Equip the Kitchen with Your Essentials to Meet Nutrition Needs During the Quarantine
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and to protect oneself from the virus, it is essential to stay at home during this time. With these precautionary measures in place, we are trying to encourage athletes to limit how often they frequent the grocery store and instead eat and prepare more fresh foods at home. It will be valuable to have a nutrition plan in place for meal and snack planning. Although athletes are not training as much, it is still important to be eating meals and snacks consistently. To learn more about how to eat for your level of training, please refer to our blog post, “Take Control of Your Everyday Nutrition Practices By Adding These 3 Key Nutrients”. Failing to eat enough puts the body at risk of burning muscle for energy, decreased metabolism, increased fatigue, decreased lean body mass, and overall inadequate intake of essential vitamins that support training and health.
Creating a list of kitchen essentials will help athletes support the training that is currently taking place at home, ensure adequate recovery, help nourish the body while supporting athletes in meeting performance and personal goals that were set during this past school year. We encourage athletes to take note of the following kitchen essentials so that your pantries, refrigerators, and freezers are fully stocked with a variety of ingredients that can be used in multiple recipes!
Kitchen Essentials- weekly meal and snack preparation
● Cookware and bakeware sets, glass food storage and storage containers with lids that are
refrigerator/freezer safe and Ziploc bags that can be stored in the freezer
● Microwave safe cups, plates, bowls and mason jars
● Flatware (eating utensils), cooking utensils (cooking spoons, whisks, ladles, tongs, rubber spatula)
● Measuring cups and spoons, colander, can opener
Pantry Essentials- essentials needed for long-term food storage! When it comes to the pantry, most items are
shelf-stable and can last anywhere from 2 months to one year if not opened. Please note that most of these items do
have to be refrigerated after opening. Please read labels to make sure you are storing food properly!
● Proteins: Tuna cans, beef/turkey jerky, nuts, nut butters, canned beans, chickpeas, dried lentils,
● Dairy and alternatives: Shelf-stable dairy and alternatives (ex: UHT -Ultra High-Temperature
Pasteurization milk varieties)
● Starch and Grain Products: Whole grain breads, bagels, and English muffins, crackers, couscous,
quinoa, bulgur, pasta varieties, rice, cereals, granola and potatoes (which can be stored on countertops
or in the pantry)
● Fruits and Veggies: Canned veggies, canned tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, canned fruits (in
100% fruit juice or water), dried fruit, fruit pouches, onions (can be kept in the pantry and on
countertops)
● Fats: Seeds, seed butters, trail mix, oils: olive, avocado, grapeseed, canola and your choice of oil sprays
● Spices and Herbs: Garlic/Garlic salt, salt, pepper, onion powders, dill, garlic, and ginger are some of our
favorites! If you cannot find fresh options, dried varieties are just as good!
Freezer Essentials- most essentials can last months to a year, depending on if it is a packaged meal or, for example, raw meat.
● Proteins: Raw meats, fish, and poultry can be frozen or purchased frozen. Cooked meals can be frozen (if
frozen immediately after cooking)
● Carbohydrates: Quick cook rice packs can be bought frozen, tortillas and fresh breads can also be kept
in the freezer to help maintain freshness and to help them last longer
● Fruits and Veggies: Frozen berries and mangoes are my favorites to keep in the freezer. They are great for smoothie blends or having them melt and mixing them into your greek yogurt parfait! Bags of mixed frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, mixed blends) are also important to have on hand. This is especially great for those who can’t finish fresh veggies in time. You can instead use as much as you need of frozen veggies for cooking and then store the rest in the freezer to maintain freshness!
Refrigerator Essentials
● Proteins: Fresh meat, poultry, and fish (all can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days), chicken
sausages, eggs, deli slices, tofu/tempeh, steamed lentils, hummus
● Dairy and alternatives: I like to store yogurts, milk and alternatives, and cheese slices in the refrigerator.
Alternatives to milk: soy, almond, oat, pea beverages can also be stored!
● Fruits and Veggies: Berries, melons, lemons, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, spinach,
carrots, celery, tomatoes are some of Mpowher’s favorites. Some fruits can also be stored on countertops,
such as bananas, apricots, and avocado. Once fruits like bananas begin to look like they are getting soft,
they can be peeled, chopped and stored in the freezer with a Ziploc bag and later added to a smoothie or
eaten as a snack!
● Herbs: Fresh herbs are recommended to be stored in the refrigerator (basil, mint, parsley, cilantro are often
used in recipes)
Easy to Prep Meals and Snacks with Kitchen Essentials:
Breakfast
● Avocado toast with eggs with a side of fruit and cup of milk
● English muffin sandwich with eggs, avocado, cheese and side of fruit
● Oatmeal with berries, milk and topped with slivered almonds or eaten with a side of scrambled eggs
or sausages
● Greek yogurt parfait with granola, fruit and chia seeds
● Whole-wheat bagel sandwich with nut butter and banana
Lunch/Dinner
● Turkey sandwiches with a side of hummus and carrots
● Grain bowl with choice of protein and veggies
● Three corn tacos with your choice of protein, black beans, avocado, diced tomatoes on top
● Kale salad with quinoa and nuts and choice of protein
● Tuna sandwich with a side of hummus and sliced bell peppers
Snacks
● Veggies and hummus or Greek yogurt dip (bell pepper, baby tomatoes, celery or carrots, and dip)
● Crackers and string cheese
● Apples and nut butter
● Trail mix with your choice of mixed nuts and dried fruit
While athletes are sheltering in place, any effort to keep nutrition consistent helps them stay committed to
meeting individual goals throughout the quarantine. I recommend starting by making a list of kitchen essentials
worth two weeks of recipes. Begin by planning breakfast, lunch, and dinners using the above ingredients in multiple
meals, then find ways to combine these foods in 2-3 snacks throughout the day! For more questions regarding your
specific nutrition needs reach out to us as we offer individualized nutrition support with our dietitian! Also if you use any of these kitchen essentials to make your favorite recipes while at home, don’t forget to tag us @MPOWHERATHLETE! We would love to hear from you!
AUTHOR: YASI ANSARI
Yasi is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). She specializes in sports nutrition and women's health. She is based in California and currently consults one-on-one with female athletes, coaches and sports teams at local universities and high schools. Growing up in the performing arts, Yasi understands the importance nutrition plays in the day-to-day of an athlete.
Her goal is to empower female athletes through nutrition education and to help them improve health and performance by adopting sustainable and sound nutrition practices that will help meet high training demands and recovery needs. Yasi Ansari earned her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Master of Science Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a distinction in Nutrition and Dietetics from the California State University, Northridge.
Instagram: @yasiansarinutrition