Storing Up for 2 Weeks - BUT My Way
I'm not exactly sure why people are hoarding so much toilet paper...you don't need a garage full for 2 weeks quarantine!
Anyway, there is an advisory to store supplies and food that will last for 2 weeks just in case, hopefully not, any of us need to go into self-quarantine for that period of time.
Check out this article from CTV News about stocking up and not panicking. Keyword - don't panic!
And honestly, please don't use so much hand sanitizer!! Hospitals need those more and if regular people keep using it, we wind up creating super bugs. For home use - 2 parts water and 1 part white vinegar or vodka is quite strong for regular cleaning. 1 Tbsp tea tree oil and 2 cups water is a great and natural disinfectant.
IF you're wondering how strong tea tree oil is - it's strong enough to have saved me from a trip to the ER, in the past, with an infected paper cut and swollen finger that was a light reddish purple shade. I had a high fever and couldn't walk out the front door, so I soaked my finger in tea tree oil and fell asleep. I woke up later in the day and the swelling had gone down, the colour was getting back to normal so I changed the bandage and soaked the new plaster in tea tree oil. By the time I was able to get to a walk-in clinic to have it checked out, my finger was no longer infected and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me anymore. He did give me a lecture about waiting too long to put antiseptic of any kind before my finger got that bad.
After a not so successful attempt to stock up on supplies yesterday after work, I got so riled up I went through the fridge, freezer and cupboards to see what exactly do we need and what would we really want to be eating in an emergency situation.
Let's face it - my family and I have very different taste buds and what my mom or brothers would enjoy...I personally would rather give it a miss. And if I had to be stuck at home for 2 weeks...I'd really like to be enjoying my food than dreaming about what I could be eating. I know the advisory mentions canned beans and pasta...but honestly, that's a more Western palate. I grew up eating all kinds of cuisine, but my comfort food is still very Asian (Chinese, Japanese and Korean).
My mom brought home some canned Chef Boyardee (which she and my brothers like - so for sure that will get eaten), some canned fish (yay, I will eat that) and boxed broth (that's smart...if we get sick, broth and soup will be our go to). Then of course an extra bag of rice for congee, cooked rice, fried rice, etc. The store shelves were pretty much cleared out so we couldn't get canned soup.
This situation did get me thinking; what about dried goods?? Dried beans (mung beans, soy beans, millet, pearl barley) you can soak them overnight and make those into soups. Dried or preserved vegetables - Chinese mustard greens, bamboo shoots in chili oil, tiger lily buds, dried shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausages (Kam Yen Jan), preserved Chinese cucumbers, straw mushrooms, etc. Those are canned or preserved goods that can be kept in the cupboard or pantry until they are opened, and I'd be one happy girl eating those!
As you can see from the above pictures, I've made lists of what are currently in my freezer, fridge and cupboards just to have a better picture of what I should be watching to buy for and what I really don't need to get anymore.
As someone with lactose intolerance, I really need soy milk or almond milk or even oat milk. I can't drink cashew milk, for some reason it actually makes me feel sick. But because we have a tiny fridge and freezer, I definitely need to get powdered versions. Try to get one without fillers and sugars because those have way less soy. This means less protein and you wind up drinking more because you aren't satisfied and full. Pure soy milk powder has a high protein content that fills you up instantly and is delicious even without sugar, the bean itself has some sugar content and the nutty sweetness from the bean is wonderful. In fact, if you want, you could just buy dried soybeans and make the milk yourself. There are quite a few different recipes; here are a few I really recommend:
Anyway, there is an advisory to store supplies and food that will last for 2 weeks just in case, hopefully not, any of us need to go into self-quarantine for that period of time.
Check out this article from CTV News about stocking up and not panicking. Keyword - don't panic!
And honestly, please don't use so much hand sanitizer!! Hospitals need those more and if regular people keep using it, we wind up creating super bugs. For home use - 2 parts water and 1 part white vinegar or vodka is quite strong for regular cleaning. 1 Tbsp tea tree oil and 2 cups water is a great and natural disinfectant.
IF you're wondering how strong tea tree oil is - it's strong enough to have saved me from a trip to the ER, in the past, with an infected paper cut and swollen finger that was a light reddish purple shade. I had a high fever and couldn't walk out the front door, so I soaked my finger in tea tree oil and fell asleep. I woke up later in the day and the swelling had gone down, the colour was getting back to normal so I changed the bandage and soaked the new plaster in tea tree oil. By the time I was able to get to a walk-in clinic to have it checked out, my finger was no longer infected and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me anymore. He did give me a lecture about waiting too long to put antiseptic of any kind before my finger got that bad.
After a not so successful attempt to stock up on supplies yesterday after work, I got so riled up I went through the fridge, freezer and cupboards to see what exactly do we need and what would we really want to be eating in an emergency situation.
Let's face it - my family and I have very different taste buds and what my mom or brothers would enjoy...I personally would rather give it a miss. And if I had to be stuck at home for 2 weeks...I'd really like to be enjoying my food than dreaming about what I could be eating. I know the advisory mentions canned beans and pasta...but honestly, that's a more Western palate. I grew up eating all kinds of cuisine, but my comfort food is still very Asian (Chinese, Japanese and Korean).
My mom brought home some canned Chef Boyardee (which she and my brothers like - so for sure that will get eaten), some canned fish (yay, I will eat that) and boxed broth (that's smart...if we get sick, broth and soup will be our go to). Then of course an extra bag of rice for congee, cooked rice, fried rice, etc. The store shelves were pretty much cleared out so we couldn't get canned soup.
This situation did get me thinking; what about dried goods?? Dried beans (mung beans, soy beans, millet, pearl barley) you can soak them overnight and make those into soups. Dried or preserved vegetables - Chinese mustard greens, bamboo shoots in chili oil, tiger lily buds, dried shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausages (Kam Yen Jan), preserved Chinese cucumbers, straw mushrooms, etc. Those are canned or preserved goods that can be kept in the cupboard or pantry until they are opened, and I'd be one happy girl eating those!
As you can see from the above pictures, I've made lists of what are currently in my freezer, fridge and cupboards just to have a better picture of what I should be watching to buy for and what I really don't need to get anymore.
As someone with lactose intolerance, I really need soy milk or almond milk or even oat milk. I can't drink cashew milk, for some reason it actually makes me feel sick. But because we have a tiny fridge and freezer, I definitely need to get powdered versions. Try to get one without fillers and sugars because those have way less soy. This means less protein and you wind up drinking more because you aren't satisfied and full. Pure soy milk powder has a high protein content that fills you up instantly and is delicious even without sugar, the bean itself has some sugar content and the nutty sweetness from the bean is wonderful. In fact, if you want, you could just buy dried soybeans and make the milk yourself. There are quite a few different recipes; here are a few I really recommend:
- Maangchi's Soy Milk and Cashew Recipe
- Choochoo-ca-Chew Homemade Soy Milk (I love that her sentiments about traditional fare being labeled in the US and Canada are similar to mine.). This version is exactly what I used to make during grade school for my infant and toddler brothers because of their severe milk allergy.
Well, I hope this slightly helps you plan out your shopping trip for your emergency stash! Don't just get what the advisory lists down; like anything else, tailor it to suit your palate and dietary needs. You really don't want to be stuck with a whole lot of canned food and dried pasta that you're going to get really sick of after a few days. You would still have a week and a half to go; and if you can't go outdoors, that's a really long time!
Stay tuned for more updates!
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