Weekly 2-day commute without a fridge - Please help! EatCheapAndHealthy

Hi guys!

I need some nutritional/logistical help. I recently started commuting to school after taking a year off to deal with some health problems. The city that I'm going to is a couple of hours away, so every week I'm spending two consecutive nights with family members. I am trying to bring my own food so as not to impose on them, but there are a few constraints that make this situation tricky:

1. I don't have a car, so I've been carrying all food (dinner for Day 1, breakfasts and lunches for Days 2 and 3, and dinner for Day 2) in my backpack. I'm trying to keep it simple and relatively compact, as I also have books, clothes, etc. for my days in the city.

2. I'm not staying in the same place on days 1 and 2. This means that I can't just drop my stuff off and leave food in a fridge; I am bringing everything to and from school while I'm in the city. Really inconvenient, but I do have a locker, so I don't have to lug a bag of groceries around to all of my classes, and I can leave nonperishables overnight to lighten my load.

I've experimented with my routine since school started a couple of weeks ago, and I'm finding a few things successful --- oatmeal for breakfast, leaving a couple of apples and protein bars in my locker. Real protein is a bit more complicated. I tried hardboiled eggs, but they seem a bit shady after awhile. Same with leftover meals in tupperware. One thing I'm sure of is that I definitely need a good lunchbox.

At this point, I'm thinking that I'll have to bring SOME stuff and supplement with fresh food from a local grocery store once I get there, but I want to be smart about it so that I don't resort to expensive prepared meals or eating out.

My questions specifically:

• Any recommendations for an insulated lunchbox that will keep perishables fresh for long days?

• Non-refrigerator meal ideas?

• Half-meal ideas to which I can add fresh ingredients when I arrive at my destination?

Trying to make the best of a far-from-optimal routine. Thanks in advance for any input you may have!

Submitted October 01, 2015 at 03:35AM by 61104 http://ift.tt/1VnSRso EatCheapAndHealthy