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Download free vector of Man exercise during coronavirus quarantine element

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The first step to productive grocery shopping is making a list of the things you need to purchase. So we have for you today How to Make an Organized Grocery List {Free Printable}.

Going grocery shopping without an organized checklist can lead to you aimlessly wandering the store without a detailed plan, only to go home with a bunch of things you don't need and missing those that you do. Having a grocery list has many benefits like keeping you on the healthy track and preventing additional trips to the store.

Creating an organized grocery list doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. In fact, it can be easy and fun, especially when you have a free printable to use.

Feeling organized in any aspect of your life takes away that horrible stress factor.

Follow These Steps to Make an Organized Grocery List

Step 1: Have a Running List

Have a "to buy" list somewhere in your home. Use this running list to keep tabs on items that you have run out of or are close to needing to be replenished.

Step 2: Meal Plan

Meal planning is the best way to ensure that you are only purchasing items that you require, keeping in budget and staying organized.

Step 2: Take Inventory of Staple Items

The first step to creating a grocery list is to go through your pantry and fridge and take inventory of any staple items that need replenishing. Eggs, Milk, Butter, Granola Bars and any canned goods you use regularly need to be a priority.

Step 3: Look Up Coupons

Look up different coupons and specials that are available to you prior to solidifying your list. This way, if you find a deal on something that you normally run out of quickly, you can stock up and save money.

Step 4: Print a Grocery List Printable

We have a FREE online printable to help you manage your grocery list. Using our printable can help you easily curate your grocery list in a quick and well-organized manner, with a beautiful and well planned template.

Step 5: Organize by Aisle

To make your shopping trip less time consuming and labour intensive, organize you list according to the aisles in your grocery store. If you divide your list into sections, it's much easier to ensure that no items go overlooked. This is why using our free printable is helpful as it's already divided into neat sections.

Step 6: Specify Quantity

The quantity of one item is very important when creating your list. It is good to know how much of an item you need to get in advance.

Step 7: Check Your List

Make sure to go over your list and make any final edits before it's time to leave for the store. If necessary, write out a good copy of your list.

Step 8: Don't Leave it

Don't leave your list on the counter! Make sure that you put it somewhere you won't leave it behind before you leave for your shopping trip.

There are many great ways to ensure that your list is well organized. Make sure to keep tabs on items you run out of often, look up coupons and use our Grocery List Printable whenever possible.

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How To Make An Organized Grocery List {Free Printable}

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The first step to productive grocery shopping is making a list of the things you need to purchase. So we have for you today How to Make an Organized Grocery List {Free Printable}.

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You can do push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, and jumping jacks in your bedroom. living room, or patio!

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This might be a no brainier, but you never know! It's always good to make list, especially grocery ones. Note down any necessary items that might be missing from your fridge or pantry!

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Being alone with more time than you can handle might let your mind wander into dark thoughts... but that doesn't mean you have to bottle it up. Make sure to talk to someone about how you feel, a family member or a close friend maybe.

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Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Learn when and how you should wash your hands to stay healthy.
How Germs Spread

Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections. Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people when you:

Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands

Touch surfaces or objects that have germs on them

Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people's hands or common objects

Key Times to Wash Hands

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

Before, during, and after preparing food

Before and after eating food

Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea

Before and after treating a cut or wound

After using the toilet

After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet

After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

After handling pet food or pet treats

After touching garbage

If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean your hands.

Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way

Washing your hands is easy, and it's one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can help stop germs from spreading from one person to another and in our communities-including your home, workplace, schools, and childcare facilities.

Follow these five steps every time.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.

4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or an air dryer.

Why? Read the science behind the recommendations.

Use Hand Sanitizer When You Can't Use Soap and Water

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label.
Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However,

Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.

Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

Hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals like pesticides from hands.

How to Use Hand Sanitizer

1. Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).

2. Cover all surfaces of hands.

3. Rub your hands and fingers together until they are dry. This should take around 20 seconds.

CDC's Communication Materials

CDC has health promotion materials to encourage kids and adults to make handwashing part of their everyday lives.

