Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #3

[mickey2942]

I live in a condo and did a few container plants last year. Lettuce, kale and a tomato. It gave me one good sized salad, lol. This year I am going to try and up my game. I also get a farm CSA box so my produce comes from a garden, just not mine.

I love hearing about your gardens and look forward to hearing about them.

I live in a condo too. Last year I had a pretty good size garden. Fresh herbs and tomatoes almost every day from June to October.

I also signed up for the local CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. It is great. I did not get the egg share this time. Between that, and the garden, I almost never went to the store.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I remember discussing various OTC options that some of have through Medicare or other insurance plans. Not sure if it was on the "grocery" thread or somewhere else, but since my post is about purchasing health and personal care products, along with healthy food items, I hope this is the right place.

Shortly after the first of the year, we received our new BCBS Network Medicare Advantage Plan that now includes healthy food items along with many new OTC items. There is a new provider for the service (Nations OTC), and we can use our "allowance" cards in several different stores. The previously plan did not offer the retail option; you ordered by mail or online, and FedEx delivery was usually within 48 hours. With the new plan, we can purchase OTC and healthy foods at participating retailers. The plan can also still be used for online purchases if retail outlets aren't convenient. We mostly go to CVS or RiteAid, so that is where we will use our quarterly allowances.

When the new cards arrived, it took several days before we could get on the site to register. The product catalogue is extensive, and I've only read about half of it and have yet to peruse the healthy food options.

 

[weepingangel]

Do you have enough to eat? Health insurer adds food to coverage offerings

I don’t remember if this was thread where this was discussed a bit

 

[PayrollNerd]

I remember discussing various OTC options that some of have through Medicare or other insurance plans. Not sure if it was on the "grocery" thread or somewhere else, but since my post is about purchasing health and personal care products, along with healthy food items, I hope this is the right place.

Shortly after the first of the year, we received our new BCBS Network Medicare Advantage Plan that now includes healthy food items along with many new OTC items. There is a new provider for the service (Nations OTC), and we can use our "allowance" cards in several different stores. The previously plan did not offer the retail option; you ordered by mail or online, and FedEx delivery was usually within 48 hours. With the new plan, we can purchase OTC and healthy foods at participating retailers. The plan can also still be used for online purchases if retail outlets aren't convenient. We mostly go to CVS or RiteAid, so that is where we will use our quarterly allowances.

When the new cards arrived, it took several days before we could get on the site to register. The product catalogue is extensive, and I've only read about half of it and have yet to peruse the healthy food options.

I haven’t seen any food items on my Medicare Advantage plan - Aetna HMO but it did go up to $45/mon. There were a number of different items too. One item I chose is a forehead thermometer. I thought that would be easier to use.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I looked at the Food & Beverage options available with our plan. There are literally hundreds of options in several different categories. Food/beverage items can't be ordered online and not all products are available at all retail locations.

Subcategories include: beverages, frozen, non-perishable, perishable, snacks & desserts. Finest categories include: fruits & vegetables, juices, meats, medical meals, prepared food (dinners, pizza, etc.), seafood. Some products are brands that are familiar, while others might be regional and I haven't ever seen them. The list seems endless!

 

[MimosaMornings]

How do you find these options on a Medicare plan? My parents said they don’t get a booklet.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

How do you find these options on a Medicare plan? My parents said they don’t get a booklet.

Medicare Advantage Plans | Medicare

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH waited on hold for half an hour yesterday to request a hard copy of the Nations OTC catalogue. No pricing is available on the website unless you order online. We'd prefer the convenience of purchasing OTC items at local retailers like CVS or RiteAid. A catalogue will be mailed to us, and we'll be able to see prices on items we wish to purchase.

Cold,snowy day here in metro Detroit. I noticed that Outbreak is on AMC at noon. Intense disaster-type movie about a rampant virus. Outbreak (1995) - IMDb

 

[JDG]

Contagion in a similar vein is on Netflix. Both are excellent if you're stuck in this winter storm.

Sure is a good day to watch ANY kind of movie, even Groundhog Day would suffice. lol

Time for a hot cuppa tea and some lemon cake.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Rooting thru my freezer again and found a container of meatballs in my homemade marinara. I put it in the pan frozen, covered the pot and set it to low. Now my house smells good. Comfort food is on the menu!

I’m debating making an apple pie on Saturday morning. I will actually make 2 because the gluten free crusts come in a two pack. You can’t thaw them individually. My girls are coming for dinner.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Rooting thru my freezer again and found a container of meatballs in my homemade marinara. I put it in the pan frozen, covered the pot and set it to low. Now my house smells good. Comfort food is on the menu!

I’m debating making an apple pie on Saturday morning. I will actually make 2 because the gluten free crusts come in a two pack. You can’t thaw them individually. My girls are coming for dinner.

Sounds great, PayrollNerd! I vote for apple pie. Yum!

 

[mickey2942]

Rooting thru my freezer again and found a container of meatballs in my homemade marinara. I put it in the pan frozen, covered the pot and set it to low. Now my house smells good. Comfort food is on the menu!

