Low cost, healthy meals created at a desk [closed]

Question

I am a Canadian who is currently on a coop placement working a typical desk job. I don't have time in my mornings to pack myself a lunch and since, despite my lecturing, the extent my roommates clean up after themselves by piling all dishes in the sink or on the counters and stove, I find it's impossible (and unsanitary) to make food in my house. I find it is considerably more efficient, and definitely safer, to create meals at my desk or in the kitchen of my work.

Goal:

To create low-cost, healthy, balanced meals at my desk or in my work kitchen.

Constraints:

1. I need the ingredients to be stored in my desk or in the one public fridge. My desk is quite spacious but is obviously at a constant room temperature (perhaps the largest drawer can be turned into a makeshift fridge?). The public fridge is of average size and comes with an attached freezer. People mostly use it for lunch so the entire door and the drawers are usually open.
2. I need to be healthy. I don't eat any GMOs (genetically modified organisms) so any canned or frozen meals are out. Any non-organic corn or soybean products are also out as these are GMOs 99.9% of the time. All junk and processed food is obviously out. Deli meat is out as it is filled with nitrates. Milk is out as it is filled with hormones, I drink Almond Milk. I limit my intake of white bread to less than once a week. Also, I don't microwave anything as it is does absolutely disgusting things to food. I don't want to sound pretentious or anything, this is just my diet!
3. I have access to knives, forks, spoons. I don't have access to a stove unfortunately. I do own a magic bullet though!
4. I'd like to keep the cost down to a minimum! Who wouldn't? I am a student though so I'm pretty low on cash.
5. I generally eat at 10:00am when I get to work, 12:00pm for lunch, and at 6:00pm for dinner just before I leave work. I also have a 10:00pm snack before I go to sleep at 12:00am.

Current Attempts to Solve the Problem:

Right now I'm maintaining a constant supply of organic pure peanut butter, whole wheat bread, and bananas in my drawer. I buy a week's supply of everything so that they will last in my drawer without spoiling.

Additional Thoughts:

-Due to the lack of milk products I eat I need to watch my calcium level. I have tried to combat this by keeping a stock of super-healthy yogurt in my home fridge and bringing one of those to work for breakfast. I also have Almond milk in my nightly bran cereal which has some amount of Calcium in it. -I was thinking that fish could be added to my diet in some way because I know that fish are healthy. The only way I would be able to have fish is if I either ate it raw somehow or if I brought it in canned. I'm always sketchy of canned food though, I would need some sort of guarantee that it's healthy.

Answer

1. Peanut butter & jelly, or other sweeteners besides jelly. You're already using bananas, but you could use other fruit, raisins, honey, etc.
2. There are plenty of non-GMO soy products. There are lots of soy products that are healthy. Baked tofu and marinated tempeh make good sandwiches and will add protein to salads.
3. Canned beans. There are many varieties and all can be eaten cold, since they're already cooked. You can find organic ones, but they cost more. Throw some beans and veggies together with some oil & vinegar or storebought dressing. You could mix some canned tomatoes and beans with spices (chili, cumin) and make chili.
4. You can get precooked rice in a bag now. It can be eaten cold in a salad, though it probably tastes better heated.
5. Seitan
6. Will you boil water in the microwave? If so, you can make broth with organic bouillon, steam vegetables, miso soup, etc.

This is a pretty good catalog full of vegetarian proteins and stuff like that: http://www.healthy-eating.com/

Lastly, reconsider home cooking and microwaving. No matter how dirty your kitchen is at home, you can get a pot and boil things. Keep your cooking equipment in your room. Wash it in the bathroom if you have to, the shower will work. Boiling will sterilize whatever you're cooking. Then you can make eggs, pasta, soups, etc.

There's no scientific evidence that reheating food in the microwave has any negative health affects. Just don't stand right in front of it for hours. You could make parboiled brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and make many meals taste better if you eliminate that constraint. You should do some more research on it, because it sounds like you have a gut aversion to it that is not based on real facts, and you could be doing your health a disservice by not using the microwave, if you're going to live with all those other constraints. If it's a phobia or something it's not a cooking issue.

Good luck.

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