For more information on handwashing, visit CDC's Handwashing website or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

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centers for disease control and prevention

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Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Learn the 5 handwashing steps and key times to wash your hands to stay healthy.

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MAKE SURE YOUR HANDS ARE PROPERLY WASHED!

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MAKE SURE YOUR HANDS ARE PROPERLY WASHED!

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Germs are very, very scary! More than ever now considering the current predicament we're in. Oh, make sure to bring some hand sanitizer too! When going outside to shop for groceries or essential items in general, you're going to come in contact with various germs dwelling on open surfaces. Can't ever be too safe.

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If you look at the average American family's spending, food spending is one of the most common budget busters. In fact, many Americans literally eat through their income, knowingly spending more than they can afford on dining out or even groceries. One of the best ways to rein in this easily bloated budget category is to cook at home - and there are a ton of tasty, easy, and cheap meals you can make at home with very few ingredients and not much time.

A while back, I asked The Simple Dollar's Facebook fans what their favorite dirt-cheap meal was. Here are some of the best recipes people shared, along with a few more ideas of our own to help you and your family eat well for next to nothing. Swapping a lunch or dinner out with one of these cheap meals just once or twice per week is an easy way to lower your food expenses.

A note on prices: As cheap as these meals are, in reality, they're probably even cheaper than what you see here. I averaged prices found online wherever possible (on sites such as Amazon Pantry and Walmart.com), which are likely higher than what you'll pay at your local grocery store; they're certainly higher than if you buy generic, buy non-perishables in bulk, grow produce in your garden, or use your grocery store flyer to plan your meals.

26 Favorite Dirt-Cheap Meals

1. Sticky rice, vegetables, and soy sauce

This meal, shared by Leslie, is pretty simple and similar to something I used to cook up during my college years with an unhealthy amount of soy sauce. Using the ingredients below, you can whip up a delicious dish in minutes.

All you have to do is steam some rice, dump a can of vegetables (or a bag of frozen veggies) in a microwave-safe bowl and heat them up, then mix the vegetables and rice together with just the right amount of soy sauce. These three ingredients may not make a flashy meal, but the concoction is fairly healthy, cheap, and easy. (Next time you order take-out, save any extra soy sauce packets to make this dish even cheaper.)
Ingredients:
2. Black beans and rice

Black beans and rice, suggested by Angela and others, is one of those easy, cheap meals almost everyone loves, and a staple dish of many cultures. This recipe only requires a handful of inexpensive ingredients, yet is full of flavor.

Start by heating your oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes, then add the rice and saute for another 2 minutes. Next, add in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. The spices and black beans should be added right before you're ready to serve.
Ingredients:
3. Egg and black bean burritos

If you're looking for a cheap, nutritious breakfast you can eat on the go, look no further than this recipe for egg and black bean burritos.

The idea is simple: Start by heating some tortillas on the griddle. While they heat, scramble a dozen eggs and heat a can of black beans on the stovetop.

Once your eggs are scrambled, assemble your breakfast burritos and add any extras you might want. Toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa or hot sauce all work rather well. (You can also make these in bulk and freeze them so they're ready to heat up on a hectic weekday morning.)
Ingredients:
4. Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Grilled cheese and tomato soup, shared by Colleen, is one of the most nutritious cheap-and-easy meals out there. We often make it around here for lunches, and our oldest son particularly likes this meal - sometimes requesting it out of the blue.

Making grilled cheese is easy: Butter four slices of bread, and lay them flat on a hot griddle or frying pan. Add a slice of cheese to each, and top with another slice of buttered bread (or add some extras, like tomato slices or bacon.) Heat on both sides until each sandwich is golden brown and the cheese looks melted.

