Nothing new but I decided early on that I will eat whatever I want including all the junk food I shouldn't eat. Of course Im going to be sorry when I try to put my summer clothes on but as with everything else right now I just don't care.

I think there should be a rule before we tell you what we recently discovered and like and will probably keep buying. :)

Naked Juice Mighty Mango Smoothie, 100% fruit juice, no sugar added but tons of sugar from the fruits. Oh well. For me it's one of those drinks that quenches my thirst when nothing else does and boy is it tasty. You ought to check out the reviews of Mango flavor online. It does have a lot of antioxidants though.

About once a year I buy a 9x 13 " pan of Stouffers Lasagna. It's okay. When Walmart was out of it a couple of weeks ago (that's the only place I can do curbside pickup), I ordered their store brand, Great Value I think. I couldn't believe how superior it was over Stouffers.

The only face tissue available, if that, is also Great Value facial tissue w/lotion. I hate lotion in my tissue but I had no choice because I'm a daily nose blower. I can't even tell lotion is in the tissue, and my regular Puff's is over twice as much.

Eld, canned chicken is also good used in chicken pot pie.

Nothing different here. We all enjoy preparing good, healthy food.

I got a cake mix for emergency desserts. The mix calls for 3 eggs. When the cake was in the oven, I discovered one egg still on the counter. Guess what! The cake is just as good with 2 eggs. And I have my emergency dessert.

Other than using frozen rather than fresh vegetables in some meals, we haven't eaten anything any different from our normal diet, so no new discoveries from us.

Pre-made frozen hamburgers with onion, etc. were a new discovery DH brought home. We bake them in the toaster oven or grill. So much easier than dealing with raw ground beef.

Eld—I use canned chicken a lot. For tacos I will either marinate it in salsa or taco seasoning mix for awhile. Chicken salad of course, pot pie, or any casserole that calls for chicken. It’s always on hand, and no thawing and cooking involved beforehand. We usually buy it at Costco.

We’ve been baking more than we normally would. DH is obsessed with banana bread at the moment, but normally I would only make it a few times a year.

I bought some soup and foil packages of salmon and tuna - stuff I never buy/eat but thought I should have some nonperishables. Haven’t eaten any of it or anything else I don’t normally eat.

I bought some white cheddar cheese powder for popcorn. It makes passable stove-top Mac and cheese. One pan. I love baked Mac and cheese, but it's pretty good.

I was glad to read, early on, do not buy food you do not normally eat, because you probably won't eat it. Only difference is we eat some frozen veggies and freeze some meats.

I can think of three new recipes I have made since quarantine that have become regulars. 1. Zoodles sauteed w fresh baby spinach, garlic and parm. (discovered garlic paste in a tube, so easy!) 2. Was able to replicate our fave smoothie from Maine, the Kale Storm (frozen: mango, banana, and kale, with apple juice and a squeeze of lemon) 3. able to replicate DD's fave Korean BBQ tenders .

I had never made Stromboli before, but now they're kind of a thing and we are all involved in getting creative with stuffings.

My kids think I have perfected spicy cabbage salad to top our fish tacos.

They have “created” peanut butter, pretzel, chocolate, Rice Krispies treats.

We really have not been eating different either. I did (at the beginning) buy some frozen veggies, but now that my produce market has opened, no more of that. I also have a bit more meat in my freezer than I normally would. Localeater, your kids creations sound fun!! I have baked banana bread twice and made a couple of desserts during this pandemic, but am trying not to make a habit of that LOL. I will have to say though, I cannot tolerate canned chicken. It is the smell I think.

I have never even seen canned chicken. I'm not brave enough.

We have made a habit of dessert every day with our "dejeuner tardif." Totally new for us. And not a good idea.

Haha! I bought some canned chicken at Costco a while back (for earthquake/camping supplies). We used one. The rest remain uneaten, and likely still will be after the pandemic. There is probably some variation between the brands...

We do have more desserts and junk food because the spouse is the designated shopper. My willpower is applied when shopping, and isn't as good once the goods are home. Alas.

@mtnrdredux_gw, Ginger comes in a tube, too, which sure speeds up smoothie making.

