It’s been so long since I’ve posted that I almost forgot how.  The interface is different, but at this point – we are too.  Nevermind, that I now have a 3 yr old who ate EVERYTHING (oysters, octopus, spinach, sand) as an infant and now loves salmon and lamb chops, and occasionally asparagus, but won’t eat any form of pasta (no mac ‘n cheese) or scrambled eggs.

Most of us are largely stuck at home social distancing, and at a point where we need to find new routines and are forced to cook more- whether we enjoy it or not. Fortunately, in this family, pre-pandemic, even with both parents working full-time, we’ve generally managed to cook dinner 5 times a week.  Now cooking isn’t the challenge, it’s finding the ingredients and also making sure that we have something to eat in the house for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.

Breakfast should be easy… until you run out of Cheerios, frozen silver dollar pancakes and syrup, then get low on flour so that you can’t replace the pancakes.  Adults can adapt.  Even middle schoolers can handle change.  But toddlers?  They cannot be reasoned with.  This is true even without a pandemic.  But here in Nashville, first, we had a tornado that was very confusing.  It didn’t touch our neighborhood, but friends had their roofs ripped off and are still displaced.  And now, kids can’t play with their friends or interact with their teachers to whom they have developed an attachment.  But tantrums must be predicted and avoided.

Thankfully a Target run yielded frozen mini-pancakes and flour to make fresh one when we run out.  Plus, we still have Cheerios.  I did forget to buy syrup though.  We’ll be doing a run to Trader Joe’s for at least OJ soon enough.  At least that’s an “essential business” so it’s still open.

We set up the Aerogarden and have already had two rounds of lettuce. 

Fresh arugula from our indoor garden

So far we’ve made pizza dough and rigatoni (with meatballs and sauce).  Less time consuming meals included paella, roasted chicken legs, lamb chops, steak and salmon.  Meat comes from the butcher and has been so incredibly flavorful and not that expensive.  And we’ve still been able to get good bread from locals- thanks to the Produce Place and Village Provisions.

Mama’s Helper!

I don’t know how long this pandemic will continue to require social distancing, but I do know that I can find the bright spots in this world.  Like my son taking artful photos at 3 and helping me cook.  More precious moments with my immediate family, more healthy eating at home, more gardening, and having time to reach out to loved ones…and time to post again!

— Breakfast by Jackson

Hope you are enjoying your time at home too.  I’ve got some more food and fun ideas for getting through this– hopefully I can continue this schedule and find the joys in #socialdistancing.

– Kara