Being Nimble in the Kitchen.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been finding it challenging grocery shop, meal plan, get creative while keepin’ it somewhat healthy in the kitchen and resist the urge to eat a can of Pringles for dinner and call it a night. Quarantine will do that to a person…even the most enthusiastic home cook. I’ve definitely found myself struggling to adjust.
I’ve never been someone who loves to grocery shop. I find it stressful, chaotic and a chore. I do really try, though, to support my local urban farms and neighborhood markets and buy fresh, local organic products when I can. I make as much as possible from scratch, in part because I enjoy cooking, but also because I like to know what’s in my food and I sometimes feel like there’s no food in the processed food we buy at grocery stores. Ever read the label on a bottle of salad dressing? UGH.
Enter a stay-at-home order with no end in sight further complicated by my immune deficiencies, planning and grocery shopping has gone from chore to nightmare in record time. Until I become a cooking influencer for whom Amazon Fresh, Thrive Market and every other online food market/delivery service is chomping at the bit to send and an abundance of beautiful, fresh groceries to fulfill all of #MyLittleQuarantineKitchen fantasies, I’ve realized that I’ll need to learn to adapt how I shop, cook and eat to fit the current situation.
Regardless of these challenges, I’m still committed to cooking, eating and sharing meals that look beautiful, taste delicious and nourish our bodies and souls in a time of stress and uncertainty. In response to friends reaching out inquiring as to how I’m managing to continue to enjoy cooking, I thought I’d share what I’ve been doing and how I’ve adjusted my normal routine in a time that’s anything but normal.
Gone are the days of craving something, running to the store to pick up ingredients and throwing it together at the last minute. It’s all about meal planning now. And not just a few days at a time. I’ve been planning meals for two weeks at a time and I’m far more thoughtful about how many different ways I can use everything that I buy.
Because grocery shopping has become an extreme sport (and my doctor has advised me to just not go out until MAY), I’ve become a pro Instacart user. Allow me to take a moment to say: bless these Instacart shoppers. They’re quite literally saving my life and the lives of others who simply can not go to stores right now. Once I’m in the clear, I’ll be doing my own shopping to allow for others who need the help to have more access, because Lord knows…it’s damn near impossible to get a shopper these days. Also, if you’re using this or another similar service, tip these people the way you’d hope to be tipped if you were the shopper. Thank you for coming to my Instacart TED Talk.
More musings on “Insta-carting.” My sister and I have begun to watch our shoppers navigate the aisles like we’re watching some sort of fast-paced game of hockey or basketball. “Go! Get the cheese! Is she gonna get the cheese?” We celebrate when we score a container of Lysol Wipes and kick into “adapt mode” when we can’t get ahold of the fresh basil that eludes us. I never thought I’d be so invested in this process.
I’ve come to terms with some of my fears and frustrations with processed and pre-packaged foods. Sometimes, you just gotta buy pre-made pesto, a jar of tomato sauce or a box of Mac ‘N Cheese. It’s not ideal, but right now, I’ve gotta roll with it…and I am.
Here’s where being nimble comes into play. I just can’t easily get everything that I want right now. Things like fresh herbs (although, the angels at Cultivaire plant shop in Fairmount dropped basil, cilantro and thyme starters on my doorstep this afternoon!), fresh seafood and even butter lettuce (seriously). I have to ask myself, “Can I make the meal I had in mind with slightly different ingredients?” I sure can! “Can I switch gears and just make do with what I am able to get?” You bet! Also, I do a TON of googling, “What can I make with …?”
Finally, I’ve started tweeting my favorite kitchen influencers and, nine times out of ten, they respond! This was probably the push I needed to learn to better interact with members of a community that I truly value. I’ve reached out to multiple people asking, “Any thoughts on what to do with X, Y, Z?” and they are always enthusiastic about sharing ideas, tips, tricks and recipes.
I guess the lesson that I’m learning is one of many facets (or maybe it’s just a bunch of different lessons). Be grateful for what you do have. Be thoughtful with regard to people who need a little bit of extra help and be appreciative of the helpers out there. I’ve found that, while I need a little extra help right now in some ways, I can still be a helper to neighbors and friends in other ways. And I can live without fresh basil, even though I DON’T WANT TO.