The soup part is easy, too, and can be as cheap as you want it to be - from a $1 can of Campbell's to a $4 box of organic tomato bisque. Even making homemade tomato soup is simple with this quick, creamy tomato soup recipe from the Food Network.
Ingredients (using boxed soup): Ingredients (with homemade soup):

Loaf of bread: $1.99

Sliced cheese: 50 cents

2 15-oz. cans of chicken or vegetable stock: $1.99

1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes: 99 cents

1 cup heavy cream: 99 cents

Fresh basil leaves for garnish: $1.99 (free if you grow your own herbs)

5. Spaghetti with homemade marinara

Making your own marinara sauce is easy, says Fran, the woman who shared this recipe. All you have to do is saute a large can of tomatoes, half an onion (chopped), and a pinch of garlic together for 10-20 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour this flavorful, colorful sauce over a package of cooked spaghetti or other pasta, and you're good to go.

Adding a few pieces of garlic-buttered toast is a great way to round out this absolutely delicious meal - which can fill up a family of four for about $2 if the garden is producing.
Ingredients:
6. Ham, white beans, and cornbread

This meal, shared by Amy, reminds me deeply of growing up. Each New Year's Day, my parents would make an enormous pot of ham and white beans and then invite lots of friends and family to eat with us. My mom would make a huge pan of cornbread and the mixture of the aromas would just fill the house. This recipe will help you whip up a pot of ham-and-beans that won't be forgotten.
Ingredients:
7. Homemade stovetop mac n' cheese

If your kids love mac n' cheese, throw away the boxed stuff and try this instead. Just boil a box of pasta and, in a separate pot, whisk together the milk and flour, adding about a teaspoon of salt and a bit of sugar and pepper to taste.

Stir constantly until just boiling, then lower the heat and continue stirring for a few moments as it thickens. Next, add the shredded cheese and mix until melted, and then pour the cheese mixture over the pasta.

At this point, it's ready to serve - or if you want, you can add some "extras" to make a more tasty grown-up version, like peas, bacon crumbles, cubed ham, tuna, tomatoes, or scallions. If you have time to go all out, you can dump it all into a casserole dish, top with buttery breadcrumbs, and bake it for 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients:

12-oz. box of shells, elbows, or other pasta: $1.19

3 cups whole milk: $1.09

3 Tbsp flour, sugar and salt to taste: 25 cents

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 oz.): $2.24

8. Oatmeal and banana

Oatmeal is extremely nutritious and easy to make. Around here, we like to cook up a bowl of steel-cut oats and add any fruit we have on hand, or some cinnamon and raisins. This healthy meal doesn't take much time to make, but packs a ton of energy to help us get through the day.
Ingredients:

24 oz. steel-cut oats: $2.99

Sliced fruit: $2

9. Chickpeas and pasta

If you're participating in Meatless Mondays or trying to eat vegetarian more often, here's a recipe you can try.

Heat one package of pasta on your stovetop until it's al dente. After draining your pasta, add one jar of Ragu pasta sauce (or homemade marinara), a can of chickpeas, and a small diced onion. Mix it all together and simmer on low heat until your onion is cooked and the dish is piping hot.
Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas: 99 cents

1 small onion, diced: 89 cents

1 jar of Ragu or other pasta sauce: $2.29

12-oz. box of pasta: $1.19

10. Lentil stew

Here's a recipe that reader Maria shared on our Facebook page: "Take 2 cups of lentils, 1 big can of diced tomatoes, 3/4 of a stick of butter, 1 chopped onion, 1 clove garlic (minced), and 1 Tbsp dried dill. Put it all in a big pot, add some water and then bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring to make sure the lentils aren't too dry. Add salt and pepper to taste at the end."

We make a stew similar to this in our family crock pot all the time. The house smells incredibly good by the end of the day.
Ingredients:
11. Chili

Chili is one of those great stew-type dishes that you can make a hundred different ways, all of them cheap, and all of them delicious. Here's a good, basic recipe you can tinker with.

Start by browning some ground beef in a large pot, and draining the fat. Then dump in a base of tomato sauce (or paste or juice), add one whole chopped onion, one large can of diced tomatoes, a chopped bell pepper, a minced clove of garlic, and some salt and pepper.

Add water and a package of chili seasoning (or make your own spice packets) and bring it to a boil. Next, add two cans of black beans or kidney beans. (Of course, you can add sausage, celery, corn, or just about anything else you like, too.) Continue to simmer for 1-3 hours or until you're ready to eat, then serve over rice, pasta, or tortilla chips.

