Eating Healthily While in Quarantine

Learn to buy and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables to last for several weeks at a time and find tips for eating healthily while in quarantine!

Friends, it’s a weird world out there right now. You know, just in case you hadn’t noticed. Everyone is staying home, avoiding other people at all costs, and turning into germaphobes, and rightly so.

Simple tasks we took for granted up until a month ago now become matters of great precision and consternation. We don’t just “pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store” now. We wait until we have completely run out of food, then we place an online order, either pick it up curbside or have it delivered, and sterilize everything in sight, washing our hands 50 times in the meantime.

I am having conversations with my husband I never dreamed about having. For example, what is the best way to disinfect mail? How long should we leave items from the “Outside World” in our garage to allow possible germs carrying Covid-19 to die before bringing them into the house?

I mean, one of my husband’s coworkers even tried to disinfect his produce by dunking bananas in a bleach bath. Hot tip: DEFINITELY DON’T DO THAT.

The biggest challenge I have found with this new reality is eating healthily while in quarantine.

My diet primarily depends on fresh produce after all. And if you are a veggie lover, or even just mindful of good eating, I am willing to bet this is a hurdle for you as well.

Here are some ways you can continue to eat healthily during this crisis.

Buy Produce in Bags

Guys, I really don’t like this one. I always bring reusable bags to purchase my produce and really try hard to avoid disposable plastic. However, in this uncertain time, I am reluctantly switching to bagged produce. These are available from any grocery store, and they are often branded as “steam in bag.”

You can easily disinfect the outside of the bag, which is a huge bonus. You also know the produce inside has not been handled by any human hands for a few days. However, PLEASE check the bag for any aeration holes. If there are any holes at all, any toxic chemicals you use on the outside of the bag will find its way to the inside.

Use a Produce Saver

You are probably finding you want to go to the grocery store less often. Which means your produce has more time to go bad between grocery runs. I use a produce saver in all three of my refrigerator crisper drawers to seriously extend the life of my produce. I use this one here on Amazon. This has been an absolute life saver for me. Personally, I have found it extends most of my fruit and vegetables lives by about 50%. This is by no means guaranteed, but that has been my personal experience.

Buy Produce with a Longer Shelf Life

Now is the time to experiment with all kinds of new fruits and vegetables that can stay fresh far longer than other veggies. Experiment with parsnips or turnips. (Psst…try my Cozy Root Vegetable Roast after stocking up!) Or stay with an oldie but goodie, like sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots.

You can even leave long-lasting root vegetables outside or in the garage for a few days to allow possible Covid-19 germs to die before bringing them into the home.

Here is a list of some of my favorite lasting fruits and vegetables. Go here for a more complete list of produce from realsimple.com.

• Apples (Refrigerate for 3 weeks)
• Cabbage (Refrigerate for 2 weeks)
• Beets (Refrigerate for 3 weeks)
• Shallots (Store in pantry for 1 month)
• Red Onions (Store in pantry for 2 months)
• Sweet Potatoes (Store in pantry for 2 weeks)
• Carrots (Refrigerate for 2 weeks)
• Parsnips (Refrigerate for 1 month)
• Butternut Squash (Store in pantry for 3 months)

Don’t Fear the Frozen Vegetables

I HUGELY prefer fresh vegetables. As in, I cannot remember the last time I bought my veggies in a frozen form before this Covid-19 crisis began. But some vegetables, such as corn and peas are just fine frozen. (I know, I am in danger of being over-enthusiastic…)

Some leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, can be bought fresh and frozen in an airtight freezer bag for cooking or smoothies later.

Prep Cooked Vegetables in Advance

This is an easy one, especially if you like your green veggies that sadly go bad way too quickly, like I do. Roast an entire sheet pan or two of veggies at once. For the next few days, reheat a serving of veggies at a time and mix with some quinoa or your favorite grain, feta or goat cheese, and some dressing. Easy, quick, and delicious lunch!

You can also put leftover cooked veggies and parmesan cheese on top of a pita and roast for about 10-15 minutes at 395° for a quick vegetable pizza.

Freeze Bread

Ok, this one goes all the way back to my childhood. When my family went to visit my grandparents, the bread could always be found in the freezer. Removing the bread from the freezer for sandwiches and staring at it while willing it to thaw quicker was almost a traditional family ritual. However, I have to say, my grandparents knew what they were doing. Bread stays fresh well in the freezer for a few weeks, as long as you wrap it properly in plastic food wrap and store it in an airtight freezer bag. It also thaws relatively quickly, due to the low moisture content. I usually allow about 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread.

Heartier breads will usually hold up best in the freezer. My favorites include pita or naan bread, tortillas, and English muffins.

What are your thoughts? How do you work on eating healthily while in quarantine?

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