Ways to Keep You Sane and Well Fed During the Blizzard (or any other times you are housebound)

Jessica Braider — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 21:42:28 +0000

If the forecasters are right, we here in the Washington, DC area are about to get socked with a blizzard that is expected to leave 2 feet of snow in its wake. This will likely shut things down around here in a big way for at least a day (probably more knowing this crazy city).

So as we all hunker down, here are some cooking and activity tips that might help you stay sane (and fed), even if you didn’t make it to the grocery store.

Keep Busy!

Make snowy treats! For kiddos juice or maple syrup are great, for us adults throwing in a little alcohol never hurt anyone…

Reorganize Your Kitchen! Do you have a drawer or cabinet that is driving you crazy? Have you been thinking about ways to make your kitchen more appealing? Why not try and put some easy changes into effect while you are stuck inside? Me? I’m planning on reorganizing my pantry so that the snack foods are more readily accessible for my kids who are now old enough to get their own snacks and my spices so that no more jars of cardamom come crashing down on my head.

Stock that Freezer!

This is a great time to fill up that freezer with breakfast goodies and easy-to-freeze staples so that the next few weeks are easier. Some good possibilities are:

Oven Pancakes

Sweet Potato Muffins

Basic Tomato Sauce

Baked Pasta (make one for dinner and one for the freezer)

Some more labor-intensive projects that you’ll be psyched to have once life gets back to normal:

Breakfast Pockets

Empanadas

Frozen Pizzas

Feeding Yourself with What You’ve Got

Now, what about those of you that didn’t brave the crazy lines in order to get the special ingredients to make your grandmother’s stew or your uncle’s secret chili? Here are some ideas of things to make with what you’ve already got in the house:

Got Eggs?

Spinach bites

Frittata with the vegetables you’ve got knocking around

Got Pasta?

Skillet sauce

Mac n cheese

Pasta with egg

Got beans?

Chili

Bean dip

Got a little bit of everything?

Thursday Night Soup

How are you planning on staying sane during the blizzard? Or, if you aren’t in blizzard land, which of these ideas might come in handy this weekend?

The post Ways to Keep You Sane and Well Fed During the Blizzard (or any other times you are housebound) first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.

Cooking Projects for When You’re Homebound

Jessica Braider — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:42:03 +0000

As you have very likely heard, the East Coast is bracing for a weekend full of rain (if not a hurricane), which means many of us will be stuck indoors quite a bit in the coming days. I’m not going to lie, weather events like this and snow days (which hopefully we won’t get too many of this year) can be stressful and loooong when you are stuck at home. But instead of looking at these as an annoyance, it can be helpful to shift our perspective and look at them as an opportunity to get some cooking projects done!

So I thought I would share with you my steps to making an impending day at home a culinary hit. Plus I’ll share some recipes that might be fun to try.

Plan (a little). If you are going to be making a run to the grocery store for staples, why not quickly think about any amount of ingredients you might need for cooking projects you want to do. So try to do some quick thinking about what you want to make. Freezer meals? Special goodies? A new recipe you have been meaning to try? And then come up with a list of the things you might need to pick up while you are out getting toilet paper, milk, and batteries.
Recruit a Cooking Buddy (if you want). I have fond memories a massive cooking day with a friend when I was in my twenties. I don’t even remember what we made, but I remember the music and fun company! So why not make this cooking activity a quality time activity with someone. Maybe that means asking your kids if they want to help or maybe that is seeing if a nearby friend wants to get together for some cooking fun.
Make it fun! Instead of having this cooking project be the normal crazed, hyper-speed time in the kitchen that many of us grow accustomed to after months (or years) of rushing to get dinner on the table, use this as an opportunity to enjoy your kitchen and cooking. Play good music, have a glass of wine or mug of tea, take your time.

Sound like fun? Great! Here are some of my favorite recipes for just such an occasion.

Freezer Burritos: who doesn’t love the idea of having burritos in the freezer for quick lunches and dinners?
Freezer Homemade Pizzas: YUM and saves money you would have spent on take out!
Empanadas: Another great one to have in your freezer for lunches and dinners!
Baked Pasta: Make a double batch! One for dinner and an extra to go into the freezer for another time (don’t do the baking step, just put it on assembled and ready to go).
Scones: Then you can have a tea party with scones (and then save the rest for breakfasts later in the week). Added bonus: these are fun to make with kids!
Homemade Chai: A special treat and it would go really well with those scones!

The post Cooking Projects for When You’re Homebound first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.

snow days – The Balanced Kitchen

Ways to Keep You Sane and Well Fed During the Blizzard (or any other times you are housebound)

Cooking Projects for When You’re Homebound