Who Ate My Cheese Balls?
By my count, which is completely accurate and without error, it is now day #3937 of the COVID19 quarantine. The date is March 35th, and we are still in "the Lentiest Lent that ever Lented." I feel like I speak for the majority of the population when I say that our minds are starting to go a little bit coooo coooooo.
Aside from the monotony of working from home and toilet paper shortage, I also feel like it's fair to say that our exercise routines aren't quite like what they used to be. Even I, who have not set foot in an actual gym since I was in college, miss the ability to exercise regularly. I miss my dance studio. I miss walking around the school/parish campus where I work. I would give anything to walk up and down the stairs to my office in the Kraemer House.
Now that the pleasantries of talking about physical activity are over, let's move on to what's really on my mind: Food. With social distancing regulations and bare shelves when you actually do get out the stores, not being able to get the food I want when I want it has been a challenge. While the days of finding an interesting recipe and being able to find all of the ingredients on the list are gone, culinary creativity has been on the rise. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...the COVID19 Diet.
1. Ok, I never, ever, ever, crave Cheese Balls. (Or Cheese Puffs for that matter...normal Cheetos, however, are fair game.) But after seeing them on a friend's Facebook page (thanks, Caitlin!), I experienced a stretch of about 7 hours where I would have cut in line anyone who got in the way of these salty, artificially flavored snacks. So, lesson number one became When unusual cravings come up, if you want to come out of this quarantine with a healthy gut, distinguish between when it's a healthy craving you need just a little bit of and when it's "the quarantine talking."
2. I never knew that celery is delicious. When it comes to veggie trays, I usually go for tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and snap peas. For added measure, I may add in one stick of celery, but it's not usually my go-to. However, it does serve as a base in a lot of soup and stew recipes I have, so I picked up a bunch as the quarantine was recommended but not yet mandated. I figured it would last a good...3 weeks. (Hey, it's a pretty hearty vegetable and it holds up in the fridge.) When Governor Inslee mandated his stay at home order, I decided I would need an alternative produce supplier so I could limit the amount of times I had to go out. Enter Local Pumpkin Box, a service which delivers fresh, local, and organic produce right to your door. Perfect! I was so excited to get my first box which was filled with apples, pears, potatoes, kale, mushrooms, and...celery. I found myself with two BIG bunches of celery and no one who wanted to share it with me. In order to avoid wasting food, I cut the stalks into slices and ate them with every meal. Catching a glimpse of my blender, I decided to throw it into a smoothie. I mean, if you can blend spinach into a smoothie and barely taste it, surely it was the same for celery, right? Kinda. If you have enough fruit to mask the taste of the celery, it makes for a lovely drink, but don't count on being able to mask the texture of fibrous celery sticks. But I sure did feel healthy after consumption!
3. Pistachios are pretty much the same thing as pine nuts. Again, the luxury of buying whatever ingredients you want is gone. Usually, if I wanted to buy pine nuts, I would go for the bulk bins because it usually costs $5000 to buy a whole bag. But gone are the days of buying cheaply in the bulk bins because the bulk bins have been emptied out for fear of spreading the virus. So, when I came across a recipe for pasta that included toasted pine nuts, I instead made use of a bag of pistachios as a substitute. And it was actually pretty good! It just goes to show that recipes are really just a guideline, especially in a time like this. This is the perfect time to stretch your creativity with what you already have in the kitchen. Extra bonus, non-scientific studies show that you burn 5 calories for every pistachio that you shell.
4. When all else fails, there's nothing wrong with calling it in. Everyone is feeling the stretch of quarantine in different ways. I hear a lot about how our small businesses are doing their best to make ends meet to ensure that they can stay open after all of this is done. That's why I don't feel bad ordering through Uber Eats so that I can support my favorite local mom and pop restaurants. It's as simple as that. Here are a few of my favorite Tri-Cities restaurants that you can support on Uber Eats or Door Dash. Some even provide their own delivery if you go to their websites! That way, more money goes to the restaurant.
There are so many others, and I'm sure you have your favorites, too. There are also other restaurants who are offering pick-up options. I just keep remembering that a lot of these restaurants are the result of big dreams and the hard work of the owners, and it wouldn't be fair for them to close because of this pandemic.
Anyway, those are my tips for making sure bellies are fed and minds are sane during this time of staying at home. How has your kitchen life changed because of the pandemic? I'd love to hear your ideas!