Various recipes during the coronavirus

The threat of the coronavirus is growing and, thanks to this, many people are bulk-buying flour, sugar and other unrefined food, without reason. But what about healthy ingredients? Let’s see how we can make better, more conscious and healthier choices these days, when it is about the diet of our family!

As a first step, get organized! Check your pantry, your fridge and get rid of the expired food. These meats, veggies and others can be dangerous for your health and they only take up place unnecessarily anyway.

Plan for two weeks shopping maximum. Think about what you like to eat at home, and what you ate so far… don’t try to get too creative with things you have not tried yet or that you don’t know if you’ll eat so you can avoid wasting food. To create a healthy diet, our basic list should contain all the main food groups, macros, etc.:

• Protein sources: Canned fish, beans, lentils, chickpeas, meats, frozen fish, eggs.

• Vegetables: Canned and frozen vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits that can be stored for a longer period of time: potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsley, onions, celery, apples and pears, among others.

• Carbohydrates: Whole grain cereal, breads and pastas; brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa, bulgur and millet.

• Healthy fats, oils: Olive oil, nuts, oilseeds.

Don’t forget to get a can opener too if you’ve already bought a lot of cans! Don’t be surprised right when you want to use them.

Fortunately, plenty of ready meals are easy to freeze, so feel free to make more of everything at once! Dishes such as Bolognese stew, meatballs or cabbage stand in the freezer for a long time, same with roasted meats and some garnishes. Even baked goods or cheeses, which you just need to take out and let them thaw in the air.

Use fresh ingredients first

Plan to always use fresh food first; perishable ones sooner, then come the frozen and canned products.

When you buy for the first few days, put a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits in the basket. Try to color your plate! Next to other vegetables and fruits, onions help the healthy functioning of the immune system and do not deteriorate quickly, and even onion soup and garlic cream soup can be made from the reserves.

Now it’s even more important not to waste anything! It is worthwhile to develop a strategy for the use of food, how you can plan with the expiration days. Arrange them in the fridge or on shelves according to their expiration date, and label your frozen food so you can see when it’s time to use it.

Do you know rule of the 3? This can be a good starting point for planning:

Freshly cooked food can be kept 3 hours at room temperature, 3 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer, after that time its quality begins to deteriorate.

Pay attention to salt intake and seasoning

Long-lasting and canned foods contain a lot of salt so, be sure to rinse canned ingredients with water before using them. You should choose low-salt versions during shopping. At home, always keep dried green spices like oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, pepper and rosemary – use these for seasoning. It is also worth buying a salt-free spice mix.

If you find fresh green spices in the store, feel free to pack them in an airtight bag and freeze them so you don’t have to give up on fresh spices either!

Don’t forget about water and electrolytes!

It is important to make sure you consume 2-3 liters of clean water a day at home. Don’t store a garage stock of juices and soft drinks that are full with sugar! On the other hand, you can keep sports drink, because in case of illness, for example, it can be a useful to have a calorie and electrolyte supplement.

Isotonic drinks are available not only in half-liter packs, but also in the form of a drink powder supplements such as BioTechUSA IsoTonic drink powder – a practical single-dose pack that can be mixed with fresh water and then it is ready to drink!

Some ideas for cooking

In addition to the limited availability of shops and food, many people can also find it difficult when they have a child at home, it can all be very time consuming – in this case, recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily come to the front, but it is also an advantage to cook food in advance and have it available for 2-3 days.

If you like soups, cook soups for up to 2-3 days. If you only prepare a main course every 2 days, you can still optimize the time a bit and the meal will seem even more varied.

And if you are frying meat, serve rice one day and bulgur or millet the next. You can vary the vegetables in a similar way, one day steamed broccoli, another day salad or grilled vegetables.

When using meat, you can also think that you can make tomato ragout one day from minced meat and casserole dishes with cauliflower, zucchini and buckwheat the next day. They are healthy and stand in the fridge for days.

Recipe ideas for one day

Let’s look at some recipes from ingredients that can be stored for longer periods of time.

Breakfast:

1. Oatmeal with dried cranberries

2. Millet porridge with cinnamon apples

3. Omelet or scrambled eggs from 2-3 eggs, grilled vegetables, homemade bread, puffed rice.

4. Beetroot apple smoothie (1 apple, 1 quarter boiled beets, 2 tbsp blackberries, 3 tbsp oatmeal, 1 tbsp flaxseed, water)

Quick homemade whole grain bun recipe (for 4 pieces)

Ingredients:

• 25 dkg whole grain flour

• 3 tablespoons yogurt

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Knife tip baking soda

• 1 tea spoon sea salt

• 0.5 eggs

• Approx. 0.5 dl lukewarm water

Preparation: Mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Then add the yoghurt, oil and enough water to make moldable dough. Divide into four parts, spread eggs on top, sprinkle with seeds or cheese and bake in a 180-degree oven for approx. 30 minutes.

