BeeZee

Having received my bag of almond flour via Amazon (brief backorder) I was able to make my usual vegan banana muffins. I use 1/2 c almond flour and 3/4 c whole wheat flour. Added some carob chips to the mixture.

You know how there is an expression “eternity is two people and a ham”? I have the new version, two people and a 5 lb crate of clementines.

I only added them at the very end just to warm them so they didn’t get too chewy. The pieces were quite small, I would not call them chopped, much of it was more of a minced size, in the future I might use them for a seafood soup or they might be OK in a fritter/pancake type of application. No comparison to fresh, and texture wise, probably marginally better than frozen. Keep in mind that brands may differ, these were Snows.

Pantry and freezer meal. Had some shrimp in the freezer, not quite enough. Can of chopped clams, can of diced tomatoes. Sauteed finely diced carrots, onion, and garlic. Added tomatoes and simmered with dried herbs, shot of fish sauce, bit of sherry vinegar. Added the mostly defrosted shrimp, when they were done I added the clams with their juice and simmered a couple of minutes. Served with small shell pasta, cause thats what was in the pantry.

Fage plain yogurt, chopped tomato, black pepper, fresh dill (well, actually from the freezer)

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts coated with a mixture of whole grain mustard, sriracha, and brown sugar, oven baked. Salad of thinly sliced english cuke (marinated quick pickle style) and clementine, sprinkled with furikake.

Coffee (even though I only drink one cup a day, it's an important one) and dairy in some solid/semi solid form (cheese or yogurt).

Watched about half of episode 1 of season 2, it is about David's transition to being an expectant Father...pretty touching.

That would be my preference, but my one of my husband's unique skills is knowing when there are new food items on the premises. Last time that I did the shopping, I did in fact put some boxes in a cabinet that he doesn't go in to for a decontamination period. At least now he won't have me yelling at him for eating the grape tomatoes straight out of the container without washing. They are clean and in a bowl on the counter for his enjoyment and my peace of mind. I tried going to a different supermarket this afternoon (needed to put gas in my car) and their paper goods aisle was stripped clean, bare. I got some store brand cleaning spray which says it is antibacterial/antiviral...and cookies which are in a plastic clamshell. The store had cart wipes, I grabbed 2 on my way in and carried them in my hand (took no cart), cleaned my purchases with the wipes in the store before bagging, and I cleaned them with the spray upon returning home. Torn between feeling slightly ridiculous...and self-satisfied.

I did the post grocery shopping clean up as best I could given my limited cleaning solutions (found a partial bottle of Lysol kitchen cleaner which kind of leaves a soapy residue, but its something). Washed all fruit in soapy water. Even with a relatively small amount of groceries it was an hour, start to finish.

Would be helpful if we could actually purchase Lysol spray or wipes. All I have left is Windex. No bleach, either. I have been washing my apples with soap and water, though. And I did follow that protocol when we got takeout (hot) food the other day.

Thai red curry chicken with the veg I had on hand...3 scallions starting to get slimy, couple of carrots sliced up, can of water chestnuts, some frozen peas. Served with rice. I feel like I’m living in the show “Chopped” at times...with a worse pantry.

One of the area "artisanal" pizza shops, which has gone to limited take out only, is now also offering "pizza kits" which include two pieces of dough, cheese, sauce, and some fresh basil...add your own toppings.

Ditto here, also. I have found that minor/low level stress will make me want to eat, but major stress completely shuts down my appetite.

I have thought about the fresh fruit/veg situation since my dopey husband under normal circumstances eats grapes off the stem or cherry tomatoes out of the container without washing...I shrieked at him for that the other day when I saw him doing it again. You aren’t supposed to wash them until just before eating but I may need to intervene for his own good. I actually washed an apple with soap the other day. He said when he went shopping the produce guys were not wearing gloves. I have been thinking of going to all frozen veg except for bagged salad or things I can peel, like carrots and cukes. Regarding beets, they sell a brand here called Love Beets that are vac packed, they keep them in the produce area under refrigeration, they are cooked and come in plain or some flavored variety, they are pretty good.

Avert your eyes, all haters of GBP...in the interest of waste not, had to do something with these which DH purchased in error last week. Vegetarian stuffing with kasha, shallot, garlic, and tomato. A little grated parm. We ate all 4 of them.

Trader Joes gingerbread cake. Mix had been sitting in my pantry for 3 months, so the Covid-19 declutter continues. The mix includes crystallized ginger, which does of course sink towards the bottom of the cake. It isn’t as dense or spicy as real gingerbread, I would characterize it as double ginger cake.

TJ's multigrain hot cereal, cooked in milk, with a couple of diced dried apricots thrown in. Small sprinkle of nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Ugly beige blobby goo, no need to photo...but nice in the belly!

Nuts.com triple berry super antioxidant mix (dried goji, mulberries, gooseberries)

Last night was pan seared tuna, fresh tomato salsa (tasteless tomato, vinegar/salt helped), oven roasted asparagus, and tri-color quinoa. I think I am due for cooking some kind of comfort food, we are eating entirely too healthy😉

Decided to freezer dive, wanted something warm...had a package of Wegmans appetizer size spanakopita, baked off a bunch for lunch. Lacking dill, I made no tzaditzki, they could have used it (pretty dry on the outside, although the filling was fine). Next time I'll make some kind of dipping sauce.

Cooked a bunch (around 2 lbs) boneless skinless chicken thighs on a sheet pan with slabs of red bell pepper and scallions. I had mixed up balsamic, dijon, minced garlic, and honey, tossed the chicken in that before roasting. The veg roasted in the chicken fat, which was good. I confirmed that I still don’t like chicken thighs, ate one tiny one and my husband played “human chipper” and probably ate over 1 lb himself, there are 2 left which I will freeze for his future lunch. Had some plain brown rice also.

thanks for the suggestion, @Darienne, I have made a version of African Peanut Stew in the past, I'll have to check the pantry. I know that I have neither yams nor sweet potatoes, but I bet I could improvise and use the dreaded c*rn as I have several cans...

Sent my husband out shopping with a detailed list, he got to the store just before it opened at 6am. A couple of mistakes despite reviewing the list with him the night before...mostly due to his inability to actually look at something before putting it in the cart - bananas with split skin, bell pepper with wrinkled spot, package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs rather than breasts. We both hate the thighs, now I'm going to have to figure out how to cook them to make them edible for us. At least we are set for a week now.

in a related manner...I decided to inventory all of my pantry ingredients...5 pages (one side), single item per line...so around 125 unique items. Kind of an interesting exercise. Some things are not "food" per se, but ingredients like capers in brine (2 jars), for example.