It’s Day 4 of Operation: Isolation here, since we started on Friday. So far, so good—our family meeting to establish ground rules seems to be helping. My son is actually doing schoolwork! But as this goes on, I imagine things are going to get trickier, particularly when it comes to food. First off, kiddo eats every.scrap of munchy stuff I bring into the apartment within 24 hours. I’m not sure if it’s a teenage boy thing or just boredom, but I’ve taken to hiding food. That feels weird.
I’m also thinking ahead, to when we’re really forced to cook out of our pantries. Right now we’re still stocked with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and I’m sure we’ll shop at some point, but the idea is to go to enclosed public spaces as little as possible. I know what I keep on-hand, but The Family Plan is meant to help you! If you’ll tell me what’s in your stash, odds are I’ll do a better job at creating meal plans that don’t require shopping.
Frozen hash browns, eggs, sausage. We’ll make potato soup, tortilla soup, breakfast tacos, hash... these are our go to.
Also, we’ll make vibrant pot curry: chicken, coconut milk, curry paste, RoTel.... veggies on top at the end for an added minute of pressure. Served over starch of some sort.
Well after I listed everything we had, I got a little nervous and went out and got another $150 worth of food. We now have enough coffee, bread, tomato sauce, meat, fruit, corn meal to last at least a couple of months. The only perishables we will probably run out of are milk and maybe fruit/vegetables. However, we are lucky enough to have a farm stand within walking distance (1/2 block) so hothouse arugula, etc. plus local milk should be fine. I don't know how long this will last, but I remember the October 31 snowstorm a while ago. We made coffee and eggs and dinners on our woodstove since there was no power and I remember that the power came back the morning of the night I was planning to do pork and green chilis. I remember being disappointed I couldn't do a pioneer stew, but overall it was better. I know that this is not the typical NYC setup, but there has to be some advantage in living in the backwoods. ;)
Honestly, I'm so overwhelmed. We do have some beans, pasta, various canned stuff ... and some chicken breasts, salmon fillets, and a couple chubs of hamburger in the freezer, but since we've been trying to eat more vegetarian / vegan, we don't have as much meat as we used to keep. And, it's hard to get in our local stores now.
My sweetie has to go into town tomorrow for a medical appointment, so I'm going to try placing a grocery order for pick-up ... to get some things we feel are missing from the pantry and some things we are craving now that we're being even bigger hermits than we already are. (ha ha)
So, I might not be able to get groceries again when the list comes out Thurs since we're trying to stay home as much as possible, but I will play along with recipes the best I can with what I have in the house.
We've got flour, sugar, eggs, brown and white rice, quinoa, farro, pasta, a bunch of canned beans and canned tomatoes and canned fruit, some frozen veg (not as much as I wish we had), and a huge supply of various dried beans and legumes and oats. Plus a lot of crackers and such, since I have twin toddlers who wish they could eat nothing but. Fresh I have carrots, celery, enough fruit for about a week and a half, some cheeses, russet and sweet potatoes, and some herbs. The milk will run out first, but I have a small thing of shelf stable milk and shelf stable soy milk after that. Then I'll either convince my toddlers that milk is overrated or make oat milk?
We planted our "victory garden" over the weekend...spinach and herbs and peas outside and a bunch of different herbs in our aerogrow inside. We should be ready for our first harvest in three weeks, so hopefully having those couple fresh things will help.
I'd love to see some great recipes for dried beans besides soups!
nuts of all kinds, dried and canned beans (black, chickpea, cranberry beans, red lentils), rice (brown, basmati, arborio), smoked, canned fish (anchovies, trout, sardines-- will get MORE anchovies), panko, dried fruit, pasta, flour, sugar, chocolate, oils, vinegars, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk, chicken broth, peanut butter. I think this is really good: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/dining/how-to-stock-a-pantry.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
Spaetzel, tons of different grains and pastas, grits, pinto beans, beans, Jiffy, canned cherry peppers, artichoke hearts, assorted flours, pumpkin, lots of seeds and nuts, chips to last forever, PB, goldfish, odds and ends of Pasta, rice (brown and white), my husband for some reason bought a costco sized canned tuna stash, some tomatoes, green beans, tomato paste, crackers, bread crumbs, bullion. Freezer has veggies and meats.
