scattered throughout. My microwave sat on my dining room table and was plugged into the wall.

So for the first few days I was a little discouraged and ordered take-out for lunches and dinners until I realized how much money I was spending. One thing people don’t factor in with the cost of renovations is the cost of how often they’ll be eating out or ordering in because living without a kitchen makes it hard to prepare a decent healthy meal, or so I thought. After those few days of take-out I thought to myself, “there’s got to be a better way”.

Here are some tips on eating healthy while having your kitchen restored.

Cooking equipment:

1. Use your BBQ – if the weather permits, a BBQ can be your best friend during a kitchen renovation.
2. If you have an indoor grill, find a spot where it can be plugged in and use it on those days where it’s just too hot to be outside.
3. A microwave ALWAYS comes in handy.
4. You can keep a few small plates out that can easily be washed in a bathroom sink but ideally, I recommend paper plates. You can buy a large amount of recyclable paper plates at your local grocery store or dollar store for little cost. Same goes for utensils.
5. Get your toaster oven out.
6. Your slow-cooker can also be handy but you’ll need to find a spot to wash it. I suggest the laundry basin if you have one.
7. Your electric kettle.

Food:

1. Your refrigerator will be plugged-in so you can make full use of it. Keep plenty of foods that can be easily prepared on your BBQ or indoor grill, like chicken breasts or chicken sausages.
2. Before the renovations start, I suggest preparing foods that can be frozen that way all you have to do is reheat them in a toaster oven or microwave.
3. Buy a rotisserie chicken and prepared salad at your grocery store. A whole pre-cooked chicken can last you a few days. If you have a large family, buy a few. You’ll save money in the long run. Rip bits off the breast meat or dark meat and place between two slices of your favourite whole grain bread; add mayonnaise or hummus and a handful of prepared salad. Or serve the chicken on top of the salad greens with your favourite bottled salad dressing.
4. Frozen vegetables (get the one’s that can be steamed in the bag) are easily prepared in the microwave.
5. Sweet potatoes or potatoes can be washed clean, wrapped in foil and cooked on the BBQ. You can also prepare them in the microwave, minus the tin foil.
6. Grated cheese is always handy to have around. Try placing a few corn chips topped with salsa and grated cheese in your toaster over for a quick snack.
7. Keep plenty of fresh fruit around. Fruit is great for breakfast or for a snack.
8. Buy a box of instant oatmeal and use your electric kettle to boil the water.

Try some of our easy to prepare recipes at www.chicken.ca

Chicken and Vegetable Pockets

These Chicken and Vegetable Pockets are easy to prepare using only 6 ingredients. Keep them in your fridge or freeze them and cook them in your toaster oven when you need a quick meal.

Thai Style Sweet Chili Chicken

This slow cooker recipe uses only 7 ingredients with no chopping required.

Chicken Chili

Chili freezes well and can be thawed in the microwave.  It’s also perfect served on its own, with corn chips, or wrapped in a flour tortilla sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese.

I hope this has taken some of the stress out of planning your kitchen renovation.