I am not even understanding why people would be eating differently? Is it just that so many didn't cook for themselves?? Canned Chicken works in chicken salad sandwiches too for a quick easy summer lunch.

Unfortunately I found I liked homemade caramel sauce way too much along with Blue Bell moo-lennium crunch ice cream.

We haven’t purchased anything new or unusual for us but my husband did buy potato chips once. I never buy them because I love them and they just aren’t a good choice to make and then eat. And eat, and eat. Potatoes, salt, and oil - what’s not to love? I told him that was it, a one time treat, and he's stuck faithfully to the shopping list since then.

We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had to make substitutions for items I want. If he can’t get something, I just wait until it becomes available on another trip. He only goes to one store, nothing is so important to me to send him to multiple places.

Arcy, it’s not that we are eating that much differently, but when all the shelves were starting to be emptied, it made sense to keep some non perishables on hand.

i wondered if this encouraged others to possibly try something different that would up bring okay.

Arcy, ditto what Eld said. Many on this thread said they were not eating differently. However, not all of what we are used to eating was available. Plus, some of us (who me?) have maybe allowed ourselves a few treats during the shut down.

Sorry, canned chicken might be quick and easy but I'm not doing it!

I have some different foods in the house, because I have more people in the house. DS2 should be at college, and normally DS1 would be out with friends in the evening and on the weekend.

I had to change my list to have lunch foods for DS2 and DS1 who goes to work but used to only bring lunch 3 days and go out the other 2. So bread, cheese, jars of roasted red peppers, pickles, deli meat are now on the list so that they can make a sandwich or a panini.

I also think I am cooking more meals that stretch. I will roast a whole chicken, and then the next day use the carcass to make chicken tortilla soup. Not that I didnt do it before, I am just doing it more often now because there are always more people around to eat. We definitely have soup at least once a week.

Since we are all home all weekend, I try to make a food project. We have been making potstickers, our own tortillas for tacos, etc. I also am definitely baking more because with two young male eaters around they just consume more. I loaf of banana bread is gone in a day(or an hour)

I dont think there is an ingredient I am buying that I wouldnt normally buy, its just different quantities. I will say I feel like I am cooking a lot. I have always cooked but now there is no easy respite in the form of takeout or a night out in a restaurant. It definitely healthier food when we eat in so that is good, but it is tiring and I have a lot on my plate at work now too so I am kind of melting down.

Do all of you shop in person or online? I do all my shopping online and usually when I try something new it's because the store is out of what I want and I accept their substitution, or I happen to see something I've never had and decide to try it. Variety, spice, and all of that.

Arcy, shopping online is why I buy foods I've never bought before, but not many. The other day I was outside quite a bit and that night I couldn't quench my thirst, not even with water. I was in the middle of ordering our groceries for the next day pickup when I stumbled across Naked Juice. I was so thirsty I ordered it and I definitely wasn't disappointed. I plan to buy it all summer. I have one small glass a day. Sometimes two. :)

I know Walmart gets a bad rap, mostly deservedly so, but that's our only choice unless I want to drive further. This WM has an excellent produce section, deli, and bakery, and their bedding plants are probably one of the best I've found. Except they don't have them this year.

As I was wending my way through Costco one day, we came across something with lentils and I thought that'd be something good to have for back up. So we tried it and love it....it's now a go-to for a quick vegetarian meal when I've not time/desire to cook. It's Indian Madras Lentils ... lentils, red beans and spices in a tomato sauce....great over rice or pasta.

Oakley, mango is the only Naked Juice I've tried. It makes a great mimosa.

I can't think of any new food, but I have been making a lot of new recipes. There was one dish that called for a couple spices I didn't have on hand, so had to buy those. Didn't care for the dish (Cardamom-Lime Chicken and White Beans) and have a feeling the spices will linger for a long time in the spice drawer.

Annie - I love Tasty Bite madras lentils! So quick, easy and delicious!

I am not even understanding why people would be eating differently? Is it just that so many didn't cook for themselves??