some canned veggies, lots of rice, way to many black beans, garbanzo beans, different pasta's. lots of different types of bullion cubes and broth's. My freezer is mega packed with different veggies and so on too atm! Grabbed a huge bag of potatoes this week since it was on the list, and the ones I usually keep in the pantry were starting to go to seed tragically. Also grabbed a big bag of lentils since I figured it'd be good to have extra on hand. A decent amount of baking supplies, despite not having a working oven haha. Oh! I got two big bags of shredded chicken in my freezer too!
Grocery shopping's horrendous atm.... went to about 5 different stores yesterday, and it took 3 different ones just to find some basic celery of all things.
Huh. Reading back on this I could make a lot of different types of soups if I wanna.
Was gifted a Butternut, and a Spaghetti Squash the other day I gotta figure out what to do with, too!
Dried lentils that I have no idea how to prepare , chicken broth, fresh carrots, frozen spinach, onions. Chicken breast in the freezer, canned garbanzos. Spaghetti, rotini, macaroni. Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda. Rice. Almond butter, peanut butter, apple butter. Potato flakes. Bread crumbs. Tomato sauce, tomato paste. Frozen peas, frozen corn.
Beans, pasta, rice (wild & brown), a variety of vinegars, spices and oils and my freezer has the last of the summer garden (green beans, eggplant, basil, zucchini, pumpkin purée and tomato’s, tomatillos & blackberries) and some meat. My favorite is our scrap bags, I have one fruit and one veggie, every time there is ay 3 strawberries or 1/2 an apple I chop and throw it in the bag - nothing goes to waste and it makes the best smoothies. The veggie bag is little bits of this and that, sometimes I make stock or sometimes soup
I’m living it up with the fresh vegetables we have now and trying to plan for when we don’t... I grabbed a few longer lasting items, like a cabbage, potatoes, butternut squash, so hopefully will be able to stretch the fresh stuff for a little while. I also have a few pounds each of chicken breasts/thighs and ground beef, a few bags of frozen vegetables (spinach, broccoli, corn), a few boxes of pasta and pounds of rice, and, my crowning glory, approximately the last 3 quarters’ worth of beans from the Rancho Gordo bean club!
We’re in an RV with a fridge the size of two high school lockers side by side, and we have pulled lighter object out of storage to store repack around the food stash but here we go:
Shelf-stable: black beans, chickpeas, rice, pasta, red sauce, canned tomatoes, canned corn, rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, onions, dried apples, raisins, almonds, walnuts, canned tuna, chicken, salmon, and sardines. A ton of peanut butter, honey, flour, oil, salt. Bread, tortillas, dry cereal, some baking mixes (Little Kid’s birthday is in two weeks), evaporated milk and a few spices.
Perishable: milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, lunch meat, apples, clementines, carrots, celery, slaw mix, kale, mixed greens, sausages, frozen broccoli, frozen spinach, frozen blueberries, and a couple frozen lasagnas. Almost all of it can be eaten by my pickiest eater. And I’m leaving out the condiments, tea, coffee, and booze.
We have rice, dried and canned beans, pasta, sweet and white potatoes, canned tomato products, frozen chicken thighs/sausage/ ground beef, frozen mixed vegetables & peas. Kale, carrots, apples, pears, red peppers, and getting weekly fresh produce delivery.
I have some pasta & sauce, chicken broth, rice, bread, tortillas, lots of crackers, fruit cups, beef jerky, dried fruit, oatmeal, quinoa (which i have thus far been unable to convince anyone in my family to eat, but desperate times...?), some canned veggies, tuna, canned tomatoes, nut butters, lots of soups, stuff for baking. In the freezer I have chicken breast, ground turkey, ground beef, sausage, hot dogs, various veggies, nuts, shredded cheese, chicken nuggets. I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot, but more ideas are ALWAYS welcome. I'm especially wondering about those canned veggies since they are kinda yuck on their own. (Maybe a chicken pot pie or something???)
