How The Community Is Cooking and Coping

 

Elizabeth, Freelance Writer

 


Household size:
Four (45, 51, 20, 18)

Are you making a meal plan? No

How are you planning your meals?

I’m getting what looks good at the market and planning meals around it using pantry items I have on hand. Lots of beans, rice & pasta + fresh vegetables and spices.

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

It’s a little bit of a mess. I try to get as much work done early in the morning before everyone gets up and starts talking and banging around. then, throughout the day I attempt to get dressed, do a little exercise and work when I can.

Favorite cooking blogs?

Smitten Kitchen is always a go-to for easy, comforting, delicious recipes. I use NY Times cooking a ton also, although there’s a paywall so you have to have a membership. it’s totally worth it as far as I’m concerned! I love Basically, Bon appetit and Healthyish too.

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Fried rice, risotto, and pasta are always on rotation. You can use up whatever bits & pieces you have on hand and clean up is easy. This is critical as we live in a really old house and don’t have a dishwasher. that’s about to change, though – I can’t take it anymore! we’re eating a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches too – I like cramming some greens in there with grated cheese before I grill them. the greens wilt as the cheese melts.

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

We’re vegetarians, so we’ve always relied on grains, pasta, beans, lentils, nuts, and fresh vegetables – we were kinda pantry eaters before, so that’s not a huge change for us.

What’s your best pantry meal?

Last night I made Alison Roman’s internet-famous chickpea turmeric stew and stir in a ton of chopped Swiss chard. a huge hit! I also love dal mahkni – it’s spicy and creamy and super-complex and it’s a total pantry meal.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Going from recent empty nesters (which we were adjusting to quite nicely, thank you) back to having a full nest. we are a really tight family, but I think everyone was really stretching into independence and now we are all having to adjust to co-habitating and respecting each other’s rhythms again. plus we just got a new puppy, so that’s been fun but also an extra level of chaos in the household.

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Online yoga and lots of walks outdoors, plus escaping into a good book. trying not to spend too much time on social media and news sites.


Lauren, Software Sales Demo Engineer, Currently on maternity leave

 

Household size: Three

Are you making a meal plan? No

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Get up, workout, work – now after a baby feeding and caring for him is part of that and work is replaced with tasks around the house

Favorite cooking blogs?

Homesick Texan, the Farmhouse blog and Working Against Gravity (nutrition coaching company)

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Sheet pan meals – protein + a few veggies with a fat and seasoning.

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Potatoes, eggs, berries, greens

What’s your best pantry meal?

Oven-fried rice – I throw whatever veggies we need to use into it.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

I typically grab and go random ingredients during the week as my meal interests shift and change and it’s not realistic now.  Nonfood challenge for us has been limiting contact with family and friends, many of whom haven’t met our son yet because he was born in late January as all this was just beginning.

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Cooking things that require more time (baking breads, making more food at home).


Kelsey, 25, Email Marketing Coordinator

 

Household size: Three (all 25 years old)

Are you making a meal plan? No. The self that I want to be plans meals, but i’m not quite there yet. I typically head to the kitchen around 5pm and poke around in pantry, then the fridge, then back to the pantry. My forehead has many wrinkles, and my eyebrows are usually furrowed. A few nights ago I grabbed a Russet Potato and rubbed it with some Garlic Magic (from Farmhouse Kitchen), baked it, and dumped a can of Vegetarian Chili from TJ on top. So I guess how I meal plan is waiting for the evening to roll in, feeling out my cravings, and pondering what would go together.

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Oh jeez. It should really be called “work in progress” because i’m figuring it out. I recently made a new schedule for myself yesterday – day 2, and so far so good: I wake up around 8, make coffee and go for a quick walk to wake up my brain, turn on my essential oil diffuser to make the room smell decent, and set up shop in my living room armchair, using the coffee table as a make-shift desk. Sometimes I move to a pillow on the floor if I get too stir-crazy. Depending on how long this thing is going to last, I may invest in a desk.

Favorite cooking blogs?

The Crunchy Radish. I’ve made her Brussel Sprouts and Squash Chopped Salad every year for Thanksgiving – and kind of want to try it again during this quarantine. I’m a big olive girl – so if you are too, you’ll LOVE.

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Bola Frozen Pizzas with ranch. Baked Sweet Potato with Green Goddess dressing and a drizzle of sriracha.

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Chickpeas, radish, and vegan pesto from Trader Joes.

What’s your best pantry meal?

Whole wheat pasta with basil tomato sauce and peas.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Not helping my community enough. Feeling afraid!

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Jane Fonda workouts with my best friend. We’ve been Skyping and doing it together! As far as tips, I could always always use more direction in the kitchen. 


Laura, Social Media Manager and Photographer

 

Household size: Two (40’s)

Are you making a meal plan? Yes

How are you planning your meals?

Basing around what’s in the fridge, freezer, and on the way from Farmhouse

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

My couch. My dog snoring next to me. Glued to the computer

Favorite cooking blogs? Marcia Smart, Love and Lemons, NY Times Food

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes? One-pan/pot – Jamie Oliver’s pesto pasta with green beans and red potatoes, my grandmother’s lasagna, Carbonara, soup

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Lots of rice right now! FHK house-made marinara sauce, veggies from my produce box that I can pickle quickly.

What’s your best pantry meal?

Rice and beans is usually the go-to for pantry right now.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Forcing myself to put away the computer for a while to make time to do other things like walk around the neighborhood or work in the yard.