I’m debating making an apple pie on Saturday morning. I will actually make 2 because the gluten free crusts come in a two pack. You can’t thaw them individually. My girls are coming for dinner.

Sounds good. I am making an apple crisp tomorrow, a couple of apples a bit past their prime...don't throw them away. Part of growing up with grandparents who lived through the Great Depression...never throw any food away!

 

[PayrollNerd]

This has some good money saving tips.

On a budget? Here's how to save money on your groceries
How to save money on groceries and food shop on a budget - CNN

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The American grocery store is all about identity. And it's fueling a broken system. (nbcnews.com)

Instead of relying on a circus-like thrill of size and abundance, the grocery store of today competes by offering us cultural meaning.

 

[PayrollNerd]

The American grocery store is all about identity. And it's fueling a broken system. (nbcnews.com)

Instead of relying on a circus-like thrill of size and abundance, the grocery store of today competes by offering us cultural meaning.

My oldest is visiting and we were talking about how there are so many specialty grocery stores. It used to be Trader Joe’s and a local gourmet market. She has refused to go to Whole Foods now that Amazon bought it. She prefers to shop small and local whenever possible. She does go to Aldi’s and today there was something on sale at Fresh Market that she bought.

 

[PayrollNerd]

My birthday dinner with my girls tonight was delicious. (Bday is next week). The small bag of Gala apples from the food pickup was perfect!

My oldest bought us all Cuban takeout - roast pork, yellow rice, black beans and steamed vegs. Then, an eclair for my “cake” because I don’t like cake. The GF apple pies are a hit!

I looked at a bunch of recipes for apple pie. I mixed lemon juice, GF flour, regular sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon into a thick paste. I added that to the apples and stirred. Poured them into the pie shells. Then I used brown sugar, GF flour, vegan butter and cinnamon to create a crumble for the top. I did not measure anything. The girls say they are delicious.

 

[Panhypopit]

There are a couple special stores in the area, one favorite is a hidden gem for cheese! and packed on the holidays... they have great breads, Italian meats, “home made” sauces... I got addicted to the salt with rosemary, sage, garlic and pepper already in it... like a spa in a bottle.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

My birthday dinner with my girls tonight was delicious. (Bday is next week). The small bag of Gala apples from the food pickup was perfect!

My oldest bought us all Cuban takeout - roast pork, yellow rice, black beans and steamed vegs. Then, an eclair for my “cake” because I don’t like cake. The GF apple pies are a hit!...

Happy Birthday, and I'm glad that you are over your cold. We had takeout from our favorite Italian restaurant for my birthday last Wednesday. I had ravioli with meatballs, and DH had linguine with clam sauce. Dinner includes house salad and garlic rolls. We had cannolis for dessert and a nice bottle of wine. Italian Restaurant in Troy, MI | Picano’s Italian Grille

I love Cuban food! We discovered a fabulous Cuban restaurant near the Courtyard where we've stayed prior to cruises. Not sure if or when we will get there again. Padrinos

 

[anneg]

Happy Birthday, and I'm glad that you are over your cold. We had takeout from our favorite Italian restaurant for my birthday last Wednesday. I had ravioli with meatballs, and DH had linguine with clam sauce. Dinner includes house salad and garlic rolls. We had cannolis for dessert and a nice bottle of wine. Italian Restaurant in Troy, MI | Picano’s Italian Grille

I love Cuban food! We discovered a fabulous Cuban restaurant near the Courtyard where we've stayed prior to cruises. Not sure if or when we will get there again. Padrinos

Happy Birthday, and I'm glad that you are over your cold. We had takeout from our favorite Italian restaurant for my birthday last Wednesday. I had ravioli with meatballs, and DH had linguine with clam sauce. Dinner includes house salad and garlic rolls. We had cannolis for dessert and a nice bottle of wine. Italian Restaurant in Troy, MI | Picano’s Italian Grille

I love Cuban food! We discovered a fabulous Cuban restaurant near the Courtyard where we've stayed prior to cruises. Not sure if or when we will get there again. Padrinos

Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a tasty meal for your birthday. Won't it be nice when we can dine in our favorite restaurants again!

We had lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce from our local Italian restaurant on Friday, plus a slice of their delicious Limoncello cake. One order of each feeds us very well. I made a salad to go with it, and we had some bread to wipe up the delicious sauce. I hope I never find out how many calories are in that meal!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a tasty meal for your birthday. Won't it be nice when we can dine in our favorite restaurants again!...

Thanks for your good wishes Restaurants in Michigan are scheduled to reopen tomorrow (February 1) with specific restrictions on inside dining. DH and I are anxious to go out for a nice dinner but will wait a week or two to see how things go. Most restaurants around the state have been shuttered to inside dining since November 18. The entire holiday season was lost Takeout is not enough to sustain most dine-in restaurants. I hope things start to return to normal and that once restaurants reopen - they STAY open for good. No more business closures!