written by NOA DIAMOND. July 29th, 2020
Something I actually have loved about quarantine is that I went from living in a dorm with just a mini-fridge and a microwave to having a normal person kitchen with a full-sized fridge and an oven!! This means I can shop for more than just rice cakes and peanut butter. One thing I am being mindful of is that I am no longer walking all day from class to class across campus. I definitely have found myself spending a lot more time sitting around on the couch as I try to binge the entire Real Housewives franchise. To combat this, I try to keep healthier foods at hand and in the kitchen. I definitely notice that when I think carefully about what I put into my body, I feel better all around and my skin looks a million times better and less congested.
Meal planning before I go to the market is key for making sure I get what I need for my weekly recipes. I never go to the store without having a list on my phone. Of course, I will always stray from the list if I see an item I want, but the list at least serves as a guide. A list is also helpful grocery shopping these days to get me in and out of the market as fast as I can. I like to read over the list beforehand so I’m familiar with it and don’t have to stop in the middle of the aisle to check.
A pastime for me recently has been spending hours on Instagram and various food blogs looking for new recipes to make for the week. One of my favorites to follow during quarantine has been Half Baked Harvest. If you have never heard of this blog, do yourself a favor and attempt any of her Mediterranean styled dishes along with the Herbed Garlic Butter Naan. And don’t let the idea of making homemade naan scare you because it was so easy and beyond delicious. After I have picked 3-4 recipes that look good, I write down all the ingredients and head to the kitchen to see what I already have and add what I don’t to my list.
When I get to the store (which is always Trader Joe’s) I head straight for the produce. I won’t always specify beforehand what fruits and veggies I am looking for because sometimes certain produce looks more appealing than others, and I am bad at remembering what is in season. But during the summer I never leave the market without picking up some Rainier cherries. They are my favorite fruit and I have to eat as much as I can before they are out of season again. I also like to grab a variety of different veggies from asparagus to zucchini because it is so important for me to have at least one serving of veggies a day. In the summer I also crave more fresh foods. If you are like me and love basically all vegetables (except mushrooms I am so sorry), I sometimes want way more than what I know will last before I have time to make it. A solution to this is picking up some bags of frozen veggies along with your fresh ones. They can be just as good, are cheaper, and of course last way longer. These bags are also great to use when you want to make something like a stir fry or fried rice and want to throw in a variety of veggies.
Something I always make sure I have stocked in my fridge is the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (yes, I keep them in the fridge because they taste better to me cold). I stand by the rule that a savory food can’t be the last thing you eat at night so I love having one of these PB cups to satisfy my sweet craving before bed.
I am not a big snacker, but I make sure to buy at least one type of snacky food like chips with hummus or salsa for that mid-afternoon hunger that makes me want to start cooking dinner at 4 pm.
whats-the-dish.com 