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Wine helps. But too much of that just leads to more anxiety. I feel like I can’t get into a routine other than being on the computer constantly.


Michelle, Finance

 

Household size: Two

Are you making a meal plan? No

If yes, how are you planning your meals?

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Work at our home desks, watch CNBC, take dogs for a long walk, make dinner, watch a show, go to bed.

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Rice and veggie stir-fries and pastas with veggies (we’re vegetarians).

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Pasta, anything green, yogurt, berries.

What’s your best pantry meal?

Rice or pasta meal.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Getting enough food, medicine and household goods. There’s too much hoarding.

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

We’ve been fine so far. I’ve been a cook for a long time. And since we’re vegetarian, we don’t feel the desperation that the meat-eaters and milk drinkers seem to be all worked up about.


Lucia, Retired

 

Household size: Four (65, 58, 22, 20)

Are you making a meal plan? Yes

If yes, how are you planning your meals?

Nutrition first, what I have on hand second

Are you working from home? No

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Daily routine (outdoor exercise, check on friends, check the news, do chores, cook meals, support the family)

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Fresh vegetables – in salads or sauteed, protein

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Tomatoes, yogurt

What’s your best pantry meal?

Vegetarian chili, pasta & sauce, chickpea salad

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Fear.

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Recipes for the odd vegetables we’re not familiar with.


Alyssa, Marketing

 

Household size: Two – 27, 28

Are you making a meal plan? Yes

If yes, how are you planning your meals? We are trying to cook each weeknight and support local businesses with pick up on the weekend

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Wake up around 7  make tea, have some citrus, start looking at emails. Work from 8-1 PM make some lunch. Go for a long walk around 6 and then cook around 7.

Favorite cooking blogs? Bon Appetit. Love Molly Baz

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

I personally just like throwing anything I have in my refrigerator together. For example: steak fried rice with veggies

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

Garlic, Garlic, and Garlic— Scallions, black pepper, tomatoes

What’s your best pantry meal?

Cacio e Pepe with Pancetta

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Not going out to eat

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

Inventive, EASY, recipes. Also cocktail recipes


Brandon, Software Engineer

 

Household size: Six (29,28,6,4,2,newborn)

Are you making a meal plan? No

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like?  Write code, virtual meetings, lunch with family, our baby down for nap, more code, more meetings

Favorite cooking blogs? NY Times Cooking

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes? Baking bread, Curry, Tacos

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation? Onions, carrots, peppers, kale, eggs, strawberries

What’s your best pantry meal? Curry!

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing? Life with a newborn


Katy, Marketing

 

Household size: Six (four adults, two kids)

Are you making a meal plan? No

If yes, how are you planning your meals? We don’t meal prep but cook every day.

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like?  Online from 9-4:30, a few breaks for laundry, walk outside, time away from the computer.

Favorite cooking blogs? Not blogs but – Milk Street, Serious Eats, NYT cooking are contributors to our home cooking routine. Blogs include cookie and kate, half-baked harvest

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes? Greens & grain bowls – usually kale or spinach (raw or sauteed), sheet pan roasted veggies (potatoes, carrots, beets, onion, pepper, etc), protein (egg, fish, chicken, etc), grain/bean (chickpeas, farro, quinoa, etc), fresh veggies (radish, avocado, tomato, etc.), cheese (feta, goat, cheddar, parm, etc), and a citrus-based dressing (lemon, tahini, olive oil, avocado, etc.)

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation? Kale, Avocado, Spinach, Eggs

What’s your best pantry meal? Oaxacan-style refried black beans (from Milk Street)

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

“Planning” for recipes is difficult… can’t go out and buy that one special item that it calls for that you don’t have (green onions, herbs, misc spices, etc are all things I want/don’t have easily).

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

– Eating our meals outside (weather permitting) has been nice. 

– Still going to bed early but waking up a bit later since I don’t have to commute.

– Tips on growing your own veggies or herb (maybe even selling plants in your delivery boxes).


Jessie, Retail Account Specialist

 

What is the number of people in your household, and what are their ages? Three  (30, 30, and 2)

Are you making a meal plan? No

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

I work 11am until my son wakes up from his nap, and 6pm-9pm every night. I do this schedule so my husband who works FT can also work.

Favorite cooking blogs? The Defined Dish!

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Sweet potato hash, one pot pastas, roasting all the veggies

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation? White rice, kale, onions, venison

What’s your best pantry meal? The Defined Dish’s one-pot taco pasta

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Trying to work from home with a toddler, my stress levels are through the roof!

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

I’ve been deep breathing, taking ashwagandha daily, getting outside for fresh air and movement


Sarah, Marketing

 

What is the number of people in your household, and what are their ages? Two (both 29 years old)

Are you making a meal plan? No

Are you working from home? Yes

What does your “work from home” routine look like? 

Wake up, make coffee, get ready, set up my work station and get to work! Take a break mid-day to eat and walk my dog. Aim to close my laptop by 5/6 and make dinner/relax. Check work emails and work as needed. Go to bed around 10:30/11.

Favorite go-to, flexible recipes?

Tacos, crockpot, pasta, veggie burgers

Favorite ingredients in heavy rotation?

fish, chicken, pasta, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, eggs

What’s your best pantry meal?

Grilled fish tacos

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced amidst COVID-19 and social distancing?

Not seeing my friends and family and onboarding onto a new job while never having met anyone!

How have you been coping? What areas would you like more tips & advice in? 

By taking my dog on walks, face timing with family and friends and taking time to cook and unwind with my husband.

 

 

 

 

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