March 14- March 20 Self-Isolation Meals

With notebook handy, I was able to record what we ate:


Sat March 14, 2020  

D: Hot dogs, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and peas

For Pie Day, usually we have a really fun one.  But I had forgotten to plan ahead so had to use what I had to make one.  It was a pretty awful one with instant chocolate pudding.  The crust had been in the freezer and was freezer burned so I cut the bad spots away, sprinkled everything with cinnamon sugar and served it up with lots of whipped cream.  I forgot to spray the pan before baking, so it was difficult to serve.

Sunday March 15

Dinner:  Only Husband and me - we had Alex's beans and rice.  Alex wasn't feeling well.

Monday March 16

• Lunch:  Soup (didn't note type) and biscuits
• Biscuits made with 1 c self-rising flour, 1 individual container of yogurt, cut in about 2 t butter, drop them onto the baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes.  Well received.
• Made beans with chicken and simmering curry sauce.
• Found thermometer and Alex took his temp, his temp is within the normal range.
• We started walking the dog together on this day.  I will not write all the times we did that, but it has been every day at least once.  If not all three of us, then some combination of the two of us!
• Dinner: Chicken marinated in citrus spice mix, rice made with tomato sauce  (1 c rice, 2 c tomato sauce and water), peas, left over brown rice.  Dessert was cherry jello with fruit cocktail.
• I started ending the evening or starting the day by wiping down the counter tops and door handles with 409.

Tuesday March 17

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with canned peaches
• I drove the car to fill it up and get cash from the ATM.  Buffy got two walks!
• Lunch: Beans in curry and rice
• Received items from Walmart, Petco, and Amazon!  We started self-isolation very poorly prepared.  I had purchased a few things, but then went up to Berkeley for a quilting filled weekend with Claire and EBHQ, then my husband and I went to Palm Springs on a quilt shop run.  I didn't realize how serious this was all getting so had to navigate on line delivery systems to fill our pantry.  Couldn't sleep until I had Buffy's meds and food in  order.
• Dinner: Chicken marinated in citrus mix, 3/4 c rice, 1/2 c peas, beans with curry chicken.

Wednesday March 18

• B:  Oatmeal with canned peaches
• L: Tuna Salad and chips ~ 2pm
• S: Alex had beans and rice ~5
• D: Steak, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, English muffins

Thursday March 19

• People woke at different times.
• B: Husband had granola bar and cereal, AJ had oatmeal
• L: people ate separately.  B had chips and crackers, A had beans and rice, J had a Balanced Break (cheese, nuts, dried fruit) and watched TV
• D:  Scrambled 5 eggs with cheese, orange refrigerator rolls and breakfast sausages

Friday March 20

• B: People ate different things, at different times.  BJ oatmeal, A rice and beans, B cherry yogurt
• No lunch
• D: Rice, beans with curry, mixed veggies, coconut and apricot jam
• Alex did the wipe down as I was so wiped out.

March 9 - March 13 Self-Isolation Meals

I wasn't organized the first week, so didn't take daily notes.  I thought I would remember the meals for ever!

I know I made a delicious potato soup with the cream I had (was supposed to be used to make son's birthday cake but he wasn't in the mood for that with the virus all around), and the left over Claire's potatoes.  Made by slicing the potatoes about 3/4 inch, oil S/P and zahtar and put in the baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then add cheese and bake until melted.

The soup was delicious.

The next dinner we had diced chicken, Alex's beans (bacon, onion) , rice and peas - wth the potato soup as a sauce on top of the chicken.