I've got pasta, white rice, brown rice, canned beans, lentils for days, one can of diced tomatoes, one can of tomato paste, lots of canned fruit, stock, some coconut milk, some tomato sauce, some salad greens, ranch dressing, canned tuna and canned salmon, and some soups. A variety of spices. Eggs. Some frozen chicken. I'm a little low on fresh and frozen veg. Oh! and about 5 lbs of potatoes
Basically everything Trader Joe’s sells. Pasta, sauce, frozen side dishes, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, rice, sausages, nuts, peanut butter, breakfast stuff, eggs. All 3 kids need “homeschool”, 2 need to practice piano, one is temporarily in a wheelchair & husband is a doctor in a busy hospital.
Does anyone else feel that because all schools, activities and social supports are closed, everything is on you & there’s no time to cook? If Trader Joe’s closes, we’ll be cooked goose😟
i have pasta, quinoa, rice, cornmeal, canned beans (white & black), canned tomatoes, canned tuna and canned salmon, chicken breasts and salmon burgers in the freezer. lots of olives, parmesan cheese (more in freezer) pesto and pasta sauces, pho broth (in little packets), coconut milk and dried mushrooms, refried beans, picnic beans and peanut butter and various soups. flour in the refrigerator.
I bought a bunch of ground beef intending to make a big pasta dish for a party, but that was obviously cancelled. Am thinking of meatloaves now (one for tonight, one for the freezer). I bought some sturdy veggies (Brussles sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots), and have lots of pantry beans/grains but am feeling a bit lost as how to put everything together at the moment.
I don't have much on hand besides pasta because I recently cleaned out and have been giving stuff to people who don't have cars. I do have things in the freezer. I know meat tastes freezer burnt after being in there a while, but am wondering about the safety of eating it.
Hi Debbie,
The last resort meal for me is using pasta, tuna, and anchovies as a simple meal. I had it for lunch once while traveling in Italy. Quite good.
June
Frozen hash browns, eggs, sausage. We’ll make potato soup, tortilla soup, breakfast tacos, hash... these are our go to.
Also, we’ll make vibrant pot curry: chicken, coconut milk, curry paste, RoTel.... veggies on top at the end for an added minute of pressure. Served over starch of some sort.
Lentils too
Well after I listed everything we had, I got a little nervous and went out and got another $150 worth of food. We now have enough coffee, bread, tomato sauce, meat, fruit, corn meal to last at least a couple of months. The only perishables we will probably run out of are milk and maybe fruit/vegetables. However, we are lucky enough to have a farm stand within walking distance (1/2 block) so hothouse arugula, etc. plus local milk should be fine. I don't know how long this will last, but I remember the October 31 snowstorm a while ago. We made coffee and eggs and dinners on our woodstove since there was no power and I remember that the power came back the morning of the night I was planning to do pork and green chilis. I remember being disappointed I couldn't do a pioneer stew, but overall it was better. I know that this is not the typical NYC setup, but there has to be some advantage in living in the backwoods. ;)
Honestly, I'm so overwhelmed. We do have some beans, pasta, various canned stuff ... and some chicken breasts, salmon fillets, and a couple chubs of hamburger in the freezer, but since we've been trying to eat more vegetarian / vegan, we don't have as much meat as we used to keep. And, it's hard to get in our local stores now.
My sweetie has to go into town tomorrow for a medical appointment, so I'm going to try placing a grocery order for pick-up ... to get some things we feel are missing from the pantry and some things we are craving now that we're being even bigger hermits than we already are. (ha ha)
So, I might not be able to get groceries again when the list comes out Thurs since we're trying to stay home as much as possible, but I will play along with recipes the best I can with what I have in the house.
We've got flour, sugar, eggs, brown and white rice, quinoa, farro, pasta, a bunch of canned beans and canned tomatoes and canned fruit, some frozen veg (not as much as I wish we had), and a huge supply of various dried beans and legumes and oats. Plus a lot of crackers and such, since I have twin toddlers who wish they could eat nothing but. Fresh I have carrots, celery, enough fruit for about a week and a half, some cheeses, russet and sweet potatoes, and some herbs. The milk will run out first, but I have a small thing of shelf stable milk and shelf stable soy milk after that. Then I'll either convince my toddlers that milk is overrated or make oat milk?
