Quarantine preparedness

I’ve always used this blog to help share recipes and foods that I think people will love. Well, we all know that our world is facing a crisis right now. I don’t want to join in the hype, but I do want to help. So I’ve written up some Self-imposed quarantine preparedness ideas and notes.

Want more tips and recipes using shelf-stable ingredients or pantry cooking, be sure to check out my helpful information.

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Self-imposed quarantine preparedness

I think our household will be going into a self-imposed quarantine; that’s what I think will work best for us. And I want to be prepared. I’ve always been interested in emergency preparedness.

So, I’m sharing with you some of the things I’m doing and some of the things I’m making. I’m here to help as much as I can. I want us all to be healthy. I want us all to be happy.

So here are some of my ideas for recipes that will work well for the next few weeks as well as what to stock up on and some things to do.

On a personal note, I am going through a very rough time in my life right now with the passing of my sweet kitty, Miss Miso. She was always my ray of sunlight, my reason for getting up in the morning, my friend. So please bear with me as I share as much of my help as I can.

And speaking of our furry friends, don’t forget to stock up on their food and any meds they might take.

This week’s menu

Today I’m making a big batch of my crock pot vegetarian chili. Tonight we will have it just in a bowl with some freshly baked bread next to it. I’ll turn the leftovers into chili mac and turn some into chili fries so that we have some fun easy meals planned.

Later in the week, I’ll make some Pasta e Fagioli Soup {pasta and beans soup} and I bought a bag of frozen mixed veggies to toss into the soup as well. I want to make sure we still have veggies in our meals. And frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh, if not more nutritious in some cases.

When I’m in need of a fancy meal to make things special, I’m going to make this Salmon Risotto. Not only does it use frozen salmon, but shelf stable Arborio rice goes into the dish. Parmesan cheese lasts a nice long time in the fridge, and can be grated on top of lots of dishes for a special touch.

What’s right for you?

We must all make our own decisions as to what’s right. Do you travel? Do you self quarantine? What I do know is that we must do whatever we can to protect ourselves. I also know that we quarantine for everyone, not just for ourselves. It’s to help the hospitals and caregivers. Quarantine is a contribution to the public good.

If you’re going to quarantine, know that you can still have fun. You don’t have to go stir crazy. Have family board game night. Make crafts. Play some dice games. Bake. Read a good book. Relax. Make it like a vacation as much as you can.

Start a new hobby, or finish one of those projects that have just been sitting around unfinished. Do some home repairs.

Clean the house. I have lots of helpful tips on my Pinterest boards for cleaning the house as well as organizing the house.

Grow and learn

Use the time to grow and learn. I saw an advertisement the other day for a culinary degree that was all online. I totally want to look into that!

Here’s a list of museums with virtual tours you can do from your computer.
PBS is offering at-home learning for kids of all ages and capabilities.
Keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys for kids and their parents.
My city’s library offers streaming movies, music, and books; make sure to check our your local library to see what they offer.
And here’s a list of 50+ things to do with your kids.
Storyline Online has free children’s literacy resource featuring the world’s best storytellers reading books aloud.
The Metropolitan Opera will be streaming operas for free, check the schedule.
The Seattle Symphony will be streaming performances, get notifications and check the schedule.
Free Ivy league courses you can take online.
Virtual field trips you can take online.
Check out my Pinterest board for things to do at home, kind of science-y learning things.
Disney is offering Imagineering in a Box, a free online program that sounds really cool!
The Khan Academy offers free online education.

Depending on your level of quarantine and where you live, consider hiking trails around you. When we go hiking, we rarely see many people, and the time in nature is so wonderful. From my house we can walk to the riverbed and see lots of birds, water, and maybe the occasional coyote.

If you’re working from home, like I do, keep set hours that you wake up and set hours that you work. Don’t let work take over your home life if you help it.

Meal time

Turn your meals into something fun.

Tacos can be served taco bar style, making it a fun party. Salsa Chicken can be a fun part of your taco bar, and the leftovers can be frozen for next week’s meals. The Carnitas in these sliders also makes a big batch and some of it can be frozen for later. Slow Cooker Mexican Brown Rice Stew can be served one day as a stew and serve the leftovers in tacos. Nacho cheese is a great taco bar addition, and this one’s made with Velveeta, which is shelf stable.

Lunch can be served as a picnic in the backyard or on the living room floor. We do tapas night often, and that’s a great excuse to have fun with your food.

