Now that there are senior hours at the grocery stores, it is a little easier for me to go grocery shopping. The funny thing is, I never considered myself a senior citizen until now. I was aware of being a senior just never paid any attention to it. It has been difficult to admit that I cannot move as fast as the other shoppers.
Today I went to the grocery store. It was a pleasant experience. The shoppers were all keeping their distance and were so polite to each other. The shoppers were not hoarding any goods.
Everywhere you looked you could see the employees shopping for customers. The employees were whipping down door handles, keypads, and the shopping carts.
It has been a shift in my thinking because we are now asked not to bring our bags to the grocery stores. We are asked to use their plastic bags to help cut down possible contamination. Luckily I have been saving plastic bags for a future project.
I regularly plan out our meals and shop accordingly. With this COVID-19 I still plan but, I buy a little extra each time I go to the store to build up supplies, on the outside chance we cannot leave our homes at all.
I cleaned off part of my plant shelves to make room for the extra food and cleaning supplies I have been buying. I hope that all of you stay safe and healthy. I will start adding the healthy meals that I am preparing to help you stay healthy.
Stocking up your pantry is something that most people do not do. I have not canned in a while so I was not stocking up either. If I have enough staples in my pantry I can cook almost anything. I do not like having to run to the store every day or even twice a week. I do buy in bulk when I can also. The only thing I have to go to the store is for fresh things and when I can have my garden again that will be next to nothing.
Canned tomatoes: Crushed, whole, diced, tomato paste
Dried pastas (I use gluten free)
Rice: long grain, brown, and Arborio for risotto
Peanut butter ( I use powdered peanut butter)
Honey:(I only use local honey)
Real Maple syrup
Roasted red peppers:
Canned artichoke hearts:
Baking ingredients: bulk flour (all-purpose, I also have almond, coconut, amaranth and others), sugar (I have regular sugar, but also have stevia), brown sugar (store in a nice airtight container), powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, extracts, yeast, etc.
Shortening and vegetable oil
Chocolate chips (I use carob)
Oatmeal (I use organic gluten free)
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk
Cornmeal
Mayonnaise: (I am making my own mayonnaise now)
Potatoes, onions, and garlic. I store them in a basket so air can circulate.
Dried beans
Stocks and broths (if you make your own even better)
The other thing I would like to share with you is stocking up in your freezer. Here is my suggestion. Make one day of cooking and cook all your dinners for a week and freeze them. If you are stocking up for winter or for other reasons just increase the amount of meals you are preparing. Store them in the freezer, labeled and dated in Ziploc bags. They take up less room in the freezer. I am sure that there are a lot of ideas on stocking up. Good luck, be safe, be healthy!
Until next time.
Roxanne