One, more people home, and they are home all day. Three people living here having 1-2 meals a day at home is 3-6meals a day. Five people eating only here is 15 meals a day, at least in theory,

Two, trying to shop once every 7-10 days instead of every other day. Has a very big impact on produce choices, but also fresh baked bread and some proteins like fish.

Three, having more time to cook and as a result making more elaborate meals and desserts.

I also have been making more elaborate meals and baking more bread than I normally do. I have not yet starting making more desserts, but I have the ingredients to make chocolate covered walnut stuffed dates, but I'm not sure how good they will be. I bought quite a few dates in Indio back in January, and some of them are already stuffed with almonds and walnuts, and I have extra walnuts to stuff some of the Barhi dates, which are my favorites.

I've been making pancakes a bit more often than usual and salads a bit less frequently.

I accidentally ordered 24 Baskin Robbins ice creams sandwiches. I was going to throw them out but decided to try one. Long story short, I had them delivered 9 days ago. I have one left.

LOL marlene!

On Peapod where I am, you need to log in right at 1am, when they release the spots for 2 weeks hence. To save your delivery spot, you have to create a cart and checkout (obviously an approach left over from pre COVID days when spots were aplenty and you were on the site to order food, not snag a delivery time).

You can edit your cart up the night before, so it doesn't matter what you put in your cart, but the minimum order is $60. I got into the habit of putting 3 bottles of saffron to get to the $60 quickly, and lock in my spot.

You guessed, it, I forget to delete them. I do use saffron, but not that much!

I've always cooked and have never liked going out to eat, so this pandemic hasn't changed much for me. Except the volume of cooking I'm doing. My experience is much like Localeater's--lots of food to cook for more meals at home.

I've seen the ginger and garlic and other spices as paste--are they good? I don't mind peeling garlic and grating ginger now because I have time, but it would be nice having the paste readily available. I've used lemongrass paste in Thai recipes, and it was fine.

Btw, I keep my ginger in the freezer and grate it frozen, unpeeled. It's quick and works well.

ETA, I tried Vidalia onions for the first time a few weeks ago when reds weren't available. Love them, and will now put them into my onion rotation. I guess that's a pandemic find!

My store was out of garlic (?) one day and I got the paste in a tube. I have only used it in cooked things, but I think it's great. The smell of garlic on my hands drives me crazy.

PS too funny. My DS just came into my room and said "do you need any help unloading?" And I said "unloading what?" The Peapod order, he replied. They just pulled in. LOL

You guessed it. 3 jars of saffron I ordered 2 weeks ago. My DH rejected the order and tipped him heavily.

OMG!

Life can not go on with ghirardelli brownie mix. I get the vapors just using the 2 nd to last package out of six.

No. But I am subscribing to Misfits for fruits and veggies (thanks here to GW, prior to COVID). I am also getting MassFoodDelivery for locavore stuff, thanks to a local friend. I got half a lamb in the freezer in early March, and last October it was half a porker. I'm not actually eating things I don't want to eat, but I'm not eating some things (mostly seafood, and some Asian veggies and seasonings) that I DO want to eat.

I did discover that the Misfits dark chocolate bars are gritty and awful - won't be getting those again. Did not remotely turn into LIKEABLE. I can live life without desserts.

The main staple in my life is typically eggs. I've had no problem getting any eggs here.

(Even if they refuse to wear masks...)

Have you had good luck with Misfits delivery, Artemis? I subscribed and it took forever for my first box, they emailed me it was on its way and gave me a tracking number but it had not even been prepared yet with no idea when it would go out. They billed me for the first and second box before I received anything. So I cancelled and asked for a refund. I was so disappointed in their service. They don't respond to email inquiries except for sending out a form letter response. The only way I was able to get through to them was by being very persistent with questions on their Instagram page. Which, by the way, if you look at their instagram, there are many good comments and a few bad. I noticed that they delete many of the negative questions and comments shortly after they are posted. I finally got the first box and it was okay, but some of the produce was limp, not terribly fresh. I'm glad if you have had better results.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/grilled-pork-chops-with-pineapple-turmeric-glaze

Made this new recipe yesterday. We liked it.

