Cooped Up?

As we are all well aware, public health organizations have advised that we all practice social distancing in order to decrease transmission of COVID-19 in our communities. Practicing social distancing requires us to limit our social interactions, which for many of us means staying home. It also means eating more meals at home, but it doesn’t mean you have to eat all your meals out of a can. It’s still possible to eat healthy and enjoyable meals, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide for eating well at home.

Stock Your Pantry and Your Freezer

Now is a good time to stock up on items such as rice, pasta, tomato sauces as well as canned and frozen vegetables (or fruit). If you’re stocking up on proteins such as chicken, you can freeze anything you don’t plan on using right away. Check out this guide on how to safely freeze and thaw raw chicken.

Meal Prep and Freezer Meals

Whether you’re a family of six or living on your own, a great way to ensure you’re eating healthy is to prepare a few larger meals when you have time, and freeze them in individual portions. Having homemade ready-meals in the freezer means not having to settle for packaged meals, which tend to be higher in sodium and calories, and let’s face it, just not as tasty as something you’ve made from scratch.

Make-Ahead Freezer Meals

If you have kids who are home from school, make meal prep a family affair and get them involved in the chopping and mixing. It can be a lot of fun for the whole family and it’s a great way to teach them about healthy eating habits. We’ve hand-picked some of our most kid-friendly recipes that the whole family can prepare together and enjoy.

Kid-Friendly Meals the Whole Family Can Enjoy

Slow Cooking

If you’re not a big fan of cooking, a slow cooker is an easy way to still create healthy meals with minimal effort. Slow cooker recipes involve cooking all your ingredients in one pot, so it usually only requires a little chopping and then combining everything together in the cooker. Here are 10 of our favourite slow cooker recipes that even a novice can master:

Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

If you have an instant pot, we have a few recipes for you, too:

• Chicken Pho
• Chicken Burritos

Comfort Foods

Eating healthy is important, but that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a little comfort food while you’re stuck at home. But just because it’s comfort food doesn’t mean it can’t be both nutritious and delicious. Try adding frozen veggies to your casseroles or substitute whole wheat pasta for regular.

Check out our collection of our favourite comfort foods.

Our Favourite Comfort Food Recipes

Leftovers

Leftover chicken is a great way to make healthy quick and easy meals to please everyone in the family. Have some on a sandwich, in a salad or tossed with pasta. It’s a great way to add some extra protein, and flavour to an otherwise bland meal.

Leftover Ideas

Snacking

When faced with stressful situations, a lot of us tend to find comfort in our favourite snack foods. Once in a while is okay, but to keep our bodies, and our minds healthy, we should avoid mindless grazing on chips and cookies and snack on nutritious foods, like fresh cut vegetables and foods rich in protein. 

Food Safety

Now more than ever it’s important to practice food safety at home. While Canadian chicken farmers use a range of biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens, you also have a role to play, too. You can safeguard your family by following some simple tips, including:

• Do not allow raw poultry or its juices to touch other foods.
• Do not rinse or wash raw chicken!
• Use hot, soapy water to wash hands, tools and work surfaces when handling raw chicken.
• Use dedicated knives and plastic cutting boards for raw chicken.

Find out more by visiting our Food Safety section on chicken.ca.

Finally, check out our list of fun ways to pass the time here.