@funcountess Yes it's been strange. I harangue the department managers at Wal-Mart the closest grocery to get info. Apparently the providers and shippers have system interruptions because the farmers and growers have staffing issues. The meat industry workers have been decimated by the long-term poor working conditions. Pork providers in part haven't set up alternate avenues to sell their product. Chicken factory farming depends on continuity of their routines. I eat chicken liver weekly to substitute for the red meats I rarely eat. They were out of the markets for three months as the bulk market absorbed the available stocks. When paper products became available my neighbor stocked up and what looks like a cabinet covered by a table cloth is a huge stock of TP. People panicked and bought enough bottled water to last months. The spirit of fairness has deteriorated. When I grocery shop I have a list with alternatives and requirements. Staying healthy these days demands vigilance for health care and nutrition. You made a good point. Then again who's more important to us but ourselves.

Yes, I can imagine grabbing the last box of saltine crackers and I'm not the biggest fan of those. vbg

On a different shopping trip, the shelves were bare of rice..boxes, bags, instant, wild, white….hard to believe I know but astonishingly true. More so because I am not in a densely populated area.

I do read food labels and choose accordingly but lately, if I see some food product listed on the grocery delivery order that I use, I buy it whether or not it is my preferred brand. We are experiencing a large local uptick in reported virus cases and hospitalizations which I think is contributing to the scarcity of some usually well stocked items.

My diet consists primarily of diabetic and kidney friendly fresh foods so I've begun ordering some frozen and canned because of lack of availability of the fresh. Uncertain times ahead for sure. Do you follow a specific diet for some particular health issue?

@funcountess My husband just left for another 3 week stint at the company he retired from in May. He is doing contract work for them in Research and Development, something that cannot be done remotely. I did shopping last week, and anticipate not having to go to any store while he is gone, except for lettuce or apples. When he returns, we will do a major shopping for canned goods, and shelf-stable foods, with an eye to healthy alternatives. Like you and a few have mentioned, various shelves are empty. We have two or three stores we can go to in different directions from us. When we have to "run into town" be it north or south, we take advantage of it and hit a store.
Ginger

Have you considered chicken bone broth? I make my own and can give you my recipe. It is a great source of protein and minerals and helps with “gut” health.

@mwsa945 Yes!! Please post it, I would like to try ti.
Ginger

Hi Ginger. I attached the basic recipe that I use. There are a lot of references to the benefits of bone broth online. If you have any questions, let me know. In the recipe you can reduce the amount as long as the ratio of ingredients stays roughly the same. The important one is that the water is half the weight of the bones. This is the active ingredient in old fashioned chicken soup that yielded health benefits when you were ill. You can buy bone broth in the supermarket or online but be careful and make sure the protein is greater than 10%. I don't buy from them but fondbonebroth.com and kettleandfire.com have some interesting info but as I wrote, the web has a huge amount of info and alternate recipes. I like to keep mine simple and fresh.

Hi Gingerw
Get your running shoes on because you may need to go to 2 or 3 stores for grocery supplies.
Talked to friend in New Jersey, and she said it was bad today when grocery shopping. Tomorrow she going to another market.
Yesterday when I shopped, I bought 2 — 3 pack of Kleenex. Shelf was full of product. Told neighbor,, and she went to market, EMPTY SHELF, manager told her truck would make another delivery on Friday, but. probably limited amount of paper products.
She then went to Ralph’s, same thing there.
It’s the same problem in frozen foods.
High dense area markets are having such a run on food.
Don’t bother to call the markets as they say products change from second to second.
So true.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a re-run of last winter, and panic buying.
Stay well,
Funcountess

It's oatmeal season again – I love eating it for breakfast during the Winter. Last week I ran across an easy recipe from Mayo Clinic that looks pretty good and if I can pick up all the ingredients this week I'm going to give it a try.

Overnight refrigerator oatmeal – https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/overnight-refrigerator-oatmeal/rcp-20197730

John – When she was working in the Health Office, my daughter made this daily & added a little protein powder she could nibble at it and it didn't make a difference if it was cold. Now that she's working at home, she dumps it in a pottery bowl and warms in the microwave. The up-side – her boys want to eat it too, since it's "Mommy's" and it's full of good stuff. We add hemp hearts too.
Sue

@johnbishop I often have a version of this for breakfast, any time of year. I like mine heated up. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of a local jam, or use homemade applesauce. "It's all good" as they say. And it sticks to your ribs, definitely!
Ginger

is this the message thread with the Walking? I went for a beautiful winter walk yesterday! beautiful sunshine. The sun is shining again today, a walk will do me alot of good again today, how about you?

I think this just might be what you are looking for: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lets-go-walking-join-me-for-a-virtual-walking-support-group/
I'm looking out the window at the beautiful sunshine, but the thermometer says 14F – I need to go find my long underwear before I venture out!
Sue

This is a great time to dig out the slow cooker. Last weekend my husband picked up some nice stew meat. Today, I broke the package down in to two, and am making an easy beef stroganoff with the first part.

1 can cream of mushroom soup combined with 1 can of beef broth [I used leftover vegetable broth and added a beef bouillon cube to it] Also added chopped onion and celery not called for in recipe.
cook on high 3.5 to 4.5 hrs
reduce to low, cook 3 to 4 hrs
add 2 cups cooked noodles, and 1 cup sour cream. Return to high, cook 20 minutes more.

That's it! We'll serve it with a side veggie. I love my slow cooker!
Ginger

Yum! I'm hooked on our traditional family stroganoff recipe, but I might have to try this. The only thing you missed is the 2-3 cloves of garlic I love in it. For those who don't do noodles, I like it over garlic mashed potatoes! Garlic mashed are a little time-consuming, so when I make them, I do a triple batch and we have them 3 times with differnet meats and veggies…
Our veg of choice with stroganoff is creamy cole slaw with chopped apple and/or pineapple in it.
Now I'm getting hungry.
Sue

@sueinmn I cannot do potatoes based on my renal diet, and will be judicious in my amount of stroganoff. No cole slaw here, so will do green beans. Add color to the plate and a place for the flavor to land. Oooh, garlic potatoes – love 'em!
Ginger