We planted our "victory garden" over the weekend...spinach and herbs and peas outside and a bunch of different herbs in our aerogrow inside. We should be ready for our first harvest in three weeks, so hopefully having those couple fresh things will help.
I'd love to see some great recipes for dried beans besides soups!
What could I make with a small amount of red lentils? I also have some nutritional yeast and haven’t love anything that it is very apparent in.
nuts of all kinds, dried and canned beans (black, chickpea, cranberry beans, red lentils), rice (brown, basmati, arborio), smoked, canned fish (anchovies, trout, sardines-- will get MORE anchovies), panko, dried fruit, pasta, flour, sugar, chocolate, oils, vinegars, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk, chicken broth, peanut butter. I think this is really good: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/dining/how-to-stock-a-pantry.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage
Spaetzel, tons of different grains and pastas, grits, pinto beans, beans, Jiffy, canned cherry peppers, artichoke hearts, assorted flours, pumpkin, lots of seeds and nuts, chips to last forever, PB, goldfish, odds and ends of Pasta, rice (brown and white), my husband for some reason bought a costco sized canned tuna stash, some tomatoes, green beans, tomato paste, crackers, bread crumbs, bullion. Freezer has veggies and meats.
some canned veggies, lots of rice, way to many black beans, garbanzo beans, different pasta's. lots of different types of bullion cubes and broth's. My freezer is mega packed with different veggies and so on too atm! Grabbed a huge bag of potatoes this week since it was on the list, and the ones I usually keep in the pantry were starting to go to seed tragically. Also grabbed a big bag of lentils since I figured it'd be good to have extra on hand. A decent amount of baking supplies, despite not having a working oven haha. Oh! I got two big bags of shredded chicken in my freezer too!
Grocery shopping's horrendous atm.... went to about 5 different stores yesterday, and it took 3 different ones just to find some basic celery of all things.
Huh. Reading back on this I could make a lot of different types of soups if I wanna.
Was gifted a Butternut, and a Spaghetti Squash the other day I gotta figure out what to do with, too!
Dried lentils that I have no idea how to prepare , chicken broth, fresh carrots, frozen spinach, onions. Chicken breast in the freezer, canned garbanzos. Spaghetti, rotini, macaroni. Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda. Rice. Almond butter, peanut butter, apple butter. Potato flakes. Bread crumbs. Tomato sauce, tomato paste. Frozen peas, frozen corn.
Beans, pasta, rice (wild & brown), a variety of vinegars, spices and oils and my freezer has the last of the summer garden (green beans, eggplant, basil, zucchini, pumpkin purée and tomato’s, tomatillos & blackberries) and some meat. My favorite is our scrap bags, I have one fruit and one veggie, every time there is ay 3 strawberries or 1/2 an apple I chop and throw it in the bag - nothing goes to waste and it makes the best smoothies. The veggie bag is little bits of this and that, sometimes I make stock or sometimes soup
I’m living it up with the fresh vegetables we have now and trying to plan for when we don’t... I grabbed a few longer lasting items, like a cabbage, potatoes, butternut squash, so hopefully will be able to stretch the fresh stuff for a little while. I also have a few pounds each of chicken breasts/thighs and ground beef, a few bags of frozen vegetables (spinach, broccoli, corn), a few boxes of pasta and pounds of rice, and, my crowning glory, approximately the last 3 quarters’ worth of beans from the Rancho Gordo bean club!
We’re in an RV with a fridge the size of two high school lockers side by side, and we have pulled lighter object out of storage to store repack around the food stash but here we go:
Shelf-stable: black beans, chickpeas, rice, pasta, red sauce, canned tomatoes, canned corn, rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, onions, dried apples, raisins, almonds, walnuts, canned tuna, chicken, salmon, and sardines. A ton of peanut butter, honey, flour, oil, salt. Bread, tortillas, dry cereal, some baking mixes (Little Kid’s birthday is in two weeks), evaporated milk and a few spices.
