This is probably one of my favorite cartoons I have seen during this whole pandemic scenario:
Another day at home, another day sticking to our very loose schedule yesterday.
We did school work:
We pretended to be Olaf by "living the dream".
But, it mainly looked like this yesterday:
The robins are back and I am really, really hoping they decide to make nests in our poisonous Hawthorne tree outside our bedroom window.
Today the weather is lovely and I am kicking my kids out asap to get some fresh air and to get out from under my feet.
I thought it might be helpful to kind of write out what our staple foods are right now. I know food is a big anxiety for a lot of people and that providing three meals a day for everybody in your house can be overwhelming, even three weeks into this situation.
Besides meal planning from what we have in the pantry and refrigerator, I am trying to keep the foods I am looking for at stores to be pretty much the same so that it is not overwhelming and so I am not disappointed if they don't have what I need for specific recipes. We're leaning heavily on family favorites and repeat dinners.
Here's what most of our meals are right now:
BREAKFAST:
Cereal (which is now doled out by serving size with a two bowl cap and the knowledge that when it's out, it's out)
Oatmeal
Eggs and toast
Waffles (due to our much beloved new waffle maker)
LUNCH:
Leftovers from dinner (which is what Evan usually had for lunches at work, but now he eats them at home)
Sandwiches (meat or pb&j or egg)
Ramen (plain or with an egg and peas, like fried rice)
Frozen chicken nuggets or other frozen meals if we have them
NO BREAKFAST FOODS FOR LUNCH
DINNER:
If we have Chicken:
Chicken and rice
Chicken and noodles
Pan cooked chicken thighs
Chicken tacos or enchiladas
BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches
If we have ground beef:
Tacos
Lasagna
Shepherd's Pie
Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti with meat sauce
If we have Pork:
Pan cooked pork chops
Sausage (like kielbasa or Italian) and pasta of some sort or rice
Pulled pork for tacos or with bbq for sandwiches
The staples I am trying to have on hand in the pantry are:
Baking cabinet:
Flour
Sugar
Baking soda and powder
Yeast
Salt
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Pantry:
Pasta
Rice
Bread
Canned veggies (corn, green beans, carrots, chickpeas)
Canned tomatoes (paste, sauce, diced)
Oils (olive, coconut, vegetable)
Marinara sauce
Salsa
Syrup
Chicken broth
Vinegar
Peanut Butter
Fridge:
Milk
Butter
Eggs (hard boiling a dozen for snacks)
Cheese
Frozen:
Veggies (corn, broccoli, peas)
Fruits (blueberries, strawberries)
Meats
Extra butter
Extra cheese
Extra bread
Fruits and veggies I buy weekly and we are creatures of habit in what we like with those:
Bananas
Apples
Grapes or oranges
Celery
Carrots
Radishes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Asparagus or brussel sprouts
Radishes
I'm not sure if that will help anyone to see what we feels are important to make meals and feed our family, but this what is working for us right now in this situation. If we're out of some of the things on this list, I can at least make meals with the rest.
We're really being strict with snacks and serving sizes of them, so I try to grab pretzels, veggie straws, tortilla chips and popcorn, when I am out getting produce and put them on my Walmart cart order every time. I, of course, am stress baking a lot as well, so we often have breads, cookies, and brownies throughout the week (which last maybe a day with the seven of us).
Thankfully, the kids have been really good about listening to us about not wasting, compromising with the each other if there is only a certain amount of something left that isn't enough for everyone. We've talked a lot about not just running to the store for one or two things because they have run out and we want more. These are all great character building lessons, I suppose (silver lining!).
What are some of your favorite meals that are getting you through right now? Go-to things that you'd recommend? I'm making favorites, but am always up to trying new things still (as much as I can, obviously).
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