Another dinner was Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry (adapted from All Recipes).  Start rice.  chop veggies, prepare dishes for coating chicken.  Chicken for three, 1 c Panko, 1 c flour, 2 eggs, S/P to taste, 1/4 c oil (1. coat the chicken flour, egg (season with S/P), panko, 2. heat up oil and add chicken to the pan.  3. Fry on both sides about 2 minutes each side.  Katsu Sauce: 1 diced onion, 1 diced potato, 2 diced carrots, 2 c chicken broth, 1 T garam masala, 1 T cornflour, 1/4 t salt, 1 T oil. (1. heat oil, cook onion until soft, 2. Add carrot and potato, garam masala, salt and chicken broth - cook until veggies soft 9 (about 10 minutes), 3.  Mix cornflour with about 2 T water and add to the sauce, 4. Let sauce thicken (about 2 minutes)  5. Puree or serve chunky sauce on the chicken.  Add rice to dish.  Delicious!

Then we had left over chicken, with rice, Alex's beans, onions

For lunch I made Lipton Noodle Soup with peas

and this week we sorta started having oatmeal for breakfast.  This first week we had with fresh blueberries and whipped cream.

I think I made a few tuna sandwiches for lunch too - but didn't write it down so I don't remember everything.

I'm almost out of zahtar - that was a wonderful spice to use!  Claire has used it with chicken and with potatoes - perhaps she uses with other things.  Will try to remember to ask her!

I had visited Claire shortly before this self-isolation, and she happened to share a notebook where she recorded what she served for company and who attended and the date.  (So she wouldn't make the same dishes).  Took me a bit to find a notebook in the garage that felt like it would be some thing I could use.

Self-Isolation - The Pantry (as of March 19 2020)

When I returned from exercise on March 9, 2020 our son asked me to please stay home.  He said he would go to the store if anything was needed.  Of course I agreed.  I thought before sending him to the store I needed to do an inventory of what food we already had, and what food and meds we had for his little dog.  It took me about ten days to get everything in the computer. 

By then had gone to the store one time and to the drug store to get a prescription.  He went to Home Depot to get wood for a project, and was a tad freaked out about all the people so he stepped out and said we should look into having items we needed delivered.  I remembered how helpful Walmart had been with delivering items for my mom, so started with them...

This list does not include the items in the frig, but it does include items I had delivered from Walmart. 

I had a heck of a time trying to put things into categories, and even naming them.  But I tried.  Here is the list in alphabetical order:

In practice, it was too difficult to cross off things as they were opened or used, so I started a note sheet on the frig and wrote things down as I opened or used things up.

I tried to add the items as they were received from delivery services, but that got too complicated too.  Instead I have a notebook where I add the printed orders, and check things off as they are received.  This has worked out well.

But it seemed important to do this pantry inventory.  Would have been useful to have little numbered labels to put on the top of cans - then transfer that label to the sheet on the frig, then I wouldn't miss as many things as I think I have!

In addition to Walmart, a wonderful neighbor has offered to pick up a few things for us each week when she goes to the store.  I left her cash or now use Venmo so she is does not have out of pocket expenses for this.  I usually ask for some combination of onions, carrots, celery and another vegetable and on different weeks, I asked for bread or tortillas and cheese.  Now she has trying having the store deliver to her place.  So I asked for more items that I couldn't get at Walmart: pepper, sugar, and more.

One of my husband's colleague's was going to Costco, so I asked my husband to ask him to pick up a few things.  So we have had salmon, meatloaf, trail mix from him.  I used Venmo to pay him.  He told me about a restaurant that was converting to delivering groceries since they had closed their kitchen. I have never been to that restaurant, but I will after this is over!  They sent the most beautiful veggies, cheese, dried beans and more.

We tried Von's, but they were so over whelmed they cancelled the order after a week of waiting.

We tried Amazon Fresh, but never were able to get a delivery date.

We tried a smaller delivery service that went to smaller local stores and got half what we ordered, but a huge bill that took a few emails and weeks to get settled.  Won't try them again.

But now in addition to the fresh foods, we have a very good selection of food in the pantry.  Powdered eggs, powdered milk, canned and dried beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauces, canned veggies and fruit and lots of oatmeal to start the day.

I have also kept track of all our meals...  --> next post