Your Healthy Quarantine Grocery List
Hey guys!
I hope you’re all doing well and staying healthy!
COVID-19 has us all hunkering down at home, and the whole situation is changing by the hour. If you haven’t already, you probably want to head to the grocery store to stock up on some things to eat at home while we ride out this quarantine.
To make sure you’re only buying what you need (no hoarding please!) and getting the most out of the food you buy, you need to plan ahead and make a grocery list! Not sure where to start? Let me start with this – NO you don’t have to survive off of nonperishable, processed food during the quarantine. You can totally keep eating healthy…and you should! Let’s keep our bodies as healthy as possible!
Here’s what the Internet says about emergency quarantine essentials
There are PLENTY of articles online about what to stock up on for emergency situations like this. Most of them suggest canned goods like beans, veggies, fish, pasta sauce and soup. They also recommend pantry staples like pasta, rice, cereal, oats, dried fruit, popcorn and chocolate.
For the freezer, they briefly suggest freezing fresh meat, but mostly focus on freezing bread and lunch meat, while buying frozen fruits, veggies and things like frozen pizza. For vegetarians…they really only mention frozen bean burritos and veggie burgers. Hmm…
Here are my healthy grocery list suggestions
Articles like that one have some great grocery list suggestions, but it kind of makes it seem like people are limited if they’re avoiding grains, gluten, dairy and sugar. And no, vegetarians and vegans don’t have to live off of frozen foods for this whole thing! Here’s some things that I grabbed to get me through the quarantine that might help you too:
Protein: first of all, meat! You can freeze pretty much any meat like chicken breast, turkey and fish. If you’ve never frozen meat, don’t be intimidated! Just read up on how to thaw it safely. Eggs will stay fresh for a couple of weeks too.
Grab some beans (canned or dried), nuts and seeds for some shelf-stable, plant-based protein options. Meat alternatives like tofu and tempeh stay fresh in the fridge for awhile too if they’re unopened.
Fruits and Veggies: Our immune systems need all the support they can get right now, so PLEASE don’t skip the produce! I’d suggest getting some fresh that you can use in the next week or so, and also some frozen fruits and veggies for later. Fresh produce like sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, oranges and apples tend to last a little longer than things like berries and lettuce.
Frozen veggies and cauliflower rice are big ones for me. BTW – frozen fruits and veggies are just as nutritious as fresh! Did you know you can even buy frozen avocado?!
Staples: Here’s where you can make your food go a long way while you’re stuck at home. Make sure you have plenty of staples like almond milk (or whatever you like), quinoa, broth, soups, condiments (don’t forget the sriracha!), oils, baking essentials, spices, etc etc. Don’t go overboard here – just do a quick inventory of your pantry and grab whatever you’re low on.
Snacks: OBVIOUSLY we can’t forget the snacks if we’re gonna be stuck in our houses. I know the sweets and chips are tempting, but they’re not necessary. Of course you can go for a treat if you want, but make sure you’re grabbing healthy snacks like nuts, plantain chips and salsa, coconut chips and dairy-free ice cream (What? It’s healthy-ish!). I totally plan on baking some yummy, healthy snacks like these Apple Cinnamon Muffins during the quarantine too.
Here’s your grocery list!
FRESH PRODUCE:
- Sweet potatoes
- Baby carrots
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Spaghetti squash
- Onions
- Apples
- Oranges
- Lemons/Limes
- Garlic
PROTEIN:
- Chicken breast
- Ground turkey
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Tofu
- Tempeh
DAIRY/EGGS:
- almond milk or oat milk
- eggs
- egg whites
- coconut yogurt
CANNED/DRIED:
- Black beans
- Garbanzo beans
- Tomato sauce
- Almond butter
- Cashew butter
- Vegetable broth
- Plantain chips
- Coconut chips
- Dried seaweed
- Quinoa
- Lentils
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Pistachios
- Almond flour
FROZEN:
- Cauliflower rice
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Mango
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Butternut squash
- Corn
- Edamame
- Dairy free ice cream
EXTRA:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Coconut aminos
- Salsa
- Sriracha
- Tabasco sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cinnamon (spice)
- Cumin (spice)
- Cayenne (spice)
- Rosemary (spice)
- Monkfruit sweetener
- Baking powder
Let’s make our health a priority NOW!
If you’re constantly wishing for more time to change your lifestyle, now you’ve got it! If you’re stressing because your gym is closed and the grocery store is insane, you can adapt and come out stronger in the end.
We’re figuring out how to keep moving our bodies at home, and we can totally keep eating healthy when we’re stuck at home too. Remember this isn’t forever! It’s just a temporary new normal. Making our health a priority will help us keep those immune systems in tip top shape! Eating healthy will help your mental health too, which is SO important right now. So take a deep breath, grab the things you need (don’t go crazy and overdo it) and let’s make the best we can of this situation!
Oh and if you wanna see my latest 2 week quarantine grocery haul form Trader Joes, watch this!
27 thoughts on “Your Healthy Quarantine Grocery List”
There are 27 comments posted by our users.
Great content as always…….
Hey there Cassey. Great content as always. This COVID-19 lockdown is really demoralising. I feel that the list that you have shared for “Healthy Eating” is better than the one i have been following. It will be great if you can please have a look at this. LINK- shorturl.at/dARV2. Sincere regards, Shank
There is no such thing as “Almond or Oat Milk” . Nuts don’t have ovaries. Drink milk from cows for God’s sake.
calm down Karen
Why are you so mad that other people don’t drink the milk you like?
