Quarantine Grocery Games

This past three weeks has been bizarre. And while the State of Massachusetts is not under quarantine it doesn't take a rocket scientist to take what is happening seriously. I was nervous about this back in January. But I won't lie I didn't really change my behavior much until March. When the first cases popped up in MA and school closures happened like lots of people I was like oh shit this is really happening. As things tightened up and news kept getting worse we (my family) prepared a bit. Nothing crazy but a little inventory of what we had at home. Stocked the pantry that first grocery trip in early March. Things were "normal" then. Other than a run on TP, Paper towels and hand sanitizer the shelves were stocked. At the time I joked about it being a Quarantine version of Guy Fieri's Grocery Games. 

Now I am not much of a reality TV fan. Honestly I don't watch much TV. But when on road trips with my family we all can agree on this show. It is highly entertaining. The concept is simple. Four chefs are set up in a grocery store. Guy picks a theme for the meal. The chefs have to race through the store picking up items to cook a meal. As I went from daily shopping for meals to a once a week schedule I went full Pantry style stock ups. While people were hoarding TP I was stocking up on beans, rice and carrots. I won't lie this whole thing has been a huge wake up call. I waste soooo much money on food. I have been the primary care person for my family the last 20 years. I shop for and cook all the meals. I got into a really bad habit of relying on take out, going out to dinner or buying too much when I went to the store. We ate a ton of meat. Meat is expensive. This current situation made it brutally clear that budgeting is important. Putting yourself on a tight budget for the meals forces you to get creative. And for me it has forced me to take a hard look at how I cook, what I cook and the waste associated with my bad habits. 

One thing that came across my radar that perked my interest was an article about vegetables you can regrow again and again. I gave it a try with a leek. Leeks are kind of expensive. The fact that you can put the bottom of a leek in water and grow it again blew my mind. Above is my pride and joy. I am counting the days until it becomes potato leek soup....sorry leeky. You will grow again I promise. My cooking has been basically Pantry meals. Like I stated earlier the whole idea was to not go to the grocery store more than once a week. And to budget money. So meat was out pretty much. Meat is expensive. A bag of rice and beans is way cheaper than a nice New York Sirloin. I won't say I really miss meat. The meals I have been making have been delicious and filling. So far my family has really enjoyed it. Oddly the one meal they didn't like was lasagna. Not sure about that one. I have been pulling recipes from lots of great cook books and friends like Gewilli. Gewilli is a master at cooking for his family. I have always loved his recipes. Below is an easy but tasty carrot dish Gewilli suggested. And I am going to make a bold statement. Homemade pizza is better than takeout pizza. 

As this pandemic unfolds it is scary for all of us. Limiting how much time we spend outside is so critical to everyone's health and safety. Once a week grocery trips make more sense. Ideally I am trying to make one trip last two weeks. When I grew up my grandmothers all had a pantry. I don't know why or when pantries went out of vogue. I guess this modern lifestyle has just made us lazy. I am guilty that is for sure. It is scary that it took a pandemic for me to get my act together. Moving forward I plan to be much more mindful about how I spend my money and what I spend it on. A garden is the next plan. Nothing crazy just a simple herb garden perhaps. Some lettuce. If I thought my dog wouldn't kill chickens I would get some chickens. But that is a no go with a Labrador retriever.

 On a more serious note I am feeling so worried for all my friends who run small businesses. Restaurants and bars are having such a hard time. I know we aren't even thinking of cycling events and races but one of the Spring Classics if you will was the Ronde de Rosey. This Sunday is April 5th. We often would run the RdR on the same day as the Tour of Flanders. Neither will be happening this year obviously. But I have been thinking of my good friend Gerry, owner of the Washington Square Tavern and Beaver Brook Bottles. Gerry has supported our antics for ten years. Last year's RdR was so awesome. It has been the unofficial kick off of the season here in Boston for a while. I will miss rolling up to the Tavern and having a burger and a cold beer at that beautiful bar. Gerry is still doing take out and is delivering beer! I ordered a great selection of beer from him this week and he dropped it off at my door the next day. If you can please help out your local restaurants, bars and breweries. A lot are doing take out and delivery. As a good segue and to reiterate what we all already know be safe out there. Stay inside unless you have to go to the grocery store or pharmacy. Take a walk or a mellow bike ride for exercise as long as it is still allowed. I saw this great post of Singletrack on IG and I think this is really how we should be looking at our riding. Stay safe my friends. Be healthy and hit me with any recipes you might have. My family is getting pretty tired of my quesadillas....