Go outside

Don’t think that you’re stuck in the house. Go outside. Do some yard work. That lawn isn’t going to mow itself.

I love to walk through my front yard meadow and look at the bugs and the plants. It does my heart so much good to see nature.

Take the dog for a walk, just avoid other people.

Sit in the backyard and have a small happy hour party with some appetizers and a backyard fire.

Some great appetizers that start with shelf stable items:

Chickpeas make a great snack (try them as spicy Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas or sweet Honey Roasted Chickpeas), nuts like Smoked Garlic Almonds and Crock Pot Roasted Almonds, all make great snacks.

Try using my Onion Soup Mix to make onion dip. Garlic dipping oil is a great way to add a little spice to your appetizer spread. And these Pesto Puff Pastry Pinwheels were made with ingredients I had in my fridge.

What if you do get sick?

Everyone’s being told to wash their hands to avoid catching the virus, but some people will get sick, and in that case, take care of yourself like you have a really bad respiratory bug or the flu. Like mom always said, drink lots of fluids and get lots of rest. Soups and drinks will help you.

Try my Cinnamon Sore Throat Tea, or my favorite Honey Lemon Drink. Healing Evergreen Tea is also a fun one to make and super tasty, it’ll also help you get outside and gather up some evergreens.

Soups

Chicken soup is not only good for the soul it’ll help keep you hydrated. I don’t eat chicken, but I do have a couple of soup recipes that I eat when I feel yucky. Rosemary Orzo Soup and Brown Rice Vegetable Soup are both very easy to make and use panty staples.

Some other great soups that use pantry or freezer staples are Lentil Soup, Pumpkin Coconut Soup, and Pressure Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip Soup.

I do love soup, and especially easy to make cupboard cooking style soups like Black Bean Enchilada Soup, Tomato Lentil Soup, Mexican White Bean Soup, Pumpkin Barley Soup, and Pasta and Chickpea Soup { Pasta e Ceci Soup}.

Stocking up

I’ll be stocking up on Kleenex and NyQuil. These are things that will help me feel better if I do get sick. Also, think about any prescriptions you take, and make sure you have a stock of these. If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.

And some other things to keep in mind, try to do as much as you can on line. Banking and bill paying can be done on the computer.

Buying your groceries using a delivery service like (affiliate link) Amazon Fresh can help. Many grocery stores now offer shopping for you as well as curb side delivery, which can keep you safer. Also, many stores have “contact free” procedures in place.

Casseroles

Casseroles are one of my favorite things to make because you can make a big amount and have leftovers for days. Or maybe they are just so easy to make and use pantry staples, making them perfect for right now.

Try my homemade Oven Baked Mac & Cheese or my Spanish Rice Casserole. Tuna Noodle Casserole is a great idea for using shelf stable cans of delicious tuna.

Breakfast

I usually make eggs for breakfast, but there are lots of other great shelf stable options out there.

Breakfast Quinoa and oatmeal are great ways to mix up breakfast with something new. And try some of my favorite dried fruit compote on top of your hot breakfast cereal

Smoothies are a good way to use frozen berries, and leftover parts of veggies to help clean out the fridge a bit.

Rice pudding is a fun and nutritious breakfast.

Muffins can be made ahead and frozen. Try my apple oatmeal muffins, Mint Chocolate Chip Greek Yogurt Muffins, Gluten-free Coconut Muffins, and Pecan Pie Muffins.

Granola is a fun thing to make with the kids, and then you have a delicious shelf-stable breakfast. Try my oven baked granola, or make some slow cooker granola for something new and fun.

Try making some fun and delicious waffles.

Bake up some goodies

Baking is a good way to spend the day having fun with family, and you get something super tasty in the end!

These 2 ingredient coconut macaroons use shelf-stable ingredients to bake up something fun!

Try my Dakota bread, Garlic Twisted Bread , skillet bread, or biscuits.

Or bake up a cake like my classic Angel Food Cake, French Almond Cakes , or Bourbon Banana Bread.

Stay healthy

I know this topic is at the top of everyone’s minds, and I had a lot to say (more than I realized when I started to write this). Please know that the health, safety, and well being of my family and friends is so important to me, as I know it is to you. Stay healthy, my friends. And, if you have any questions or are looking for any recipe, please feel free to comment and let me know. I try to monitor and reply as quickly as possible.

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