Perishable: milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, lunch meat, apples, clementines, carrots, celery, slaw mix, kale, mixed greens, sausages, frozen broccoli, frozen spinach, frozen blueberries, and a couple frozen lasagnas. Almost all of it can be eaten by my pickiest eater. And I’m leaving out the condiments, tea, coffee, and booze.
Lots of Pasta, rice/risotto, beans (black, kidney, garbanzo), ground beef, chicken breast, frozen salmon, frozen veggies, broth,
Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, butter, powdered milk, rice, dried beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, lentils, red lentils), barley, pasta, dried onions, canned pineapple, oranges (from the tree), oil, spices, tomato sauce, a few pounds of potatoes, salsa, nuts, quinoa, corn meal, polenta, olives, canned baked beans, frozen salmon and steak, peanut butter, horseradish.
We have rice, dried and canned beans, pasta, sweet and white potatoes, canned tomato products, frozen chicken thighs/sausage/ ground beef, frozen mixed vegetables & peas. Kale, carrots, apples, pears, red peppers, and getting weekly fresh produce delivery.
Pasta, crushed tomatoes, frozen meatballs, baking supplies (except yeast which has been REALLY hard to find!)
I have some pasta & sauce, chicken broth, rice, bread, tortillas, lots of crackers, fruit cups, beef jerky, dried fruit, oatmeal, quinoa (which i have thus far been unable to convince anyone in my family to eat, but desperate times...?), some canned veggies, tuna, canned tomatoes, nut butters, lots of soups, stuff for baking. In the freezer I have chicken breast, ground turkey, ground beef, sausage, hot dogs, various veggies, nuts, shredded cheese, chicken nuggets. I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot, but more ideas are ALWAYS welcome. I'm especially wondering about those canned veggies since they are kinda yuck on their own. (Maybe a chicken pot pie or something???)
I've got pasta, white rice, brown rice, canned beans, lentils for days, one can of diced tomatoes, one can of tomato paste, lots of canned fruit, stock, some coconut milk, some tomato sauce, some salad greens, ranch dressing, canned tuna and canned salmon, and some soups. A variety of spices. Eggs. Some frozen chicken. I'm a little low on fresh and frozen veg. Oh! and about 5 lbs of potatoes
Beans, rice, lentils, quinoa, chicken stock, frozen veggies and fruit. A TON of carrots. Plenty of oils and spices. Canned pumpkin and tomatoes.
Basically everything Trader Joe’s sells. Pasta, sauce, frozen side dishes, frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, rice, sausages, nuts, peanut butter, breakfast stuff, eggs. All 3 kids need “homeschool”, 2 need to practice piano, one is temporarily in a wheelchair & husband is a doctor in a busy hospital.
Does anyone else feel that because all schools, activities and social supports are closed, everything is on you & there’s no time to cook? If Trader Joe’s closes, we’ll be cooked goose😟
We have moderate amounts of rice, dried garbanzos, dried pintos, polenta, spelt, anchovies, coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, canned tomatoes, some frozen ground turkey, peas, corn... but our freezer is small.
i have pasta, quinoa, rice, cornmeal, canned beans (white & black), canned tomatoes, canned tuna and canned salmon, chicken breasts and salmon burgers in the freezer. lots of olives, parmesan cheese (more in freezer) pesto and pasta sauces, pho broth (in little packets), coconut milk and dried mushrooms, refried beans, picnic beans and peanut butter and various soups. flour in the refrigerator.
I bought a bunch of ground beef intending to make a big pasta dish for a party, but that was obviously cancelled. Am thinking of meatloaves now (one for tonight, one for the freezer). I bought some sturdy veggies (Brussles sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots), and have lots of pantry beans/grains but am feeling a bit lost as how to put everything together at the moment.
Lots of rice, dried beans, pasta, marinara, oats, baking supplies, frozen fruit, peanut butter, nuts, raisins, shelf-stable soy milk, sausage in the freezer!
I don't have much on hand besides pasta because I recently cleaned out and have been giving stuff to people who don't have cars. I do have things in the freezer. I know meat tastes freezer burnt after being in there a while, but am wondering about the safety of eating it.