We ran out of fresh fruit, all produce except a cauliflower head and avocado, no eggs, 4 slices bread and just have a bit of almond milk left. With a family of 5, one of us being pregnant, 2 teenagers and a man with a bottomless pit, this is emergency status. Okay, I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, but I did think I was for sure going to have to go grocery shopping today. But with it being not only the virus but of the first few days of the month when people on government assistance finally get their benefits, I didn't want to be in a crowded store or buying anything they might potentially want. So I was determined to make what we have work.
Pantry:
a few cans of beans
a can of pineapple
cans of coconut milk
a can of lychees (don't ask - I liked them when I was younger)
a few cans of tomato sauce
a can of French cut green beans
a jar of pasta sauce
a jar of alfredo
some gluten free veggie pastas
egg noodles
a box of mac and cheese
peanut butter
Muesli
1/2 box of cereal
dried cranberries
walnuts
pepitas
Freezer:
a couple bags of mixed veggies
mussels
scallops
salmon
chicken thighs
fruit
frozen waffles
oatmeal cups I prepped with fruit
Fridge:
cheese
cauliflower
1/2 an onion
avocado
half a carton of almond milk
leftovers (what my toddler doesn't finish at dinner actually)
condiments
Making a list of everything really helped me put it in perspective. I actually can make quite a few meals here. I think what gets people is when they notice the things they eat regularly are gone, like for us if we run out of fruit, fresh veggies, almond milk and eggs for us, then it's like, "yep we're going to starve" lol. But from this list I realized I won't have to go be susceptible to possibly picking up the virus and that means a lot to me. For breakfast we are having waffles or cereal. I am having a smoothie with it. For lunch I have chicken in the Crockpot with half and onion and tons of seasonings and I will add the egg noodle when ready to serve (don't put egg noodle in a Crockpot, it turns to mush) plus the mac and cheese for my vegetarian toddler. I have some leftover ratatouille I can make rice for. Snacks will be Muesli, a homemade trail mix of walnuts, pepitas and cranberries. For dinner I am making rice with a jambalaya of seafoods. My two oldest won't eat seafood so more chicken for them.
Remember, we all have that "thing" in our pantry or freezer we planned to try but it's sat for a year. Or that can of whatever we forgot to put in a recipe and now it sits cause it doesn't go with anything else, but wait, maybe it can.
Here are some tips:
~Take inventory of what you have by writing it down.
~Highlight your proteins one color, your carbs like rice and pasta another color and veggies another. Pick one from each category to make a lunch and a dinner meal.
~For breakfast: do you have cereal? grains? oats? frozen waffles/pancakes? frozen fruit for smoothies? flour to make pancakes? I have a vegan pancake recipe, requires no eggs. ~Thankfully I always have protein powder and my superfoods powder on hand and even if I run out of milk I don't mind using water to make a nutritious smoothie with peanut butter and frozen fruit.
~Get creative and experiment. The kitchen is a cool place for trying different things. I saw a recipe the other day for pork chops with mango sauce. I would have never thought of that.
~Invest in a Crockpot or Instantpot. Since the kids are home all day everyday and guess what, turns out they need to be fed! Haha. Instead of getting up every few hours to cook something, I just tell them to have whatever's in the pot. My 12 year old son won't cook and my 16 year old daughter won't cook anything besides eggs so a hot meal ready to go is helpful.
~soups, chilis, a mix of veggies over rice or pasta are always an easy meal
~don't forget to use your condiments: Worchestershire, bbq sauce, ketchup, vinegars, liquid aminos, etc.
~and don't forget your spices and seasonings!
Now is the perfect time to prepare for your next shopping trip. Write down a few of your family's favorite recipes. How many meals are you going to cook? What can you put in the Crockpot? Which meals have sides you can use for multiple meals? AKA rice, prepared veggies likes peppers and onions, etc. Can you make a soup or chili with the same ingredients you will be using for other meals?
If you ever need ideas, just ask me. Or get 2 weeks free access to our cooking app where you watch tons of recipes being prepared and meal prep/plan family meals using the guide.
Stay safe and have fun!