What I Eat During Quarantine

Now that I am once again living at home, and will be for a while, I thought that it would be a good time to start eating a healthier diet. Although I didn’t gain the “freshman 15,” I will admit that I was definitely not eating healthy at all and I did gain a couple of pounds because of it. Over the past month, I have been trying to eat better, cook more, do exercises, and live a healthier lifestyle overall. Here are some meals that I love to make and foods I enjoy snacking on while at home!

Snacks

While it can be difficult to find certain foods at the grocery store during this time, I have been buying some staples and seeing where it takes me. I typically try to buy whatever fresh fruit is available, a couple of veggies that are in stock, some turkey sausage for lean protein, nuts for healthy fat, eggs, and a few packaged snacks that have a longer shelf life. Also, I always make sure to stock up on coffee as that is a must!

1. Avocado, turkey sausage, blueberries, hard boiled eggs

Even though I have been trying to eat more plant-based lately, turkey sausage and hard-boiled eggs are one of my favorite duos. I prefer turkey sausage over pork sausage since it has less fat and calories while still delivering great protein and flavor. I have been trying to cut down my red meat consumption and this is a great alternative! The eggs are a great source of protein and vitamins, the avocados are full of healthy fat, and the blueberries are filled with antioxidants.

2. Strawberries, blueberries, walnuts

Another great snack that you can’t go wrong with is fruit and nuts! It is important to incorporate fruit into a diet due to its richness in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that help give our bodies the nutrients that it needs. I love strawberries and blueberries because of their flavor, but any fruit that is available or that you prefer is a great start. Walnuts, and nuts in general, are great for the heart and have plenty of healthy fats and antioxidants. They are also super versatile and can easily be turned into nut milk or a spread!

3. Dalgona (whipped) coffee

As soon as  “whipped coffee” started trending, I knew that I had to try it. It is so simple to make, it tastes amazing, and it adds a little flair to a classic cup of joe in the morning. While this isn’t my prettiest attempt (I may or may not have taken a sip before I took the picture), it sure is yummy. All you need is equal parts of instant coffee, hot water, and sugar! I combined two tablespoons of each ingredient into a large bowl, stirred it around to let everything come together, used an electric mixer to whip air into the mixture until it had “stiff peaks”, then gently poured it over almond milk.

4. Charcuterie board (of sorts)

I always love a good charcuterie board at gatherings, so I decided to create my own little one out of what  I had lying around the house. I incorporated some olive tapenade hummus, crackers, mozzarella, blackberries, strawberries, carrots, walnuts, and half of an avocado. While this snack idea happened to turn into a meal for me, it was healthy, filling and super tasty as well. It incorporated fruits, veggies, nuts, proteins, fats, and tons of nutrients into one dish.

5. Roasted teriyaki seaweed, turkey sausage, fried egg, strawberries, avocado mash

One of the packaged snacks that I absolutely love is roasted seaweed. This is teriyaki flavored seaweed from the brand gimMe, and I found it at my local Whole Foods. I love it because the crunchy texture and teriyaki flavor are both so satisfying, and it has lots of vitamins and is low in calories as well. My favorite method of eating it is by spreading some avocado onto the seaweed to form a little roll up! It also works great with fruit, eggs, and some turkey sausage as shown above.

Meals

Being quarantined at home has gotten me to not only cook more in general but to try and cook healthier meals that are super tasty as well. I like to buy a few basic ingredients from what’s available at the store and repurpose them into different meals.I try to use up everything so that I can avoid being wasteful. I love taking basic foods and putting my own twist on them, so here are some of my favorite meals that I enjoy making.

1. Vegan Tacos, Plum

I had initially bought carrots, mushrooms, and shallots since they were random veggies left at the store, but then I turned them into great vegan tacos. I also added a plum to get in some  fruit for the day and to balance the savoriness of the tacos. These tacos are super simple to make, and can be made with any leftover veggies that you have! For mine, I just heated some blue corn tortillas in a pan, added a mashed avocado, then sauteed the veggies and placed  the mixture on top. Delicious, healthy, and vegan!

