Maybe you are like me…you live alone in a 1 BR apartment. You don’t have a huge kitchen or extra large refrigerator. Or perhaps you have a family to cook for. Either way, it makes sense to stock up now, because this will minimize the trips you have to make to the grocery store (and reduce your exposure to Covid-19).
If you have to shop now, please consider wearing a mask, bringing a list, and shopping at off-peak hours, like the first hour or last hour the store is open. Avoid shopping during the weekends and at other crowded times.
Here are some of my favorite items I stock up on.
Proteins
When you live on your own, it takes a little effort to portion out proteins because some foods are made to serve a family. I’m also trying to avoid fast food and processed food whenever I can. If you are filling your freezer, remember to leave enough space for air to circulate — don’t pack a regular refrigerator jam full.
Here are some ideas for healthy options that won’t break your budget.
Proteins
If you are trying to lose weight, then you know how important protein can be in your diet. Here are some protein foods I keep on hand during the pandemic.
- Eggs, almonds, peanuts, cashews, peanut butter, hummus, whole fat plain yogurt, whole fat cottage cheese, tofu and cheese (I like Cabot white cheddar) are all easy to portion into servings for a protein meal or snack.
- Avoid or reduce the amount of hot dogs and deli meats you consume. Processed meat is tasty and convenient but it’s supposed to be really bad for you. I don’t know for sure about meatless processed foods, though.
- Boneless chicken breasts, pork loin chops or turkey sausages on sale. Put individual portions in small freezer bags, squeeze as much air out as you can and label and date the bags with a sharpie. Be sure to use freezer bags for best results. Defrost, some veggies, quinoa, rice or pasta and dinner is done!
- Individually frozen turkey burgers. I like the smaller Butterball ones. You can make one at a time. They are great served without the bun over a salad.
- Frozen shrimp. You can get a pound of medium, cooked, peeled shrimp for about $5 or $6 at Wal-Mart. It’s very easy to throw a cup of shrimp into some gumbo or a stir fry for a quick and healthy meal.
- Canned beans have a long shelf life. Try black beans for tacos or burritos, add garbanzo beans to salads or cous cous, and make a white bean salad with oil and vinegar.
- If you like fish, especially salmon (I wish I did), add some canned or frozen fish to your list for the protein component of your meal.
Fruits and vegetables
Eating more fruits and vegetables is a goal and I did pretty well during the pandemic. I did notice that the more fruits and vegetables I ate, the less room I had for bad food choices. I also discovered that I really like green veggies (like spinach, broccoli and turnip greens) as part of my breakfast meal!
I use a mixture of fresh, frozen, dried and canned items. Of course, the fresh ones expire quickly. I have found that Safeway (if you have it in your area) is running good specials on produce. Their bagged mixed salad is a bargain at $1.25/bag.
Some fresh produce that you might want to buy that lasts a bit include fresh garlic, fresh ginger, onions, apples, red grapefruit, avocados, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and mushrooms. Leafy greens don’t last long but are a must — parsley and red cabbage are also superfoods (lots of antioxidants). I bought those lime juice and lemon juice squeezers and they last forever! They perk up the taste of beverages and foods.
If you really do want to cut down on your grocery trips as the pandemic worsens (the infections are projected to peak around mid-October, 2021), then you’ll want to include some non-perishable foods to get your vitamins.
Another advantage is when you have a well-stocked refrigerator and pantry, you don’t hit the the drive-thru as often. It’s really the healthier way to live.
- Freeze dried chives are nice to have on hand as are frozen chopped onions.
- For canned foods, try canned carrots (I add these to chicken noodle soup), tomatoes, sliced potatoes, green beans, collards and mixed vegetables. Canned fruit that is great to have on hand include pineapple, mandarin oranges and applesauce.
- Simply Ragu tomato sauce has no sugar or other troublesome ingredients. I keep a lot of that on hand for pasta meals and also to make little pizzas with English muffins.
- I also like Pace salsa to add to meals, like black beans.
- Jarred red peppers, olives, artichokes, mushrooms, beets, capers and pesto are highly nutritious and great for meals, salads or appetizers. Especially capers. Can we talk about capers? They are crazy good for you. They have cancer-fighting and obesity-fighting properties. Who knew?