To make an even cheaper vegetarian chili, omit the ground beef and add an extra can of beans, 2 cups of frozen corn, or a package of soy crumbles.
Ingredients:
12. Hummus and cucumber crostinis

This recipe from RealSimple.com takes three basic ingredients and turns them into an upscale appetizer or fun snack. You could serve these at a party or simply munch on them while you watch television.
Ingredients:
13. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

When it comes to cheap meals, there is none more iconic than the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, shared by Kendell. It's something I have for lunch twice a week, at least. You can make your PB&J as fancy or simple as you like - I use 12-grain bread, peanut butter, and some homemade jelly slathered on the top. Either way, it's sure to please at any age.
Ingredients:
14. Pot roast with vegetables

This meal is perfect for fall, winter, or any time you are due for some meat and potatoes. To get started, place a small rump roast in your crock pot and cover it with water. Cook on high for three hours then add some chopped-up potatoes and peeled carrots, plus a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for another three or four hours and serve.
Ingredients:
15. Bean burritos

This recipe is both cheap and healthy. Start by chopping up your vegetables and toppings - some lettuce, a tomato, a small onion, and some cilantro. Heat a can of black beans on the stove. If you want, you can also heat your flour tortillas on a griddle or your stove top or just microwave each one for 10-15 seconds. Lay each tortilla flat and spread a few spoonfuls of beans through the center. Add optional toppings -such as cheese, rice, or salsa - wrap them up, and you're done!
Ingredients:
16. Ratatouille

Inge shared this classic meal which, in her description, is made of onions, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and oregano with rice. We made a slightly different ratatouille one summer - when our garden and local farmer's market provided almost all of the vegetables - and loved it.

An "easy" way to make ratatouille is to just stir fry your vegetables in olive oil, making sure to add them in the right order - starting with the ones that need the most cooking time. Just put a quarter of a cup of olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Then, cube or dice the vegetables and add them in the order they appear below.

Add each vegetable before you cut up the next one and stir regularly. Then, turn down the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 40 minutes. Serve it with rice or homemade bread.
Ingredients:

2 onions: $2

3 bell peppers: $4

2 eggplants: $3

2 zucchini: $1.50

4 cloves of garlic, minced: 50 cents

2 lb. tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped: $4.98

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme and 2 Tbsp. fresh basil: $1

4 cups of rice: $1

17. Scrambled eggs and toast

Breakfast for dinner is a popular Midwestern meal for families on a budget. All you need to do to whip up this cheap and easy meal is scramble a dozen eggs and toast some bread. To make it fun for the kids, let them slather their toast with their favorite jelly, jam, or Nutella.
Ingredients:
18. Grilled chicken and sweet potato fries

In any kind of weather, grilled chicken and sweet potato fries are sure to please the palate. Start by washing four sweet potatoes then cutting them into half-inch thick circles. Put them in a bowl, drizzle them with olive oil until they're covered all over, then lay them flat on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the potatoes with your favorite cajun seasoning then bake them at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. In the meantime, fire up the grill and cook six chicken breasts until they're no longer pink in the middle. Serve both with barbecue sauce.
Ingredients:
19. Zucchini pizzas

If you've been looking for a low-carb way to enjoy pizza, try this: Take four large zucchinis, wash them, and cut them lengthwise into 3/4-inch slices. Drizzle them with olive oil and lay them flat on baking sheets. Heat them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then take them out of the oven. Cover each zucchini surface with pizza sauce and a sprinkle of your favorite shredded cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
20. Pancakes with apple slices

We have pancakes (or waffles) with fruit, another of Inge's suggestions, for breakfast about every other weekend. It's also another good option when you're in the mood for breakfast at dinnertime, too.

Although you can make pancakes from scratch, it can be just as cost-efficient to use your favorite pre-made mix. Follow the directions until you have perfect, golden-brown pancakes, then slather them with your favorite fresh or canned fruit.
Ingredients:
21. Mediterranean pasta salad

This quick, easy pasta dish can be a side dish or a main meal, and makes a nice antidote to the mayonnaise-soaked pasta salad of summer cookouts.