2. Avocado Toast, Strawberries, Blueberries

This is definitely one of my favorite things that I’ve made since I’ve been home. I love a good avocado toast and I enjoyed being able to create it however I wanted. I used leftover Italian bread, melted mozzarella, mashed avocado, raw spinach, a fried egg, blistered tomatoes, and lots of olive oil! The dish had all the perfect elements: the smoothness of the avocado, the creaminess of the melted mozzarella slice, and the crunch from the bread and spinach. Other elements found in the dish include the slight tangy sweetness from the blistered tomatoes, and a fried egg because they make everything better. The blackberries and strawberries added a light and sweet touch to the slight heaviness of the toast.

3. Sauteed Spinach and Mushroom Pasta, Mozzarella, Plum

I always love a good penne pasta, but I wanted to cook it in a way that incorporated a bit more nutrition than the classic vodka sauce. I sauteed some spinach, mushrooms, and garlic for a healthy and fulfilling bite. Then, I added it to some boxed pasta, which was cooked to the perfect al dente. Since the sauce on the pasta can often be the most caloric and fat dense, replacing it with a nice veggie sauté is a great alternative. I added a plum and some mozzarella on the side for a tame balance to the pasta.

4. Eggs Benedict

For me, eggs benedict is always a brunch staple. I love the combination of the creamy yet tangy Hollandaise sauce, the saltiness of the breakfast meat, the airiness of the poached eggs, the ooziness of the yolks running out, and the hint of spice from the paprika. While it can be seen as a “posh” or “gourmet” dish, I found it relatively easy to make at home using  ingredients I had around the house. Instead of using Canadian bacon and an English muffin, which the classic eggs Benedict has, I decided to use a pork roll and plain old white bread (and to be honest, I liked it better like that). The toasted white bread soaked up the juices perfectly and the pork roll has a way crispier, saltier bite to it that Canadian bacon just cannot compare to. Although poaching eggs and making a Hollandaise Sauce may seem like a daunting task, I followed recipes that made it super easy. Making the sauce in a blender is a life hack that makes the process  much quicker!

5. Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms, Blistered Balsamic Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad

Okay, I lied earlier, this has got to be my favorite dish that I have made so far. Here, I put my own spin on the classic stuffed mushroom by using what I had lying around, and it was such a yummy bite. Although stuffed mushrooms typically have some kind of meat or fish, you don’t need that to make them good. I sauteed some chopped spinach, mushroom stems, garlic, and red bell pepper. Then I mixed in  a mashed avocado until the mixture was creamy and homogenous. After this, I sprinkled in some lemon juice and folded in some parmesan cheese into the mixture. Finally, I spooned the mixture into the baby bella mushroom caps, sprinkled some garlic and herb bread crumbs, and added some extra parmesan on top. I also blistered some tomatoes in balsamic, and laid them over a bed of mozzarella for a fresh, tangy bite to complement the creamy stuffed mushrooms. These veggie-filled stuffed mushrooms are addicting and a healthy alternative to the classic dish.

6. Baked Sweet Potato, Fried Egg

This simple dish can be eaten at any time of the day and is more filling than it looks. All I had to do was bake the sweet potato in the oven, fry an egg on the stovetop, and put the two together! Sweet potatoes have lots of vitamins and fiber, and are paired nicely with the simplicity of an egg. Also, they can be made into a sweet dish as well by putting a little maple syrup or butter with some cinnamon on top. Although sweet potatoes may take time to bake in the oven, they are definitely worth the wait.

Although I try to be as healthy and nutritious as I can, I am not perfect at it. I still indulge in toaster strudels, Hot Pockets, Kit Kats, Hot Cheetos, you name it! However, life is about finding a good balance that works for you. I love to cook and create my own dishes, and while being at home, I have gotten to do it a lot more. While I am not a health guru by any means, I am certainly trying my best and having fun while doing so.

• Coronavirus
• healthy food
• quarantine