Hey all you cats n kittens,
(sorry, I had to)
Today is National Takeout Day so I thought I’d write a bit about supporting local businesses during this time of physical distancing.
Teaching a cooking class at Loblaws. I miss it!
Wherever you’re living right now, there are businesses near you doing their best to innovate. It’s kind of interesting because we’re almost forced to reexamine our eating habits when all restaurants and bars are closed. It’s also interesting how grocery shopping habits have changed as well. People don’t want to be stuck waiting out in line and are urged not to be around people unless absolutely necessary.
But you know that already.. what can you do about it to feel like you’re living your life normally?
When this was all coming to a head, I went straight to my local farmers market and bought 10lbs of ground beef and stocked up on vegetable essentials like carrots and other long lasting root vegetables. I have already started getting bi-weekly deliveries from local farms for vegetables, meat and eggs. More on this below on this previous blog post:
Almost every food business (mainly restaurants) has set up their own COVID19 temporary business model. Most of them advertise their new menus and pickup / delivery methods on their instagram page. Don’t be shy! For sure see what they’re up to.
Love Local Delivery is a great service in Ottawa that have consolidated a number of restaurants and their offerings on one handy dandy website.
Grocery Shopping
This is a topic of most confusion and concern. I heard this on a podcast and thought it was funny, “now is not the time to be European”. It’s time to think ahead, plan your meals, and buy essential groceries. There’s no pressing need to only get pantry items as our Canadian food stocks seem to not be threatened. Again, I can’t stress enough how awesome it is to get into seasonal eating. Almost all of my blog posts talk about it but if you’re interested in online shopping, the Loblaws banner of stores have an excellent online ordering platform. The average wait time for online orders is about 1-2 weeks so you need to think ahead if you don’t feel like going out yourself. I know some people complain that after they place their online order, they are told the day of that what they’ve ordered isn’t in stock. I have found this to be very rare and only the case if I’m ordering a very particular brand of something or a high demand item such as a cleaning or sanitizing product.
If you’re in Ottawa, La Bottega and Herb and Spice have put together some online ordering forms. Other smaller grocery stores have curbside pickup options however you have to call them and they will walk you through your order so that you can just pick it up after they’ve assembled it for you. Pretty cool! And no lineups!
Another cool online grocer that’s popped up in ottawa is Buchipop’s Burrowshop.
Some additional tips:
Check out the podcasts below to know exactly how to grocery shop, handle food and order takeout safely.
Clean out your fridge and pantry of all expired items. You’ll have more room for the stuff you really want to eat. You’d be surprised at how much room you’ll have and how you can really survive for 2 weeks off of the food in your pantry, fridge and freezer once you have the room.
Get creative with leftovers. Mix them into scrambled eggs to make a frittata, cut them up and make fried rice. Fun with leftovers.. hmm.. maybe the subject of an upcoming blog post.
Arm your pantry with a variety of herbs and spices. This’ll curb your food boredom in a pinch (get it?). There are lots of ideas for flavour combinations and easy meals on my Home Cooking Cheat Sheet Pinterest Board. Find it here.
Try a new recipe by watching one of my recipe tutorials here!
Get one of my handy dandy meal plans / e-books below complete with grocery and prep list.
Knowledge is Power
I understand that this is a crazy time full of uncertainty. Don’t let the contagiousness of COVID 19 deter you away from living your best life. Check out these podcasts and other online resources
Splendid Table’s Coronavirus Food Guide
This podcast is awesome. Find it here.
Summary: “This week we are talking about food safety and the coronavirus with food science writer J. Kenji López-Alt, who consulted with virologists and experts on how to shop and eat safely right now. He takes on questions ranging from how to best stay safe grocery shopping, how to handle take-out, and how to protect ourselves from other foodborne illnesses in our own kitchens. Kenji is the chief culinary consultant of Serious Eats, and author of the best-selling The Food Lab: Better Cooking Through Science. Read the latest updates on this evolving situation in this Food Safety and Coronavirus: A Comprehensive Guide from Serious Eats. For more information on Covid-19, see the CDC website.”
Dr Paul Saladino’s Coronoavirus 101 Podcast
This is a great summary of what the virus is and how it works in the body.
Mental Health while in Quarantine
I really enjoyed this conversation on The Genius Life. Summary: Drew Ramsey, MD is a psychiatrist, farmer, and author of Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health. He is a leading voice in the mental health conversation and one of psychiatry's leading proponents of using nutritional interventions. He is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Physical Health while in Quarantine
I was lucky enough to have gotten into a groove of physical health over the past few months by seeing a personal trainer. Her and her nutritionist colleague have been integral in my own personal health journey. They offer a very affordable remote personal training schedule tailored to your needs. Check out Holistically Nuts here! For more on why metabolic health is particularity pertinent to COVID19 infections, check out this podcast here. Or the video below:
I’ve been going through some life changes which slowed down my blogging but I’m back. Happy new year! I also decided to answer some questions I get from people who want to eat more locally. If you’re in Ottawa, check out my resource list here.