Lockdown Menu Ideas

I came from a home of 5 kids and two VERY hard working parents that made meager incomes. Through this hardship growing up I was shown how to stock a pantry and keep it stocked and rotated as need allowed and to not have waste. I am beyond thankful that Chris & I have only been to the store 2 times now since everything was locked down. In addition to my stocked pantry, we have another refrigerator in the basement in Chris' 'mancave' which allows for additional frozen food storage as well. We have always purchased in bulk and frozen items to last us since we've been together here in Perrysburg making sure we get the most for our money and cutting down on waste.

We have been quite conscious about the meals we have been making ensuring that we are utilizing what we have and only going to the store to get perishable items or ones that simply don't last so long or run out. Those include milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh vegetables/fruits, and meat. Luckily, we have many frozen meals stored in the freezer from the winter to include chili, packaged ground turkey, and smoked shredded pork. In addition to those we also have frozen fruit, spinach/kale, bagels, tortillas, wraps, baked goods, turkey bacon, and butter.

My pantry staples include pasta, pasta sauce, rice, seaweed, oatmeal, steel-cut oats, pumpkin, grains, gatorade, maple syrup, spices, dressings, pizza sauce, beans (canned & dried), hot sauce, packaged seasoned lentil/soup packs, cereals, nut butters, chip/snack items, seeds/nuts, and of course COFFEE (I have 5 bags still-praise!) that I can name off the top of my head. Once things started to get serious in Ohio instead of freaking out or panic buying/hoarding I decided to look at this like a challenge. I want to go through as much of our stored items as we can, we possibly could be moving soon so it'd be a great opportunity to go through some stuff as well.

I wanted to share the meals we have been turning to during this "new normal" that have been delicious and primarily made up of Ariel's Pantry staples. Below is my list of meals I've been making and I would love to hear what you have been using/creating in the kitchen as well. Let's start the convo!

Tortilla black bean & cheese quesadillas- heated whole wheat tortillas (previously frozen) and then added smashed black beans seasoned with cumin, salt & pepper, added a handful shredded cheese, chopped frozen kale, salsa, and a shake of hot sauce.

Chili Mac- boiled Banza pasta and added to half a packet of Madras Lentils for a meat free high protein meal. (#meatlessmonday)

Turkey pasta- cooked ground turkey with some onion, then drained and added pasta sauce combined with boiled spaghetti noodles (any work just fine)- easy 10 min meal.

Breakfast wraps- create a yummy scramble with any combination of eggs, cheese, and vegetables you can get your hands on (yes frozen chopped ones work just fine!), then stuff a wrap with the mixture- fold into a nice pocket and heat on a frying pan till golden, top with salsa, guac/avocado, & plain greek yogurt.

Overnight oats- okay.... I make these all the time, but they are awesome because you can essentially add anything to them and they are amazing. I have tons of recipes on this site for them if you go to my recipes tab or you can click here . I have been adding sunflower seeds lately along with dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, and mulberries since I have them on hand and I don't want to go to the store anymore than I have to to purchase fresh fruit.

Everything mahi mahi + roasted vegetables + quinoa- took ahi steaks and marinated them in sesame oil, olive oil, everything seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic power, placed on baking sheet next to a bag of frozen mixed veggies that have been microwaved and steamed until almost cooked through. I drizzled them with olive oil and then seasoned them with garlic powder, salt and pepper and cooked everything together for 30 mins at 350, meanwhile I boiled some quinoa and had a quick pantry/freezer meal in less than 45 mins.

Pita pizzas- we had pitas that we froze, used a handful of frozen Kroger 3 pepper and onion blend (diced them up and then microwaved them for 30 seconds with some garlic powder) heated oven to 350 degrees, placed pita on baking sheet, top with pizza sauce, salt and pepper, sprinkled with shredded cheese, added the onion and pepper mix and some diced deli turkey, and bake until cheese is melted.

During a time like this, it's difficult to know what is going on and there are so many thoughts, stresses,  and feelings that I'm sure everyone is experiencing. Take it day by day and don't let nutrition be another source of stress for you, keeping it simple is the best thing you can do. Understand that in this unprecedented time things aren't normal and going with the flow is going to be much more conducive of a healthy mindset. We are all in this together and we will come through, stay positive.