Just boil a box of pasta, drain it, and add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of sliced black olives, a can of chickpeas, and some Italian dressing (or olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper).
Ingredients:
22. Fried rice

A couple of people on Facebook mentioned fried rice, which is another great way to make something tasty and new from leftovers and fridge scraps. Here's an easy recipe to follow:

In a large frying pan or wok, brown a bit of garlic in a tablespoon or two of oil, then add one sliced onion. When the onion is softened, drop in two eggs and scramble them up on one side of the pan.

Now crank up the heat and toss in whatever other ingredients you want or have on hand - peas, corn, mushrooms, broccoli, diced carrots, pineapple, or chunks of ham all work well - along with your leftover rice, a spoonful of sugar, and up to a 1/4 cup of light soy sauce. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, and serve right away.
Ingredients:

2 cups or more of leftover cooked rice: Free

1/4 cup of soy sauce: 50 cents

Minced garlic, sugar, and 2T olive oil: 50 cents

1 onion: 99 cents

2 eggs: 50 cents

Frozen peas or other veggies: $1.29

23. 'Pizza' on bagels, thick toast, or English muffins

This meal, shared by Jennifer, is as easy as it sounds. Take a bagel, English muffin, or piece of bread, load it with all the toppings you'd use on a pizza, and bake it in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Delicious and easy (even easier if you have a toaster oven.)
Ingredients:

6 bagels: $3.99

Jar of pasta sauce: $1.50

Shredded mozzarella cheese: $1.99

Other toppings: $2

24. Tuna melts

Canned tuna is a protein-packed staple of a cheap diet, but plain old tuna salad on rye can get old after a while. To heat things up a bit, just start out like you're making grilled cheese sandwiches, but add tuna salad and tomato slices. (Another way to spice up your tuna sandwiches is mixing in diced apples or grapes, which can add some crunch and a nice touch of sweetness, too.)
Ingredients:

2 cans of tuna, mixed with mayonnaise: $2.48

Loaf of bread: $1.99

Four slices of cheese: 50 cents

2 medium tomatoes: $1.60

25. Sausage, peppers, and onions

This is an easy-to-make, flavorful favorite. Just slice up some sweet Italian pork sausage (or chicken sausage), a sweet onion, some colorful bell peppers, and a couple cloves of garlic, and saute them all in a large pot with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Prepare a box of pasta on the side and toss them together to serve.
Ingredients:
26. BLTs

Even with the high price of bacon, homemade BLTs can still be part of a cheap and easy meal. Start with a pound of bacon and heat it in a skillet until it's crispy but not overdone. Set the bacon on a paper towel to absorb most of the grease, then turn your attention to the other ingredients that make up this classic.

Slice a tomato in several thin slices and carefully take apart a head of iceberg or romaine lettuce. Spread mayonnaise on the bread and start building your BLTs - or TBLs, or however you want to assemble them!
Ingredients:
All of these meals sound good enough for me to make at lunch and, in many cases, for our family supper as well. Preparing cheap and easy meals like these just a couple times a week can make a big difference in your monthly food budget - especially if you make a grocery list before you go shopping and take other steps to spend less money on groceries. Finally, you can utilize a cash back credit card or rewards credit card to receive cash or points back when buying groceries, which will allow you to maximize your spending.
Related Articles:

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26 Favorite Cheap-and-Easy Meals - The Simple Dollar

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If you look at the average American family's spending, food spending is one of the most common budget busters. In fact, many Americans literally eat through their income, knowingly spending more than they can afford on dining out or even groceries.

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Stay consistent in your fitness journey with collections of cardio or resistance workout programs to help you lose weight or gain strength and muscle from home.

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There are numerous work out plans and challenges online, just takes one quick google search! Though, if your stuck or uncertain, I do recommend Chloe Ting. Close to no materials are needed to do the various exercises and there are some recommended meal plans if you're planning to go plus ultra!