Tip: You can put the seeds in the dough or on top. It can be eaten with vegetable creams, cheese and ham.

Snacks:

1. Apple with 8-10 pieces of almonds.

2. Pear with 4-5 pieces of walnuts.

3. 1 large handful of sliced vegetables (beets, celery, cucumbers) with green spices or yogurt dip (50 g of natural yogurt or tomato sauce).

4. Smoothie: From fruits, even canned, oatmeal, buckwheat flakes, spelled flakes, puffed millet, amaranth, with added seeds.

Lunch:

• Roasted meat with sauerkraut and brown rice

• Vegetable gratin with cheese sauce

• Buckwheat dumplings with tomato sauce

Chicken breast with bulgur

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast

• 12 dkg bulgur

• 1 medium onion

• 1 tomato

• 1 red flesh pepper

• Parsley

• 1 teaspoon natural seasoning

• Red pepper

• Marjoram

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Cut the meat in cubes and chop the vegetables. Fry the onions in the oil, then add the meat as well. When the meat is white, the vegetables can be added to it. Season with spices and add a little water to steam everything soft. Meanwhile, boil the bulgur in twice the amount of salt water for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven and let it stand to absorb the remaining water.

Tip: If there are no peppers or tomatoes, it can be prepared without them or replacing them with other vegetables. If none, it can be eaten with pickles.

Chicken noodles with spinach

Ingredients:

• 70 g of dry durum pasta

• 100 g of chicken breast or turkey

• 50 g cottage cheese

• 1 large handful of spinach, a pinch of salt

• 1 tsp coconut oil

Preparation: Cook the pasta and separately fry the chicken breast strips in coconut oil while adding the spinach. When done, stir in the cooked pasta and mix nicely. Place the cottage cheese on top when serving.

Dinner

In the evening, salads and soups that can be prepared quickly and easily are great alternatives for a healthy meal.

Carrot-apple-beetroot salad

Ingredients:

• 6 dkg carrots

• 4 dkg beets

• 2 dkg parsley root

• 2 dkg onions

• 3 tbsp olive or linseed oil

• Half an apple

• 5 dkg crushed walnuts

• Little sea salt, fresh or dried parsley, chives

Preparation: Grate the ingredients or cut into thin strips and mix with the oil. After leaving aside for about 20 minutes, the flavors should combine. It is an excellent garnish with meat or even eggs, but it can also be eaten with a slice of whole grain bread or puffed rice.

Tipp: You can also grill it, it can make it special.

Turkey soup with vegetables

Ingredients:

• 40 dkg of turkey meat

• 1 turnip

• 1 onion

• 1 larger carrot

• Approx. 20 dkg cauliflower

• 15 dkg green beans

• Parsley and celery

• 1.5l of water, spices to taste

Preparation: Cut the meat in cubes and fry it in a little in coconut oil, then put it in salted water to cook and add the onion and green spices. Meanwhile, peel the vegetables and cube them. After about an hour of cooking, you can add the vegetables into it.

Yellow peas cream soup

Ingredients:

• 30 dkg yellow peas

• 2 carrots

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 3-4 pieces of cloves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 organic vegetable soup cube, salt, pepper

• 1.5 dl cream or rice cream (so not only milk-free, but also very long-lasting)

Preparation: Wash the yellow peas and chop the vegetables. Quarter the onion and pierce the cloves in one quarter. Put everything in a pot and pour enough water to cover it. Cook the ingredients until they are soft, when you are ready be sure to take the cloves out of the onion and remove the bay leaf as well. Stir in the cream and puree with a stick mixer. If you have some ham at home, you can also add some fried ham cubes or you can try tofu.

Tip: If there is no cream, you can also cook a little potato in it or add a little less water. It can also be made from chickpeas.

Tuna cream with crispy diet bread

Ingredients:

• 25 dkg whole grain flour (oats, spelled, rye, even mixed)

• 2 dl lukewarm water

• 1.5 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 3 dkg of coconut oil

Preparation: Mix the flour, baking soda and salt, and then add the coconut oil. Add the lukewarm water gradually, until you get a moldable mass. Leave to rest in room temperature for approx. 15 minutes. Stretch the dough into a rectangle, approx. 2-3 mm thick and cut into small rectangular shapes. Put parchment paper in a baking tray, place the forms and bake them to golden brown for 10 minutes in a 200-degree oven. Mix the tuna with a little yogurt and olives and add it in the top of the bread.

Tip: Made with brown rice flour or buckwheat flour, you get a gluten-free version. We can also sprinkle with cumin, flaxseed or sesame seeds.

The key is to have a strategy and menu plan for at least 2 weeks. Plan what you are going to eat, write a shopping list. Shop based on this, have healthy garnish options, canned vegetables and seeds on your shelf. Always keep meat, vegetables and fruits in the freezer. Eat fresh, perishable food first, and you can have the rest later. Following these you can go in a healthy direction without being afraid of gaining extra pounds because of the quarantine.