In the last log, we'd left off discussing the van - while we're certainly going to revisit it in the coming days, as I prepare for my final departure, I suppose we should first address provisions. Since we're going to be living in small, and slightly cramped quarters - the Sienna may be enormous as far as an 80s Civic is concerned, but it's certainly not an RV - the galley must be carefully planned out.
Fortunately, growing up in Eastern Europe meant I was accustomed to porridge. Perhaps to a greater degree than I'd have liked - an opinion I'd held for the first three quarters of my life. It was certainly an acquired taste.
While porridge may be the closest dish we have to nutrient paste, I must say - well-prepared porridge is a delicacy, and I say this without an ounce of humor. While on my most recent stint off-continent, I lived on buckwheat, oats, eggs, and kefir, and I must say, I kept all of my teeth in the process.
So, I supposed that, if it kept me alive six thousand kilometers from my previous home, it must be able to keep me alive here on the North American continent too.
For protein, we have eggs, kefir, and milk. If consumed promptly, they can be kept in a minimally-refrigerated state. A bag of ice in a cooler should be more than sufficient. For fats - olive oil, and, when possible, butter. For carbohydrates and fiber - buckwheat, oatmeal, and lentils. Finally, for our micronutrients - bananas, apples, citruses, and greens.
All of the aforementioned can be turned into a variety of dishes. If we could (and we can) accomodate a small pantry, the addition of salt, sugar, red pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder means we have not only a menu we won't die of malnutrition on - but one that might actually be somewhat pleasant to eat.
Now, for an actual recipe. Of course, we've got to start with the first, and, arguably, most important meal of the day - at the very least, the densest, calorically speaking. By using a simple butane/propane stove, we can cook everything with a single skillet and a general-issue military canteen from your preferred armed forces.
You can boil up an excellent oatmeal, by combining some milk, cocoa powder, sugar, a drizzle of olive oil, and your oats. You can prepare lentils, with salt, pepper, and, again, olive oil for caloric density.
With a small cast iron skillet, preparing eggs is an easy task - and by boiling up some buckwheat, you can have yourself an excellent bowl - just prepare the buckwheat in your canteen, scramble (or fry) your eggs, and scoop them over the buckwheat.
For supper, you can use one of your alternative grains - buckwheat for breakfast? Have an oatmeal lunch. Oatmeal for breakfast? Eggs and lentils it is. Using these basic ingredients, you can rotate through a variety of 5-10 dishes, forming your basic nutrition.