By Mary Ellen Zung

In speaking with people from all over the country during the last two weeks many mentioned comfort food eating as well as the struggle to eat well during this “stay-at-home” time. So, I thought I’d put together a list of foods on my shopping list that I replace when I go to the grocery store about every ten days, as well as a list of staples in my pantry.

With three adults with different food preferences living under one roof 24/7, that makes for 9 meals a day, not 3 shared. The dish washer is running every night and the kitchen open from the first person up at 5:00 am to the last person asleep at 2:30 am!

So how do you work from home, eat healthy meals and snacks, and not turn to junk food.  Well, first of all, don’t have the junk food in the house.  I’m glad we can all agree on that because all three of us like to eat whole unprocessed food.  Many years ago we ditched the ice cream, cookies, cakes, but it took time with small changes along the way.  Not bringing it home was the first step. That didn’t mean we could never have it, but we might have a “treat” while on vacation, or out to dinner.  Eventually, tastes changed and we felt better without the sugar and highly processed foods.  I’m really proud of my boys.

So, getting back to what’s on the grocery list and in the pantry.  Let’s start with the grocery list.

As far as fruits and vegetables, right now I am buying longer lasting fruits and veggies.

Fresh Veggies:

Winter squash such as Butternut and Spaghetti squash

Onions (red, white, sweet)

Potatoes (red, white, sweet)

Cabbage (red, green, Brussels sprouts)

Bok Choy

Organic Carrots

Broccoli and Cauliflower (I also stock the freezer with frozen broccoli and cauliflower too).

And even though they are not longer-lasting, I am overbuying all kinds of mushrooms because they are so versatile, make everything taste great, we love them, and they are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components to support the immune system.  I keep them in the refrigerator to make them last longer.  We eat mushrooms almost every day in soups, sauteed as a side dish, in eggs either scrambled or in a frittata with asparagus, shrimp & mushroom risotto, veggie fried rice, and pasta dishes.

Forget about delicate spring greens now and go for heartier leafy greens such as Romaine, Kale and Swiss Chard. When I clean the kale, swiss chard, and other veggies, I place any scraps in a container and keep it in the freezer.  Once the container is full, I make home made no salt vegetable broth by adding the scraps to a large pot of water, bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes.

I’ve also been buying fresh organic spinach for smoothies. (photo and recipe)

Fresh Whole Fruits:

Organic Apples – even though they are not in season, they are a great snack and will hold up for over a week, especially if refrigerated.

Oranges and clementines for snacks and a great source of Vitamin C

Lemons – which are so important right now especially for Vitamin C

Bananas – buy a few ripe for the week, then buy a green bunch for next week.  If bananas turn brown, peel them and break them in half and store in the freezer.  They can them be used for smoothies or nice-cream. They are also a great sweet comfort food when you want something creamy.

Avocados 1 ripe and 2 green, unripe to last throughout the week.  If the avocados start to ripen and you are not using them, just cube them, freeze on a baking sheet, then place in a container.  When ready to use them just let them sit on the counter for about 5 minutes to thaw.

Here are some of the pantry staples I always have on hand

Quinoa – so versatile for salads, soups, stews, and even breakfast

Grains such as oats, teff, millet, corn meal, brown rice, Arborio rice

Pasta in all shapes and sizes for the family, and one or two boxes of red lentil pasta or chick pea pasta for me

Lentils/ Dal/ Dried green split peas

Beans all kinds – dried or in BPA free cans

Olives – all types, black, green, kalamata

Broth – bone broth, organic chicken broth (I make my own veggie broth from scraps as described above, so no need to buy the vegetable broth)

Roasted Red Peppers in a jar

Green chilies

Tuna – wild and sustainable brands such as Wild Planet

Canned (BPA free) pumpkin such as Farmers Market brand

Cans or boxes of tomatoes – organic tomatoes and cans with no BPA lining such as Eden Organics

Herbal Teas

Vinegars such as Ume Plum, Red Wine, Apple Cider, Balsamic

Oils such as Olive, Avocado, Walnut

Spices for making all of the staples taste great.  You can travel around the world from your own home by using different flavors and tastes.

And here are the things that are in my refrigerator and pantry as stapes that last a long time.

Refrigerator staples:

Nuts such as cashew, walnuts, raw almonds, pine nuts

Seeds such as chia, flax, sesame, pepitas

Nut butters such as Almond butter, Tahini (sesame butter)

Dijon Mustard

Freezer staples:
Frozen shrimp, scallops, wild salmon

Frozen vegetables such as broccoli, peas

Soups and stews I’ve made in batches and frozen for later

My bag of frozen veggie scraps to make vegetable broth

Frozen organic blueberries and strawberries for smoothies

Mary Ellen Zung is a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She can be reached at coachmaryellen@outlook.com