Hotel Room Cooking Hacks

Heading back to my unit yesterday, from putting in my Maintenance Request and being made aware I’m in the eye of a raging storm -- which work order was once again handled promptly and with a smile by Head Maintenance Guy, I ran into The Baker. She is thankfully looking and doing much better than when I last saw her on Tuesday, headed for the doctor’s office.

At that time, something had made me say her problem might be potassium. I don’t even know what potassium is, but that’s what came to mind.

She said no, because she was taking potassium tablets and eating bananas.

I should have been a physician, because her doctor concurred -- it was potassium. She also takes water pills and evidently her water pills were flushing the potassium right out, so they’ve cut the dosage on the water pills, ordered her to stay out of the sun and do less.

We’ll see how that goes, because The Baker is a doer. She can’t sit still, enjoys doing for others and, when she’s not involved, events aren’t all that successful -- as witnessed by word on the Community Breakfast being “It didn’t turn out well, wasn’t very good”.

Someone at the breakfast was to have said, “I thought _____ (The Baker) was cooking”.

Someone else at the breakfast was to have said, “Her name isn’t on the sign-up sheet”.

Duh!

Oh well. I’d gotten the memo and went grocery shopping that morning.

On another topic, I map quested the package pickup for the upcoming Donut Run yesterday, and the news isn’t good -- it’s a 1 hour 22-minute drive from here, in heavy traffic.

There is no way I can handle that kind of exhausting drive there/back and race the following day, so I began looking at hotels in the area.

Looking at hotels led to the question of how to feed myself for two/three days, inasmuch as I can’t eat out without ending up with a painful gut reaction.

Determined to find a way to compete in this event, without exhausting myself with the package pickup process or making myself sick with meals away from home, I began researching “How to cook in hotel rooms”. I learned bacon (I’d have to use uncured) can be cooked in aluminum foil with an iron, vegetables can be steamed in the basket at top of the coffee maker, and the carafe at the bottom can serve as a vessel for poaching fish and boiling eggs. A rice cooker and crock pot were also mentioned.

Nice, but it all seems such a bother that I decided my best bet is to find an extended stay hotel with a kitchen.

I managed to find one almost within walking distance of the event site – 1.8 miles away.

It’s a hotel chain I’m not familiar with, and the Yelp reviews are all over the place, so I’m hoping for the best – bright with good chi. It’s near the Irvine Spectrum, which is like the Disneyland for grownups, so chances are good.

At any rate, after picking up the package, I can chill and rest up at the hotel.

Now to figure out how much clean-eating product to lug with me, and what to take by way of cookware, because I’m way too finicky an individual to be using the provided pots/pans.

If this works out, now that I’m down almost 30 pounds, no serious gut reactions lately, feeling healthier than I have in a long time, I may get back to participating in the out-of-the area 5K circuit; but if I end up not liking this extended stay hotel, it’ll be back to the drawing board looking for ways to cook in fancy but kitchen less hotel rooms, and fewer 5Ks.

Participants go all out for the Donut Run. I’m expecting to see inner tubes, made to look like donuts, being worn around the waist of participants, and all manner of donut wear. I wasn’t planning to do anything other than my normal black leggings, black top. However, starting to feel excited again about the event, I thought about stitching up some donut leggings. If I couldn’t find fabric with a donut print, I figured I could make fabric using paint and a donut stamp. But then I saw these ….

They were a little pricey but, when I factor in the cost of fabric, paint, stamp and the time involved to make my own, cost would have been about the same.

I also ordered headbands for the four of us, to indicate we’re competing as a team.

Today being Friday the 13^th, me just superstitious enough to not want to tempt fate, I’ll be staying indoors -- needlepoint, TV and finishing the last five miles of the King Author Straight Outta Camelot challenge.