Hey everyone, hope you're doing well during this surreal time we are living in. I've been alternating between panic cleaning and panic cooking - and eating - then I remembered this blog 😅 it's a good distraction at the moment and I've really enjoyed reading and writing blogs again and the few minutes of peace it offers.
When all of this started, my mind instantly went to food. As it does in most situations. I think if you've gone through food insecurity at any point in your life, then that's probably the case. I made lists of shelf stable meal ideas, meals I could make and freeze, etc.
Here's what I've been making lately:
- instant pot vegetable stew (pictured above) // I've made this four times in the past couple of weeks. It's so good & comforting! I will say that I haven't actually made it in the instant pot. I've just used the stovetop. I follow the same instructions and then simmer until potatoes are done.
- instant pot chipotle black beans // this is THE dried beans recipe to make. My goodness, it's incredible! I'm going to try this beans + rice recipe of hers next.
- general tso's broccoli mushroom stir fry // this recipe is for you all that have tahini on hand and aren't in the mood for hummus, but need to use it up. I was super skeptical about tahini in a stir fry sauce, but it's legit. I'd use a tiny bit less than the recipe calls for next time I make it though. I also subbed tofu for the chickpeas. But honestly, this sauce with a bag of frozen stir fry veggies would be great.
Here's what my grocery list looked like last time I went shopping and was focusing on foods with a long shelf life:
- tuna packs
- eggs // hardboiled, add to ramen, in tortillas
- tofu // stir fry, baked for salads, tofu scramble
- almond milk
- blocks of cheese // shredded to top salads, make quesadillas, on baked potatoes/chili/tortilla soup
- tortillas // I got these navy bean ones from Wal-Mart that are really good with a long shelf life
- ramen noodles
- russet & sweet potatoes // baked with chili on top, enchilada sweet potatoes, make fries, potato nachos. sweet potatoes last forever in the fridge.
- tortilla chips // for chili and nachos
- dried beans // nachos, the black bean recipe linked above, burritos, on top of salads
- rice // add to canned soups, beans + rice, burritos, add to chili
- spaghetti & marinara
- hard taco shells + refried beans
- onions // chop these and freeze
- apples + oranges // last a long time in the fridge
- bananas // freeze for smoothies and oatmeal
- oatmeal
- jars of garlic // super cheap at aldi, like $1.29 I believe
- ginger // lasts forever in the freezer and thaws quickly
- tomato paste
- pizza sauce + mini pizza crusts // freeze the crusts! these are nice for kids to make their own pizzas.
- frozen pizzas
- frozen veggies // peas, corn, stir fry mix
- cheesecake // froze a couple because I know I'm going to need them. need.
- popcorn kernels // cheap and a great snack. I had a giant bowl of popcorn for dinner last night 😂
- better than bouillon broth // I find that boxed broths taste tinny and thin. I love this stuff because a tiny bit can transform a recipe - it's great! Cheapest at Wal-Mart.
- coffee and tea // earl grey for when I need caffeine but don't want coffee and dandelion chai because it has probiotics and is super good!
- mac n' cheese // for my seven year old
I hope that this is helpful and gives you some ideas if you need any. Our list might look a little different than yours as we only have a toaster oven, stovetop, and instant pot. So I'm not able to bake large meals or anything. Our toaster oven will fit a frozen pizza exactly and that was all that mattered when I bought it 😂
I made this pantry/freezer/fridge inventory printable and wanted to share. >> download it here << I've been using to to see what I have on hand, how much there is, and what meals I can make with it. It's helped with the anxiety around food a bit, and I hope you find it useful as well. You can print it or use it in apps such as Goodnotes if you are into digital planning.
Take care everyone ♡
