ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO WORK THROUGH A LIST OF PANDEMIC-FRIENDLY RECIPES, OR HAVE YOU REACHED YOUR LIMIT? 

For the LEO Team, it depends on the day, but we’re always on the lookout for new pandemic-friendly recipes to add to our recipe books!

The pandemic has lasted for a year and a half, and we’re starting to find that many of the people we know are either… 

• Completely exhausted and willing to eat anything, as long as they don’t have to prepare it; 
• Bored of their usual favourite dishes, and searching for new recipes for their repertoire; or 
• Somehow still managing to try all sorts of new recipes, undaunted by ingredient shortages and/or a lack of creativity (definitely the least common of the three!). 

A year ago today, our pandemic eating habits looked quite a bit different. In many places in Canada and the United States, restaurants and bars were still open (with restrictions in place). Demand for meal kit subscription services was huge, as people struggled to find a happy medium between going out for dinner and taking four hours to prepare their own. Ingredient shortages were on the rise, especially for baking products like yeast.  

Today, going out to eat feels like a thing of the past for many of us (for example, in Montreal, restaurants and bars have been closed for dine-in service for months), and others have grown tired of meal kits or ordering from the same old place. 

The LEO Team has you covered. Below, you’ll find our list of pandemic-friendly recipes that are easy to whip up, and more importantly, delicious to eat. For breakfast, lunch, supper, and dessert, we have you covered! 

7 PANDEMIC-FRIENDLY RECIPES, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE LEO TEAM

Below, we’ve outlined some of our LEO Team’s favourite pandemic-friendly recipes (and their serving suggestions)! Bonus points for preparing something for an essential worker in your life who is likely still extra stressed during this difficult time.  

Sarah, our Marketing Director, is all about simple, healthy breakfasts. She loves this recipe for Oat and Yogurt Pancakes, and her favourite add-in is frozen blueberries, but feel free to use whatever you like! 

For an easy lunch, Lyne, our Specialist in Loyalty and Retention of Members, loves to make her Grandma Denise’s Spinach Salad. In fact, she loves it so much that she knows the recipe by heart and is happy to share it with you! Here it is (serves 4).

Salad: 

• 4 cups of baby spinach 
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into slices 
• 6-8 slices of bacon cooked and chopped (you can replace this with chicken, or omit it if you’re vegetarian) 
• 1 package of white button mushrooms, sliced 
• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds or pine nuts, toasted 
• 1 small red onion, sliced 

Dressing (there will be leftovers, keep refrigerated!): 

• 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar 
• 1 cup of olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp of paprika 
• 1/2 tsp of dried mustard (can use the equivalent of Dijon) 
• 1/2 clove of garlic minced 
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/3 tsp of sugar (for Keto-friendly recipe, substitute with your choice of sweetener) 

After mixing the salad ingredients together, and the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl or mason jar, add some of the dressing to the salad. You can add any other veggies that you like, or even fruit, like strawberries or mandarin orange slices!

On cold or rainy days, Anne-Marie, our Web Acquisition Specialist, whips up this vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, which pairs well with a simple salad or a nice bread. Although the recipe is gluten-free, you could easily use any noodle you like. 

Pascale, our External Communications Coordinator, enjoys making this Broccoli Orzotto and Pork with Montreal Steak Spice for date night. It’s a little different than a traditional risotto, but is still full of flavour. If you don’t eat pork, or prefer a more traditional risotto, you could always give this Summertime Risotto a try. 

Camille, our Social Media Manager, is a huge fan of hamburgers (and she can’t wait for grilling season to start!). She highly recommends these Apple and Cheddar Burgers, which are a fun twist on the traditional classic! Give them a try and let her know what you think in the comments. 😉 

Rachel, our Content Marketing Specialist, has been baking up a storm while social distancing. A recipe that she always comes back to is Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, which she loves to pair with a strong cup of coffee (or two!). 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PANDEMIC-FRIENDLY RECIPE TO MAKE? FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE NAME (AND THE LINK, IF YOU HAVE IT!) IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. 

Bon appétit!

Note: LEO is not affiliated with any of the recipe websites mentioned in this article.

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