Food, Meals, and Snack Ideas
I’ve always had an interest in overall health and healthy food. So much so that I pursued and now have a Bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition. Though my degree has only been used under my own roof, I’ve found it’s still been so valuable!
Buying and serving healthy options throughout a day for one person can be simple enough but having a family brings about a more daunting task. And if being purposeful and creative in normal, regular life can be a challenge how does that play into a pandemic?! With all the news circulating about empty shelves, businesses closing and possible stricter guidelines on home quarantines, we find ourselves using our best judgement determining what is best for our family all while keeping in mind our neighbor by not panicking and hoarding. It was just a few short weeks ago, grocery shopping meant freedom of choice, including variety, healthy and organic, fast-food and even mood directed how we shopped and spent our hard-earned cash. Today it’s a little different. I am finding myself trying to balance a rational mind about this all, including how much to buy, what to buy and where to shop all the while still keeping a budget. I, along with many of you, are probably running into some food frustrations during this COVID pandemic as there are limited quantities of food at many stores, making meal prep and following recipes a little more challenging.
To get to know our family…we have no known allergies except I have a casein allergy which limits my love affair with cheese…sigh! I choose to be gluten free because I like the way I feel without it. We all love most vegetables and fruit. With that said, since I am the primary chef every one eats like me, except way more cheese for them, because that just makes it easy. I meal plan every month as a part of my regular routine. I shop for the bulk of food a whole month at a time. At the beginning of the month I plan for about 20 dinners. That includes our weekly Taco Tuesday, weekly pizza movie night and twice a month pasta night. After that I try and be more adventurous. I shop at the beginning of every month. Having a family of 7, my go to shopping locations are Costco, GTM, Grocery Outlet and Sprouts. On the 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks of the month I end up shopping once a week for produce and extra odds and ends. I have done the same for this month during the pandemic but have switched from fresh produce to frozen and bought extra canned and dry foods. I want to limit the amount of extra times to go the store!
We’re having to get creative! So today I’m sharing some tips:
BUT before you plan or shop, I’d encourage you to ask God for wisdom and peace. Remembering that He owns all things and will provide our every need.
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing? ‘For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:31 – 33
Now on to the tips!
3 steps to meal plan:
o Plan a scheduled regular time to shop (day of week, beginning of month, etc).
o Have a budget and be familiar with prices of your essential products to stay within your budget.
-This is an important step for some of us more than others. Learn what you can live without.)
o Writing out a list of your meals for the length of time that works for you and your budget (1 week/2weeks,etc).
-A planned menu will alleviate stress in your life.
Tips on how to shop through and in spite of the pandemic:
o Though stores are selling out of things, they are restocking to the best of their ability. I personally am limiting my amazon shopping (or should I say being limited) because of the price gauging happening on some of our most needed items. I have yet to see a hike of prices in stores. If you have a club card try your local Costco and even Costco Business center. Though larger and a bit pricier it is a perfect place to stock up on things you can use in the months to come.
o I have found that Costco has done a great job limiting staple items and keeping things in stock for the mass majority. You will most likely wait in line for 30 minutes to an hour. They still get toilet paper, water, paper towels, rice and beans though they are selling out daily.
o Smaller stores like Sprouts and general grocery stores are still getting delivery’s but they are smaller in quantity so they sell out even faster.
o I recommend calling the store ahead of time if you are looking for something specific; it could save you time!
A shopping list for this COVID Season:
o As much as you’re able, buy things that do not perish.
o There are even many organic frozen options in stores now-a-days if that’s something that is important to you.
- Costco has a good selection of organic frozen foods.
· High protein items:
o Meats
o Peanut butter
o Beans
o Protein powder
o Canned tuna
· High Fat:
o Nuts
o Avocados
-You can freeze avocadoes and gauc!
o oils
· Bread:
o Tortilla
o All breads
-Freeze or refrigerate loaves of bread to make it last longer
· Dairy:
o Eggs
- Eggs are a staple in our home. They provide the complete protein your body needs and can be made a variety of ways.
-They are also used in a ton of recipes, so if you’re short you can substitute with banana, applesauce or ground flax or chia seed.
o Butter
-Freezes well - just thaw in refrigerator when you’re ready to use.
-You can replace butter in recipes with coconut oil. A long shelf life and healthier option.
o Milk
-Did you know you can freeze milk?
There are non-refrigerated options for milk with a long shelf life.
Refrigerated almond milk has a way longer shelf life than cow’s milk. Consider switching for this season?
o Yogurt
You can freeze yogurt and eat it like ice cream.
o Cheese
You can freeze cheese, just thaw in refrigerator when ready to use.
· Veggies:
o Fresh or frozen, variety is always nice but when in doubt broccoli and kale are said to be the powerhouse of veggies.
o You can freeze kale and other super greens and use them in smoothies.
o You can freeze carrots, celery and onion and use them in soups.
o Frozen potatoes , even fries are great to add to meals or soups.
· Fruits:
o Fresh or frozen
o There a lot of fruits that you can buy fresh and freeze yourself so research what you love and find the right sale.
o Our family freezes mass amounts of bananas to eat as a snack and it’s our tradition to make banana ice cream every family movie night. So yummy!
o And again, don’t forget you can substitute banana for eggs in a recipe!
· Staple carbohydrates:
**Currently most of these are hard (not impossible) to come by, but I recommend you persist because they are good fillers that still hold some nutritional value.
o Popcorn
o Rice
o Beans
o Oatmeal
o Pasta
o Quinoa
o Cereal – cheerios go far and are low in sugar compared to other cereals
o Tortilla chips
Snacks options:
· Popcorn
· Dry cereal
· Hard boiled eggs
· Peanut butter balls àhttps://chefsavvy.com/5-ingredient-peanut-butter-energy-bites/
· Home baked muffins àhttps://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/flourless-peanut-butter-banana-muffins/
· Chips and salsa
· Cheese
· Fruit – frozen or regular
· Frozen peas
· Granola bars
· Carrots
· Yogurt
