As we write this post, we at The Colitis Blog, have not been grocery shopping for 5+ weeks. No delivery, no new things coming in. And yet, we eat delicious, healthy, gourmet meals. Why? – We live in a state that has many COVID-19 cases, especially in our county. For our own safety, as a household with a UC patient, we want to avoid going to the grocery store as much as possible. No, we don’t have a walk-in refrigerator. Rather, we stocked up the smart way and we’ll share a few tips with you.
Related Post: COVID-19: Stock Your Pantry for UC, The Smart Way
1.Plan meals, portions, and ingredients. Make a calendar for 2 weeks and plan each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks). Plan meals depending on your household size (ex. if you want to make a salad every day – how many tomatoes will that require?). Make a shopping list and feel free to throw in a few extras if you are worried about running out. You can find handy meal planning worksheets here.
2. Buy fresh produce that lasts a while. Some fruits and veggies can last longer than others.
- Longer-lasting fruits: apples, pears, oranges, cantaloupe, melon, papaya, mango. All these last even longer in the fridge.
- Longer-lasting vegetables: potatoes, cabbage, celery, carrots, beets, radishes, onions, peppers, spaghetti squash, butternut and acorn squash.
- Fruits that perish faster: bananas, berries, kiwi, grapes, peaches
- Vegetables that perish faster: tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, asparagus, avocado, lettuce, spinach and dark leafy greens, herbs (parsley, cilantro)
3. Freeze some fruits and vegetables. This will allow you to make nutritious meals later on. Remember that not all produce freezes well.
- Freezes well: broccoli florets, corn, peas, green beans, mushrooms (cleaned and cut), berries for smoothies.
- Freezes poorly: potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, radishes, celery, apples, pears, and all produce with high water content.
To save space in the freezer, freeze produce in zip-lock bags, not containers. It is also more efficient to freeze ingredients for a meal rather than ready meals. Frozen pre-cooked meals take up valuable freezer space.
4. Buy a variety of grains and beans. The sight of a 20 lb. bag of rice might be reassuring, but eating one type of grain only will get old fast. Instead, buy smaller amounts 1-3 lbs. of different grains, lentils, and legumes for a diverse set of meals. We love brown, black and red rice; green, black and red lentils; split peas; buckwheat; cornmeal; butter beans; chickpeas and much more. The beans and chickpeas you can also buy in cans for an easy shortcut, but if you are on a budget – the dry stuff is more cost effective. Don’t be intimidated by the variety, all these require no more than a 20-40 min. boil. Be weary of monotonous meals that will send you back to the store.
5. Canned fruits are tastier than you think. It’s true, the canning process lowers the content of vitamins in fruits. However, canned fruit may allow more vulnerable individuals with UC to reduce their grocery trips – and avoid risks – while still enjoying fruits. Canned peaches, pears, pineapple, cherries, clementines are all delicious. Choose canned products in juice rather than syrup and look for the lowest sugar content on the label.