Healthy Eating During COVID-19

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This blog will help you choose a variety of healthy food options while trying to limit trips outside your home due to the current COVID-19 situation. Below are some tips on how to stock your kitchen along with meal plan ideas enough for one week.  With a little planning you can make sure you feed your family balanced meals that are simple and help boost their immune system. Remember to wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before handling food, handwashing protects against COVID-19!

For your pantry:

1. Beans and legumes (canned or dried): A great source of protein! You can add them to soups, salads and main dishes. Cooking with dried beans? Check this blog post that contains tips. 
2. Peanut butter and other nut butters: Also a great source of protein! You can spread it on bread or a fruit like banana. Visit our blog post on cooking with peanut butter.
3. Whole grain pasta, brown rice and quinoa:  A great source of fiber and good carbs. Watch this video to show you how to cook brown rice.  Also this blog post shows you different ways to prepare quinoa.
4. Canned tuna and chicken in water: A great source of protein! Can be used in salads and sandwiches. Substitute fresh chicken with canned like in this Chicken Waldorf Salad recipe.  
5. Canned vegetables and fruits and tomato sauce: When selecting vegetable cans, try to choose the ones with less salt. Try to rinse them before using them. As for when selecting canned fruit, make sure they are canned in juice not sugar or syrup.  Check this blog post about cooking with canned foods.
6. Whole grain breakfast cereal: For a nutritious breakfast or snack for the entire family.
7. Shelf stable milk: An excellent source of calcium, especially when it is difficult to get fresh milk.
8. Healthy Snacks: Popcorn and raisins can be enjoyed by the entire family.

For your freezer:

Other than freezing fruits, vegetables and meats. You can also freeze bread, dairy and eggs. Dairy such as milk, yogurt or cheese are best consumed cooked after being frozen. As for eggs, you can mix eggs and put their mixture in ice trays or any containers or bags you have. Once ready to cook them, take them out of the freezer and cook them ( 3 Tablespoons of egg mixture is around 1 egg). 

Remember that frozen fruits can be used in smoothies (with the frozen yogurt) and frozen vegetables can be used in soups, stews and casseroles.

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Breakfast	Vegetable Omelet	Breakfast Roll-Up	Breakfast Parfait	PBJ Energy Smoothie	Vegetable Omelet	Rise and Shine Cobbler	Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce
Lunch	Breakfast Taco	3-Bean Salad	Quick Minestrone Soup	Chicken Waldorf Salad	Vegetable Barley Soup	Tasty Tuna Lettuce Wraps	Leftovers
Dinner	Stir-Fried Vegetables with Beef, Chicken or Tofu	Tuna Pasta	Lentil Stew	3-Can Chili	Beef and Potatoes	Mac'n Cheese with Broccoli	Easy Red Beans and Rice
Snack	Healthy Trail Mix	Peanut Butter Bananas	Homemade Hummus	Healthy Trail Mix	Peanut Butter Bananas	Confetti Bean Salsa	Homemade Hummus

For more recipes, visit: https://eatsmart.umd.edu/recipe/recipesearch and you can search by the ingredient that you have on hand.  

Have leftovers? Check this blog post for ways to make meals using leftovers. 

Need food assistance?

While schools are out, meals are available for children 18 years and younger throughout the state of Maryland. To find a site close to you go to www.mdsummermeals.org . 

Looking for a food pantry? Follow the below links depending on your county:

• Maryland (except for PG & Montgomery counties) - Maryland Food Bank
• PG County - Capital Area Food Bank
• Montgomery County - Capital Area Food Bank & Manna Food Center