9 Ways to Maximize your Food During the Corona Crisis

9 practical ways to maximize your food rations during a crisis like Corona, when food access is limited. This will help curb food waste and maintain a healthy diet.

These are tough, and scary times. A lot of things are going to change and it will take along time before normal as we all knew it will come. In the meantime, it it best to make do with that we have now. Here are 9 way I am maximizing my food and I know they will be of help to you.

Meal Prep – If you are a small family/household, meal planning is going to be a lifesaver so that you don’t spend all your time cooking (unless you want to). It will also help you with portion control.

Cook Once – I find cooking once during the day helps reduce the stress of thinking of what to cook next and also frees up time if you are working from home. This means that when preparing breakfast, make lunch and dinner as well so that when it time to eat the two latter meals, all of have to do is warm them.

Consume Perishables First – If you don’t have a fridge/ freezer, consuming your perishable food first will help curb food waste. If you have potatoes and rice, it is better to consume the potatoes first since they don’t last as long as rice.

Improvise (get creative) – Since we are being very mindful about what we can store, it is important to think outside the box and think of various ways you can create multiple meals from the same ingredients. Use this blog for inspiration and ideas on how to cook some of the common foods in different ways. Also Google is your friend.

Take advantage of your Backyard Garden – If you have a backyard garden, this is the time to hunt for all that dodo, yam leaves and pumpkin leaves you have been overlooking. If you can, forage for green vegetables and anything else that is edible. Did you know you can eat banana blossom (empumumpu/embalabala)?

Cook and Eat what You Can – It is time to reduce our portions. After all we are working from home and so less energy is used. There is nothing more wasteful than having to throw away food because it was too much to be finished.

Leftovers are your Best Friend – Yes left overs are going to take you a long way. Make sure that they are kept in appropriate temperatures to avoid food poisoning. You can reheat them the next day and add more ingredients to create a completely new meal.

Stock up on Dried and Smoked Foods – In an attempt to have a balanced diet, sock up on long lasting protein such as groundnut paste, smoked/dried fish and meat and delicacies like malewa. They will take you a long way.