My customary lunch is "the big salad" from our inhouse salad bar, piled high with every conceivable veggie and many fruits and nuts to boot. It's delicious, nutritious, and I often didn't even want much supper after having such a huge and filling lunch. These days, with our corporate kitchen strictly regulated due to COVID-19, the salads come prepackaged and "ya get what ya get." The one thing I have never put on my salad is tomatoes, because they make me want to retch. The other day I ate cherry tomatoes and did not die; in fact, they were rather tasty.

During my weeks of working from home, I staved off cravings by roasting vegetables. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and especially Brussels sprouts. Oh, how I love Brussels sprouts! I never once felt hungry, deprived, or as though there was something I wanted to eat but just couldn't have. Then again, maybe the things I eat the most (I also eat a lot of hummus!) are not what others choose at the grocery store, so there was never a shortage.

I know your question was intended to Inquire about things we don’t normally purchase to eat, but I’ll expand it to include things we normally buy but not in huge quantities. By that, I mean, I never thought I’d see the day when I would buy 25lbs of flour, but um, not only have I, but we’ve already almost used it all up! At the very beginning of this, Dh decided to make a sourdough starter. I could not find it anywhere locally in the store so I ordered it from Sams Club, but it was only sold in 12lb bags. It was so cheap, I bought two. Not only has Dh made multiple loaves of bread already, we’ve also used the sourdough discard to make pancakes a few times and last week Dh used it to make sourdough soft pretzels.

Regarding tubes of garlic, etc., I’ve had a difficult time finding fresh ginger. I usually get a large piece and store whatever remains of the root in the freezer. I was at Trader Joe’s last week and couldn’t find any fresh, but as I was passing through the frozen section, I noticed a package of frozen ginger. It’s packed in a tray like an ice cube tray and each cube is a tsp of ginger. While I’ve bought the refrigerated tube of minced ginger, once open, it doesn’t have a long shelf life in the fridge. No more wrestling with trying to peel a knobby root of ginger!

As for canned chicken, when my kids were younger, they loved tuna fish sandwiches to the point where they wanted to take them every day to school. I wasn’t keen on them eating tuna (Mercury) that often. On a whim I bought canned chicken at Trader Joe’s one day and prepared it the same way as their tuna. They never seemed to notice but they were young enough not to question it. I haven’t bought it in years.

4kids, the aroma is kind of like tuna. DH likes tuna so it was a win for us.

gail618

Have you had good luck with Misfits delivery, Artemis? I subscribed and it took forever for my first box, they emailed me it was on its way and gave me a tracking number but it had not even been prepared yet with no idea when it would go out. They billed me for the first and second box before I received anything. So I cancelled and asked for a refund. I was so disappointed in their service.

So far it is mostly good here. I signed up here for alternate weeks late winter before Covid hit. I have gotten some bad tangerines (not simply mis-fitting), and the second week they decided I wasn't doing the alternate thing, so I got a box not planned for. (I am one person.....) Some of the grapefruits have been little larger than lemons. But yes I am getting the service. And the greens have been exceptional. (As have the last batch of oranges.)

If you subscribed more recently than me, they may have had backlog problems with COVID meaning more people ordering.

My original plan was (and probably still is) to cancel mid or late June, when farmer's markets and my own garden can take up the slack. ATM I don't know if our farmer's markets will be allowed to open. I live 40 minutes from a real supermarket - and since we've been shut down in this state, I really haven't wanted to visit a real supermarket anyway. Not sure what I'll be doing regards Misfits. I think they're okay for folks away from other accessible produce sources, but your service problems aren't acceptable - not if they are billing you for things that aren't sent, even if they are likely having an unexpected increase in subscribers.

Wasn't this where we discussed Pop Tarts?

I was clearing out my laptop files and came across this screenshot id saved:

I'd have to be at the shoe-leather eating stage before I'd consider pop tarts.... Just saying.

we've been fortunate that fresh food hasn't been a problem for us, and we're half vegetarian so if meat becomes scarce, we already have a ton of recipes we love.

BUT what we have been discovering is takeout from restaurants we haven't tried yet. or trying different dishes because our typical eat-in choices don't travel well-- like choosing sandwiches instead of pasta at our favorite Italian joint. there have been some new winners for sure.