Some people decide to go vegan, be open-minded, jeez! It doesn’t matter what milk you drink!
Dear Cassey, I see you put “almond milk or oat milk” in your list. I usually use rice milk, fo example in my oat and nuts bowl. Is there a reason you prefer oat milk or almond milk to rice milk?
Rice milk tends to have a lot more sugar in it than other alternative milks! I like oat milk the best because it’s great for adding to teas and coffees (it doesn’t curd like other milks) and I’ve heard eating too many nuts is bad as well.
Awesome summary of how to care for yourself during Pandemic! Thanks, I am RN & condone all & sent to my 3 Millennials!
Hi Cassey! I am Maryam. I am 18 and I am from India. I have been a follower of yours since October. That’s when I started my fitness journey. I have been eating clean and I workout at home by following along with your videos. I also do Yoga. I have lost a considerable amount of weight. I started at 79kg and now I am at 63 kg. I am VERY happy with my results.I wanted to thank you and also I have a query. Lately I have been feeling very heavy in my lower body. I just dont know how to deal with it. MY thighs still jiggle and I hate them. Can you please guide me?! I love you !!!
Hi Cassey, I am Maryam, I am 18 and I am from India. I saw your 90 day fitness journey video today. I weigh 63 kg and my body fat percentage is 27.9%. I started this fitness journey on 20th October, 2019 after a heavy mental breakdown. I weighed 79 kg back then. I have lost a considerable amount of weight in these 5 months. I am really happy about that. But I workout at home and I have been doing your workouts and also yoga. I have seen changes too. But I feel like I am still very heavy in my gut or hips (I don’t know how to describe it honestly) I feel sloggy and heavy. is there any solution to that? and also can I get a body like you by doing just the home workouts? I love you!
Hi Cassey I wanted to know how do I learn to love myself because almost all my life I haven’t loved myself and even now and in the past it has been so hard for me to love myself completely and for me to not feel negative or hate myself when I do something wrong or make a mistake or when I cry.
A way to *slowly* (because if you do it over a long period of time, you’ll be more likely to keep up your goals!) note everything you love about yourself. Don’t say nothing, come on, everyone has something they like about themselves. <3 You should also pay attention to things you want to change about yourself. Be constructive and do things you can actually change ie., weight, strength, hair, skin, personal motivation, emotional feelings, etc. Try to slowly do something that will continue to help improve on your goal. If you ever feel like crying because you do a mistake, remember you are human. You are here to live, regardless of all the things you do right or wrong. Perfection is not the answer, progress is. Cassey once said in a video, "Growth is not hating yourself so much you want to change, but loving yourself so much you want to improve." I know it's hard, but reme,ber your progress, your reason for starting to pull yourself through. I hope you feel better about yourself <3
I wish they had fresh foods in the stores around here… I am pregnant and so frustrated that everyone is hoarding all the fresh meat and veggies, I don’t know what I’m supposed to eat for my baby 😥 next time I make it to the store I will bring this list with me and hope they have some of it!
I ham an RN with 3 Millenial kids: 29, 31, & 33. Main item is Good Prenatal vitamin, dairy & 🍉 🍎. You will have a good size healthy 👶 as baby takes what it needs from you, so enjoy eating what you want. Write me if you have ?s
My brain is turning to mush with all the social isolation. Anybody want to connect?
Hii
Hii. How are you
Thank you so much for making it gluten-free. <333
Love this! Thanks 🙂
In fact, would you mind if I shared your post/list on my social media pages as I think it would really help my followers who have dietary requirements?
This is a great idea and really useful post as there seems to be a lot of confusion out there at the moment as to what we should be buying. As a gut health blogger, I totally agree that it is important to still try and eat healthy during this time – perhaps even more so. Thanks for your tips. 🙂
Thanks Cassey! This really helps with planning what to buy. We’ve also had panic buying here in Australia – toilet paper is kept off shelves in the back room of supermarkets, no liquid soap/tissues/paper towels and empty freezers. It’s a really bizarre time. We’re lucky here in Adelaide to have the Central Market and lots of farmers’ markets. I just went there yesterday and there was lots of fresh produce, even bread (it’s sold out in most supermarkets)! Asian supermarkets also have a decent stock of canned goods like beans, vegetables, etc. It’s never been more important now to start supporting your local producers so that they can survive this crisis.
Thanks Cassie, this is great. I’m writing from the UK and we’re struggling to get hold of basic essentials, feel lucky I have a few frozen fruit and veg packs I bought ages ago. The supermarkets are cleaned out by 9am, nothing left for people that can’t get in early and nothing left for the elderly and vulnerable community. It’s absolutely crazy.
This is fantastic! Thank you so much, Cassey! This helps add some organization to the chaos! Stay safe and healthy!!
Welcome!
Thanks for doing this list, Cassey! We did a big shop last week but ended up forgetting a few things and having to go back the next day 🤦🏻♀️
Also, folks, please remember not to buy up all the gluten-free, dairy-free, and other free-from products if you are able to eat the non-free-from versions. Supermarkets only order in a limited amount of free-from, and people with severe dietary restrictions (like, they will die if they eat wheat/dairy/whatever) are unable to get their essentials because people are stockpiling! There’s been mothers crying in supermarkets because they’re unable to find food for their children with severe dietary restrictions.
If you are unable to tolerate dairy or whatever, then by all means but the dairy-free milk but if you don’t need to, please think twice! We all need to look out for each other at the moment ❤️