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Looking after your mental health | Mental Health Foundation

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Get evidence-based advice on protecting and sustaining good mental health, overcoming fear and anxiety, sleeping better and looking after your mental health using exercise and minfulness.

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This in no way means to ignore your feelings and brush it off, but more of acknowledging it and working to make yourself feel better. Basically, practice self care! Meditate, take a bath, do hobbies that make you happy, or get some fresh air!

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Perhaps use the fruits you've stocked up on and make a fruit salad! Or a veggie plate with any vegetables in the fridge! It may look like a small snack at first but once you're done it might as well look like a full course meal!

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It can be hard to meet your nutrient needs when receiving cancer treatment. Smaller meals and snacks are often easier to get in. Choose foods that work with any side effects from the treatment you are having. For example, if you have mouth sores, choose soft, bland foods like scrambled eggs and yogurt.

Tips for Eating Small Meals and Snacks

Eat what you like.

Breakfast for dinner is a great small meal.

Eat when you are hungriest.

If you are hungriest in the morning, try to make that your largest meal and have smaller meals/snacks for the rest of the day.

If you are hungriest in the evening or at night, start the day with smaller meals and eat larger meals later.

Keep snacks with you when you travel, in your car or bag. Have something close at hand.

Practice food safety techniques - don't consume undercooked meats.

Ask your registered dietitian/nutritionist for meal/snack ideas and smoothie and shake recipes

How many calories do I need?

Use this formula to calculate how many calories you need per day:

Divide your weight in pounds (lbs.) by 2.2.

Multiply this number by 30.

Example: 150lbs divided by 2.2 = 68.18 x 30 = 2054 daily calories needed.

Then take your total calories and divide by the number of meals/snacks you want to eat. Use this as a guide for the number of calories to have per meal/snack.

Divide your daily calorie needs by the number of meals/snacks you plan to eat that day.

Example: 2054 calories divided by 6 meals/snacks = 340 calories per meal/snack.

What should I eat?
Calories

Choose calorie-dense foods. These are foods that give you the most calories per serving.

Boost calories by adding gravy and sauces to meals, add cheese to mashed veggies and tofu. Cream-based foods are often higher in calories.

Fluids
You can also use high-calorie fluids as smaller meals/snacks including full-fat chocolate milk, Carnation Essentials® (formerly Carnation instant breakfast), Boost Plus®, Ensure Plus®, milkshakes, smoothies, fruit nectar, juice, commercial eggnog, hot cocoa with cream and whole/fortified milk
Protein

You should have protein as part of every meal and snack.

Add protein by using smooth nut butters in smoothies, hot cereal with fruit and on bread.

Try vanilla protein drinks instead of milk in your cereal, pudding, coffee, milkshakes, and smoothies.

Other Small Meal and Snack Ideas

Try tuna, egg, chicken, tofu salad or hummus.

Have a cup of a cream-based soup.

Eggs (scrambled, hard-boiled) or an omelet with vegetables and cheese.

Make a mashed potato bowl topped with soft vegetables and ground meats or beans with gravy and cheese.

Refried beans and black beans (mashed) are soft, delicious and a great source of protein.

Mix ground chicken or turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes or noodles.

Baby food (in jars) is a low cost, ready to eat, portable snack.

Mix mashed bananas and smooth nut butters.

Try an avocado sliced with hummus or make guacamole.

Opt for whole milk pudding, yogurt, ice cream, and sherbet.

Add fruit to hot or cold cereal.

Try a soft cheese, like ricotta or cottage cheese, with pureed fruit or honey.

Creamed, soft vegetables are great on top of mashed potatoes or with eggs.

Enhance your oatmeal, cream of wheat, porridge or grits!

Add in smooth nut butter, whey or pea protein.

Soak overnight in milk.

Top with soft fruits for sweet or roasted veggies for a savory flavor.

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Cancer Resources from OncoLink | Treatment, Research, Coping, Clinical Trials, Prevention

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It can be hard to meet your nutrient needs when receiving cancer treatment. Smaller meals and snacks are often easier to get in. Choose foods that work with any side effects from the treatment you are having. For example, if you have mouth sores, choose soft, bland foods like scrambled eggs and yogurt.

