Wellness Wednesday: How-to Make Canned Goods Healthy(er)

  It's April 1st, and no joke, we still haven't eaten a repeat meal since this whole "stay home" lifestyle commenced. I've kept a journal since school closed detailing activities as well as meals. At the bottom of the post, I am going to list our meals from the past few weeks. Perhaps it will give you some new ideas during your own self-quarantine!
  One concern when not grocery shopping often is the quality of food. Normally, we shop every 2-3 days, with random quick visits to buy a missing or spur-of-the-moment ingredient. We live in an area of the U.S. with quite a high number of cases of C19, so we are limiting our visits of indoor establishments as much as possible, even for groceries. The fresh greens are gone, and we've run out of frozen broccoli.
  Canned foods are less versatile and usually much higher in sodium. If you don't eat too much of them and don't have blood pressure issues, you'll be fine, but normally I limit canned products to beans and a few other convenience items.
  I found some interesting new (to me) canned foods when stocking the kitchen with extra food a few weeks ago. We haven't gotten to the point where we're using a lot of canned goods yet, but they're a safe thing to have around.
  If you mix one or two canned items with a whole grain and a frozen vegetable, you get a pretty balanced meal. You can rinse canned beans and vegetables to reduce salt (and that weird canned scent). Treat canned foods as a seasoning or addition to a meal.

                                The kids enjoy climbing around outdoors, just not too high, please.

  Another concern right now is limited dangerous activities. Riskier outdoor exercise that could result in needing an ambulance or ER visit should be reconsidered. Not only do you not want to risk exposure to the coronavirus, but conserving medical resources needs to be a priority. So don't try that new outdoor rock climbing cliff you hiked past, stick to surf breaks you're familiar with if you must go at all, and no bombing down the trail on your mountain bike. Use a little extra caution driving, pay attention with sharp and hot objects in the kitchen, and try your best to stay healthy.
  When out with the kids, I normally don't react to them climbing high in trees, running down slippery slopes, or tromping through what might be a patch of poison ivy in winter (just because there are no leaves yet doesn't mean you can't get a rash). Now, I ask them to rein in their enthusiasm. And I'm not allowing them to wander off alone like usual.

  Now back to those canned beans...
  You can make hummus with many kinds of beans--you don't have to limit yourself to chickpeas! Try Great Northern beans or butter beans for a lighter hummus. No lemons or lemon juice? A mild vinegar can stand in its place. You can flavor your hummus with many different herbs, spices, veggies, etc. I've added seaweed, wild sorrel, or sun-dried tomatoes for variety--get creative! The following is a basic low-fat recipe--if you want it creamier, replace the water with more olive oil. No tahini? Try nut butter. Have eggplant? Turn it into baba ganouj.

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Healthier Hummus

1 can (15.5 oz.) chick peas, rinsed & drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 T. tahini
2 T. ground or milled flax seeds (optional)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2-3/4 tsp. salt
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup water

Put everything in a food processor, adding water slowly as hummus mixes. Process until smooth.

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  I promised a rundown of our meals in the time of corona so far... This doesn't include every last snack, cup of coffee, or piece of chocolate grabbed from the fridge at 10pm (yes, I keep my chocolate in the fridge). But you get the idea, or hopefully, many!

March 18: (last day of school was the 16th, but the kids spent M/T at their dad's house)
Lunch - cold soba noodles w/broccoli.
Snack - homemade coconut chocolate bars.
Dinner: sweet potato & kidney bean curry; samosas; roti; basmati rice; spicy pickled mango.

March 19:
Breakfast: avocado toast; granola w/almond milk.
Lunch: leftover rice w/furikake.
Dinner: mac & cheese (sauce made with butternut squash) w/tempeh "bacon" crumbles.

March 20:
Breakfast: oatmeal.
Snack: sesame flax crackers w/homemade hemp/almond cheese.
Lunch: apple cinnamon flax pancakes.
Dinner: Our last restaurant meal for a long while... take out ramen from Hakata Ramen.

March 21:
Brunch: roasted potatoes; sauteed mixed greens; honeydew melon, toast, Tofurky Italian sausages; banana walnut bread.
Dinner: polenta; sauteed carrots & onions; dolmas; cannellini beans in tomato sauce.

March 22:
Brunch: fried rice; (Maia had leftover polenta & avocado because she dislikes fried rice).
Dinner: tofu chickpea flour omelets w/vegetables & Daiya cheese.
Snack: Maia & I baked snickerdoodle cookies.

March 23:
Brunch: salad of mixed greens, roasted diced sweet potato, mango, pistachios, sauteed tempeh, w/homemade dressing; grilled cheese onion tomato tempeh sandwiches.
Dinner: homemade pizza.

March 24:
Breakfast: toast w/nutritional yeast.
Lunch: cinnamon flax chia oatmeal w/diced apples.
Dinner: sushi burritos (nori, sushi rice, greens, avocado, sauteed tofu, orange bell pepper, red onion, ume plum paste).

March 25:
Breakfast: banana pancakes.
Lunch: butternut squash & carrot ginger soup; crackers & homemade cheese.
Dinner: baked macaroni casserole w/spinach, Gardein meatless crumbles, roasted garlic tomato sauce, & Daiya mozzarella; orange slices; Little Secrets chocolate covered peanuts.

March 26:
Breakfast: apple slices w/peanut butter.
Lunch: Maia's fantastic homemade bread! with lentil soup.
Dinner: homemade ramen soup with vegetables, miso, & seaweed.
Late-night second dinner (grownups sneaking around): cashew cheese ravioli w/zucchini, red onion, garlic, & kalamata olives.

March 27:
Breakfast: oatmeal apple cookies (yes, for breakfast); tea.
Lunch: classic deli-style macaroni salad (but homemade w/grapeseed mayo).
Dinner: Picnic at the beach! Tofurky & Chao cheese sandwiches; dolmas; oranges; granola bars; white chocolate chip & macadamia nut cookies.

March 28:
Brunch: roasted potatoes; Gardein breakfast sausages; sauteed broccoli.
Snack: Vega chocolate protein shakes.
Dinner: Thai peanut coconut rice noodles w/broccoli & extra peanuts.

March 29:
Breakfast: rice cakes w/peanut butter; plain almond yogurt w/frozen blueberries & unsweetened shredded coconut.
Lunch: pumpkin walnut bread; miso ginger soup broth.
Dinner: red lentil dal; spinach saag w/fava beans; brown basmati rice; roti.

March 30: 
Breakfast: savory flax chia oatmeal.
Lunch: warm soba noodles w/bamboo shoots & dried tofu strips.
Snack: roasted potato wedges.
Dinner: stuffed pasta shells w/tofu ricotta & foraged dandelion greens.
Grownup sneaky snack during online "cooking & dinner party": cheesy garlic bread.

March 31:
Breakfast: sauteed rice & beans; apple slices.
Lunch: lentil chips & homemade cheese; Picnicker sausage sticks.
Dinner: Homemade spring roll night! Vegan egg roll wrappers stuffed w/cabbage, sauteed tofu, bamboo shoots, tree ear mushrooms, & red onion.