You know how, the moment you send an email, you remember something you should have added?

That was me shortly after publishing Quaran-Tipid Tips. So now, I have more tips!

I’m really happy people are finding these helpful. Got life hacks of your own for this quarantine period?

1. Buy pork or chicken instead of beef. It lasts longer.

Remember this next time you go out for groceries! Beef also takes longer to tenderize and cook, therefore using up more gas. And it doesn’t keep as long as pork or chicken.

Thank you Chef Nick Santiago for this tip!

 

2. Keep your leafy greens fresh!

To keep leafy greens fresh, wash and chop them, and dry them as well as you can. Then put paper towels or napkins between some leaves, and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last a few days.

Unfortunately this means using up your single-use napkins and paper towels. 🙁

I haven’t found a zero-waste way of doing this yet. If I do, I’ll post it here! If you know of a more sustainable way of doing this, please leave a comment!

 

3. Make jar salads.

When Oneal and I were dieting back in 2012, we often had salads. I would prepare a few at the start of the week, so anytime we could just grab a jar and have a salad for dinner or as a snack.

This is great if you have a few scraps of fruits and vegetables that aren’t enough for a larger dish.

Wash, chop, peel the fruits and vegetables as needed. Shake off as much water as you can. Pour your preferred selection in a Mason jar. Then add a folded napkin or paper towel on top. This will absorb the moisture and delay wilting.

Do not add dressing! You can do this when you’re actually going to eat the salad.

However some people actually suggest adding dressing at the bottom of the jar. I’ve never tried this though!

 

4. Use all the hotel toiletries you’ve hoarded over the years.

We all do this. We go to a hotel or a resort and we hoard the soap and the shampoo and the lotion, and we pack that for the next time we travel.

Or we forget, and the toiletries stay in the bathroom, unused. For years!

Well, now’s a great time to use them. After all, you need to wash your hands often!

While you’re at it, use the lotion, the body wash, the shampoo, and the conditioner too. And look for all those soaps and lotions and body scrubs you got last Christmas. Just so you don’t get too desperate for your next supply run.

 

5. Make stone soup.

Stone Soup was one of my favorite stories growing up.

(Here’s an interesting history of the folk tale. And here are some Stone Soup discussion questions if you want to go over this with the kids in the house.)

So if you don’t feel like a salad, or an omelette, or a frittata, this is another option!

I once made what I called Accidental Corn Soup. I discovered that I had bought cream corn instead of whole kernel corn. So I added water and a chicken broth cube. I added some shredded boiled chicken that had been sitting in the freezer for a while. I chopped onions and added that too. I seasoned it with dried tarragon. Lucas seemed to like it!

 

6. Got clothes and towels that are scheduled for laundry? Use them for quick cleanup.

To save on laundry detergent, electricity, time and energy, how about some quick cleaning?

Before you bring that laundry basket to the washing machine, pick up a piece of dirty clothing, maybe yesterday’s shirt, and quickly wipe down dusty surfaces. Dirty pillowcases can be used to clean dusty ceiling fans. Is that kitchen towel due to be changed anyway? Wipe down the kitchen surfaces first!

Just now I grabbed a dirty bath towel from the basket, and used it to wipe down dust and shake away little cobwebs that had formed on the floor, under our closet doors and behind the bedroom door.

Obviously this isn’t the most thorough cleaning, but it’ll do in a pinch!

 

How are you doing? How are you going to survive until the next grocery run?