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You don't always have to be next to each other when hanging out! Plan a movie night with friends over a video call, just have someone stream the movie!

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In early March, when most Americans began social distancing, the hope was that life would get back to normal after just a few weeks. It's become clear now that some distancing will be needed for many more months, or even years, to keep the coronavirus at bay. But quarantine fatigue is real. Abstaining from all social contact for the long haul won't be a sustainable option for most people. So, how can we make decisions about socializing during the coronavirus pandemic?

Risk isn't binary

Public health messaging over the past several months has focused on staying home as much as possible. Staying home alone or with your household members is still the lowest-risk choice you can make with respect to catching or spreading the coronavirus. Being in a crowded indoor environment is the highest-risk choice.

But risk isn't binary, and there's a lot in between those two options. Thinking about a spectrum of risk can help you choose the lowest-risk options for socializing that will be sustainable for you in the long term.

How can you assess the spectrum of risk?

The risk of contracting or transmitting the coronavirus depends on many factors. Here are some important considerations when you're assessing risk to yourself and others.

Know what's happening with virus transmission in your community. Try to keep tabs on what's happening with community spread where you live. For example, pay attention to whether the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are high or low, or increasing or decreasing. Some regions are opening while these numbers remain fairly high, so you may choose to be more conservative with your social contact than the current recommendations in your area. Just because the hair salon is open doesn't mean you have to get a haircut.

Consider vulnerability to the coronavirus. If you or your social contacts are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, either because of older age or underlying health conditions, factor this into your assessment of risk when making decisions about interactions outside of your household.

Evaluate the risk of the activity, which includes its duration and setting. The highest risk for transmission is with close contact, prolonged interaction, and enclosed environments. In contrast, keeping a distance of at least six feet, brief interactions, and outdoor settings will keep risk lower. Sitting indoors a few feet away from a friend and having a long talk is a higher-risk situation than going for a stroll or chatting briefly with that person outdoors. Face coverings can further reduce risk, and are particularly important when interacting with people in close proximity or indoors. It also helps to use other protective measures, including frequent handwashing.

The benefits of being social

Health is more than just disease prevention. For many people, being healthy requires social interactions with friends and family, spending time outdoors, exercise, physical intimacy, and other pleasures of life. When making decisions about social contact during the coronavirus pandemic, you will need to weigh the risk of the interaction against the potential benefits to your overall health.

Harm reduction strategies can help

Unlike abstinence-only messaging, which simply tells people to stay home, a harm reduction approach meets people where they are by accepting that it isn't always possible to eliminate risk. It supports people in making lower-risk - but not necessarily zero-risk - choices that are sustainable for them, and offers strategies to reduce any potential harms. The abstinence-only and harm reduction approaches share the same goal of reducing illness and death, but from what we know about HIV, substance use, and other areas of health, harm reduction is far more likely to work.

Several examples of harm-reduction approaches to social contact have been adopted outside of the United States. Acknowledging that single people may need physical intimacy, the Netherlands has suggested that people find a seksbuddy, with one consistent sex partner being much less likely to spread the coronavirus than having multiple partners. Several provinces in Canada have issued guidance on "double bubbles," in which two households agree to socialize exclusively with each other without the need for physical distancing.

It's true that every additional social interaction increases risk, but with continued social distancing from other individuals and households, harm reduction approaches might help people forego higher-risk activities, like crowded house parties, over the long term. As we enter the fourth month of this pandemic, with many more months ahead, it's time to start thinking about sustainability.

Follow me on Twitter @JuliaLMarcus

For more information on coronavirus and COVID-19, see the Harvard Health Publishing Coronavirus Resource Center.

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How to socialize in a pandemic - Harvard Health Blog

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Some social distancing will be needed for many more months, or even years, to keep the coronavirus at bay. But abstaining from all social contact for the long haul won't be a sustainable option for most people. So, how can we make decisions about socializing safely?

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Just be safe! Wear a mask, wash your hands, and social distance! Even go the extra mile and make sure you and your friend have been quarantined for a least two weeks at home!