- If you buy soup on sale, a can of soup can be a meal for a single person. I like Progresso soup which is most affordable at Wal Mart. Although canned soup has a lot of sodium, it is still a pretty good deal for a meal, especially if you add extra veggies.
- The frozen fruits and vegetables I tend to buy include ones that are minimally processed without added sauces or flavors, like stir fry mix, brocolli, cauliflower, green peas, mixed vegetables, spinach and butternut squash. I also buy berries. It is a good idea to eat frozen or fresh berries daily if you can manage — they have so many immunty-boosting antixoxidants — but of course, they are pricey. Aim for at least once a week. I add mine to plain yogurt with a tiny drizzle of honey.
- I’ve really tried to cut back on juice but I do love it. I buy tart cherry juice which is good for inflammation and I add cranberry juice to seltzer to stretch out the sugar and calories. One way I’ve helped tame my juice cravings is to drink fruity herbal teas, like hibiscus, raspberry, orange and lemon teas. Many flavored teas contain rose hips, which are rich in vitamin C. And of course, tea has a long shelf life. Spearmint tea is good for high blood pressure and green tea is helpful for losing weight. Black, white and green teas are rich in antioxidants are are good for your immune system.
Grains
- It can take me a long time to go through a loaf of bread. One solution I found is to buy English muffins. They are usually less calories, easy to freeze and they make great turkey burger buns or mini pizzas.
- I’ve switched to low-carb tortillas and I’m really happy somebody invented those.
- It’s tempting to buy Ramen noodles because they are so inexpensive BUT I have read that even without the seasoning packet, they are really bad for you. Oh, well!
- Saltines are inexpensive (at least the generic ones are). I don’t eat them everyday but if I get sick with the flu, they are all I want to eat, so I have them on hand during the winter months. Otherwise, I snack on Triscuits (the low sodium kind) because all though they are processed, they have relatively few ingredients. The fewer the ingredients, the better, I have read. Crackers aren’t the healthiest food but they have a longer shelf life than bread, so if you really want to avoid the store, freezing bread or making do with crackers might be the way to go.
- Instead of cereal, you might want to consider buying plain oatmeal. Add heart-healthy Ceylon cinnamon.
- Other grains I stock up during the pandemic include quinoa, brown rice, cous cous and pasta, all of which are easy to portion out and cook in just the amounts I need. And these shelf foods last a really long time.
Additional items to consider
- Be sure you have some Vitamin D on hand. Our Vitamin D levels tend to decrease in the fall and winter months with less exposure to sunlight.
- You may want to stock up on distilled water for things like diffusers, irons and humidifiers.
- Epsom salts are great if you take baths. You will absorb magnesium from the salts which will help relax you. Many of us are deficient in magnesium.
- Olive oil, red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are staples you may need. Have you tried seasoned rice vinegar? It is really tasty on cucumber slices.
- I love Mrs. Dash (which is sodium-free), especially on chicken and salad.
- Some shelf-stable milk, soy milk or almond milk is a good idea. I was so happy I bought that last year when the infection rates went up.
- If you can enjoy your coffee black, do. Powdered and liquid coffee creamers aren’t really that good for you, I have read.
- Any comfort food (in moderation). I have one box of Kraft macaroni and cheese, for example, some frozen waffles and some canned gingerale. They aren’t the healthiest foods but they are occasional treats.
- It is natural to crave sweets when you are stressed but if you are an emotional eater, like I tend to be, then you know you can’t bring in boxes of Oreos or containers of ice cream into your house and expect a good outcome. One solution I have found is to buy some treats that I like but tend not to go overboard on. Like graham crackers. I will eat those in moderation. M&Ms or M&M cookies, not so much! I have a treat box so that on those occasions when I really want something sweet, I can have a small portion. I try to keep it healthy. My snack box has some Dum Dum pops, Werther’s hard caramel candy, dried fruit, sandwich crackers, jello, etc.
What have you found to be essential to have on hand during the pandemic? What will you add to your pantry or freezer to reduce shopping trips?
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