Written by Melissa
Like many people across the globe, we Malaysians are essentially… stuck at home, thanks to the recent MCO. And as much as we’d like to travel and explore the world again, all of that is going to have to be put on hold for a while. It’s for the greater good, after all.
For now, though, the best thing we can do for our next travel adventure is to make sure that we’re well and healthy for it! Now, it might seem impossible to maintain a healthy diet while we’re homebound for ages, but it’s totally possible.
The key is to select the right types of food to stock up on. Aim for foods that have a long shelf life—and I don’t mean instant noodles—rather than those that would go bad easily. Yes, I know that we can technically go out to stock up on food anytime, but the purpose of this MCO is to stem the flow of Covid-19 cases. So let’s do our part by going out as infrequently as possible, shall we?
Alright. First, let’s make sure that our refrigerators and pantries are stocked with the usual cooking staples. For instance, garlic, onions, chillies, seasonings, cooking oil, milk and butter. The staples might vary a little from household to household, but generally, these make up the core of many dishes and are thus, indispensable.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to the next essentials.
Canned food
Canned food are saviours during a pandemic like this one. Not only are you spoiled for choice in terms of the types of food that you can get, these are also pretty much guaranteed a long shelf life. You can get canned tomatoes, mushrooms, fruits, fish, meat, soup, curry and sauces—the works.
As an added bonus, these don’t take up a lot of space, so you can make plenty of room for your other purchases!
Recipe ideas: The sky is the limit.
Potatoes
Potatoes are one of my favourite foods to stock up on. They’re relatively inexpensive, super filling and when properly stored, they can last for ages without going bad. For how long, you ask? Well, if you keep them at room temperature in your pantry, they’ll last for approximately 1-2 weeks. If you store them in the refrigerator instead, the shelf life is lengthened to 3-4 weeks. Isn’t that brilliant?
They’re also highly nutritious and rather flexible as a food ingredient.
Recipe ideas: What do you think about mashed potatoes or garlic herb roasted potatoes? You can also add potatoes in curry or salad to make your meal even more filling.
Eggs
Eggs are not super long-lasting by any means, but they do last a lot longer than fruits and vegetables do. They’re also extremely versatile for cooking and jam-packed with almost all of the nutrition that we need, yum!
If you’re feeling lazy in the morning, you can serve eggs fried, boiled or scrambled and you have yourself a meal.
Recipe ideas: French toast, anyone? If not that, how about Japanese Omurice or Korean egg-fried rice?
Rice
Let’s face it. Rice is the biggest staple in our diet. For a household to be without one is almost a sin. Not only is it easy to prepare, it’s filling and you can pair it with a lot of dishes. It’s a must-have for just about every Asian family.
Plus, if you ever get bored of regular old rice, you can always switch things up by making fried rice or porridge instead.
Recipe idea: Comfy Chinese congee is something that would help you relax after a hard day.
Pasta
Pasta is another food staple that we shouldn’t do without during this pandemic. Although it’s not as common as rice in Asian households, it’s a good idea to have some of this on hand for a bit of variety. Pasta lasts for so long that you needn’t worry about the expiry date, and it’s also a cinch to prepare.
And depending on the type of dish you make, you can get a couple of meals out of it from a single cooking session! Talk about a lifesaver.
Recipe idea: How about Spaghetti Bolognese? You can keep the sauce for a couple of days, so that’s less of a headache for you to make and plan meals.
Frozen meat
The easiest way to get protein is through meat. Luckily, meat can last for months in the freezer, so you can take them out to cook just about anytime you want to. Just make sure not to refreeze them repeatedly; that will compromise the quality of the meat.
And if possible, aim to make dishes that can be eaten for several meals or over the course of a few days. The less trips to the supermarket you make, the better.
Recipe ideas: Beef stew and chicken curry. Feeling a bit fancy? You can try your hand at making beef rendang.
Frozen fruits and vegetables
These aren’t super commonplace (besides a select few items, like frozen peas) in our households, but they should be during this pandemic. Open up to the idea of buying frozen fruits and vegetables, then you wouldn’t have to worry about doing the groceries every few days to replenish your stock of fruits and veggies!
Best of all, their frozen counterparts are still pretty nutritious, so that’s another load off your mind.
Recipe ideas: The frozen vegetables can be used to make soups, salads and stews. If you’re looking for a treat, you can make yourself a healthy smoothie using the frozen fruits!
Dried fruits and nuts
These may not serve as the main star of your meals, but they would make very healthy desserts and snacks for your diet. You can munch on these as they are while watching television, or you can sprinkle them on some yogurt, oats, ice-cream or cereal.
Or, if you’re really on a health kick, you can use these to spice up your salads.
Cereal and oats
If you’re short on bread (like most of us are, sobs), then cereal or oats is a good, lazy alternative. In the case of cereal, just add on some milk and you’re ready to go!
And if you’re feeling a bit fancy, you can always sprinkle on some of those dried fruits and nuts that you have just bought. Wink, wink.
Recipe idea: Overnight Oats. Never had overnight oats before? These are basically a delicious, no-cook method to have oats. They can also last for a few days in the fridge, so less hassle for you.
There you have it, a list of some of the most important things to stock up on. I know, it’s not exactly ideal, but when even shopping is a risky activity to partake in, we have to adapt and make the best of what we have.
And since we’ll be homebound for quite some time, it’s all the more important to take care of our health. We need the energy to ensure we’re able to work effectively from home and when the time comes, ready to go on another travel adventure!
Want to take things one step further? Then we recommend doing remote work (and researching for your next holiday, hehehe) using a fast, stable Internet connection like our Malaysia Broadband Wifi. No one likes conducting online meetings when there’s a problematic connection, after all.
That’s about it. All the best and take care, everyone. Let’s get through this MCO together!
