Hi everyone. How are you doing? I have been going back and forth about whether or not to blog during this crazy scary time and decided if I could help even a couple people in a small way, it would be worth it. I thought I could keep a dinner diary and share with you what we’ve been eating around here. Perhaps it will provide ideas or inspiration for meals in your house, or at least show you that you’re not alone in this aspect of the much larger struggle. If you have any dinner ideas, I’d love for you to share them in the comments.

First, a little update. My kids’ school closed on Mar. 11, two days before spring break was scheduled to start. (Also, my son’s trip to Nepal, which was supposed to be Mar. 11-23, got canceled on Mar. 8. He was super sad but also relieved; me too.) After a road trip to Arizona amid rapidly changing events, we were home on Wed., Mar. 18. So I think of Mar. 19 as Day 1 of isolation for us. It’s taken me since then to get some semblance of a routine, and it’s helped a bit now that the kids are back “in school” (such as it is). Every day, I make a sign to remind us all what day it is and give the kids a skosh of motivation — I’m not sure it accomplishes much except to annoy them. I gotta say, I’ve seen a lot on social media about how hard it is for teenagers to self-isolate (which I get), but what about how hard it is for parents of teenagers? Geez. I know these problems are very minor compared with what’s going on in the world, but still.

On our way home from Arizona, I went to the grocery store in New Mexico because I’d been hearing that the stores here in Colorado were wiped out. Although we didn’t stockpile, I feel like we are fine on food for now, for which I am grateful. This first week, I was on everyone’s cases about eating the fresh food; I always hate wasting food but now it seems especially egregious.

Here’s a rundown of the meals we ate during week 1 of quarantine (which became official on Wednesday, when the mayor and then the governor issued stay-at-home orders). As you can see below, we are definitely sticking with the comfort food/favorites theme. Nobody wants to ask “What’s for dinner?” and find out it’s mom’s experimental chickpea-flour pizza or steamed fish and broccoli. I am making lots of smoothies and salads to keep us all healthy, but not gonna lie, there have been a lot of carbs and red sauce going on around here.

Day 1 (Mar. 19) – Spaghetti squash casserole (to use up pre-quarantine squash and tomatoes. Mine is very similar to this, but much simpler.

Here’s the recipe for my version of the True Food favorite:

Spaghetti Squash Casserole:
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
Olive oil
1/2 onion, copped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 zucchini (optional), grated or chopped
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes
Salt & pepper
Pinch dried oregano
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan for garnish

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Poke a couple holes in the spaghetti squash with a sharp knife and stick it in the oven (I put it on a rimmed baking sheet first in case it drips) and bake for 45 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. In the meantime, make the sauce by heating 1-2 tbs. oil over medium heat in a large skillet, add onion and cook for 5 mins. Add garlic and zucchini (if using) and cook for another 3-4 mins. Add tomatoes and their juice, turn up heat to medium-high, and cook until slightly thickened. Add oregano and salt & pepper to taste. When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half and gently remove the seeds from the middle section. Then use a fork to remove the “spaghetti” flesh. Add spaghetti to pan with sauce and cook for 5-10 mins. (my family likes it very well done). Transfer spaghetti squash to casserole dish and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake covered for 15 mins. then remove lid or foil and return to oven for 5 more mins.

Also, like literally every night (until we run out of fresh greens), I made this super easy and garlicky and delicious salad: Using a garlic press, smash 1 large clove of garlic into a small bowl. Add about 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar. Then whisk in olive oil (approx. 2-3 tbs.) until emulsified. Pour over mixed greens (or arugula or spinach or romaine or thawed frozen broccoli) and toss with freshly grated parmesan.

Day 2 – Ciabatta bread mini pesto pizzas. Kind of a carb load, but who cares. I had some ciabatta and fresh basil that were calling my name. These are the kind of foodstuffs I’m going to miss if we really have to stay home, and I certainly don’t want any to go to waste. I just made a quick pesto in the food processor with basil, olive oil, and garlic, then spread on ciabatta and baked with a little mozzarella. We ate it topped with the salad above.

Day 3 – Chicken spaghetti. This is my “back pocket” recipe for feeding a crowd of hungry kids and my daughter’s favorite comfort food. I think the realization of what’s going on really sunk in for her on this day (after she got home from vacation, slept for two days, and cleaned her whole room), and she was feeling down. So I made this and we watched Captain Marvel.

Here’s the recipe, which is really not a recipe:

Chicken Spaghetti
(This sauce is essentially the same as the one in the Spaghetti Sauce Casserole; you can also use jarred sauce if you have it.)
Ingredients
2 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 package spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 cup half & half or heavy whipping cream
Salt & pepper
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat 1 tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken for 5 min., turn over and cook for another 5 min. Add about 1/2 cup water and cook until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add a bit more oil. Add onion and sauté, then add garlic and tomatoes, and cook until thickened, about 15 min. In the meantime, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water and drain, saving 1 cup of the pasta water. Chop the cooked chicken and add to the sauce. Stir in cream. Test seasonings and add salt & pepper and red pepper if using. Serve over pasta.

Day 4 – We cooked and ate the salmon I had bought in New Mexico on Wed. While I was cooking it (using the method from this recipe from Bon Appetit, which is foolproof and my absolute favorite way to eat salmon), I thought, this may be the last fresh fish we have for a while. I served it with some green beans and fresh veggies. Also, not pictured but definitely spirit lifting: baked potatoes.

Day 5 – Chicken sammies. Again, more bread than we normally have, but now is not the time to worry about carbs. This dinner involved pounding boneless chicken thighs, grilling them, and serving them on King’s Hawaiian rolls. Still eating the aforementioned salad every night. Sometimes for lunch, too.

Day 6 – Tostadas. This meal was delicious but felt a bit meager. I was trying to use up leftovers and not open too many cans (since our stores are mostly cleared out of canned food). I will post the legit tostada recipe in another post when I make them again. Assuming I can get more beans and tortillas, sigh.

Day 7 – March 25 is my husband’s birthday, so we celebrated with a homemade carrot cake and some Thai-inspired dishes that my son and I learned how to make in a cooking class we took together a few weeks ago (Isn’t it crazy how Mar. 4 seems like a lifetime ago?). We made Som Tum (green papaya salad) and Thai green curry as well as some fried rice. I haven’t mentioned how into cooking my son has become — that was another post I’d planned pre-coronavirus — but he’s really stepped it up these past couple weeks. Normally he makes lunch (BLT sandwiches with homemade mayo, really? chickpea tikka masala, major ramen upgrades), but this day he worked in the kitchen breaking down papaya, mincing garlic, googling substitutions, and generally making a mess — and an amazing meal. My husband said it was one of his most memorable birthdays ever.

I’ll be back in a few days with more dinner diary and more recipes. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy.