Easy Cooking For Social Distancing In An Apartment
Social distancing can be difficult, but cooking doesn’t have to be! This is especially true when you live in a Garden Community because your kitchen it outfitted with all the bells and whistles to make cooking a joy. Whether you’re a novice or a professional, we have some helpful tips and homerun recipes for you to try in your rental apartment.
Shop At Local Food Stores & Markets
First things first—you can’t cook without the right ingredients! Fortunately there’s a food store near every community, and many offer pickup and delivery so you can get your food safely. Be sure to patron your local farmer’s market, too! Any chef will tell that the secret to any great meal is to use the freshest ingredients, and farmer’s markets will always carry in-season produce. You can also try your hand at indoor gardening and grow plants to use in your cooking.
Local Food Stores:
– Publix Super Market at City
– Plaza Tampa Palms
– Taaza Market (Indian)
– Land & Sea Market Tampa Palms
Local Farmer’s Market:
– Temple Terrace Farmers Market
– Sprouts Farmers Market
– Tampa Bay Farmers Market
The Landings at Cypress Meadows
Local Food Stores:
– Whole Foods Market
– Winn-Dixie
Local Farmer’s Market:
– Sprouts Farmers Market
– Lake Chapman Market
– Tampa Bay Farmers Market
Local Food Stores:
– Publix Super Market at Palm Bay Center
Local Farmer’s Market:
– Purity Garden Produce
– Downtown Melbourne Farmer’s Market at Riverview Park
Brain Power Breakfast
Experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Since it’s the first food your body gets, it should be a nutritious meal to fuel the rest of the day’s activities. Don’t make the mistake that nutritious has to be bland or boring. These recipes are easy to make in an apartment, kid friendly and will get you off to a great start in the morning.
Maple, Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Overnight Oats
What’s easier than oatmeal? The kind you make while you sleep. If you know you have a big conference call first thing in the morning or have to get the kids to school on a day when they aren’t homeschooled, overnight can’t be beat. Just put it in the fridge before bed, and then grab and go in the AM.
Total Time: 5 Minutes
Appliance: Refrigerator
*These make a great and easy breakfast for Thanksgiving in your apartment!
Banana Oat Muffins
A fun take on classic breakfast muffins and granola, these don’t just look cute—they’re good for you too! These are a great option for vegans and vegetarians. There’s neither flour nor sugar and only 4 ingredients. You can customize your banana oat muffins however you like to make personalized treats for the whole family. The granola and fruit will give the athlete the energy they need, the off campus student will get important brain food, and mom will be happy for a quick, no fuss breakfast.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Appliance: Oven
Frittata
Want a protein kick in the morning? You can’t go wrong with a frittata! Not only does this egg-based meal serve a group of people, but it keeps great for later and makes excellent left overs. Speaking of left overs, a frittata should always be a card up your sleeve for left over vegetables. Those extra sautéed veggies from dinner the other night make a tasty addition to the frittata, giving it professional flavor complexity. That’s a shortcut you can’t beat!
Total Time: 1 Hour
Appliances: Stove & Oven
Lunches The Family Will Love
Lunch. Brunch. Whatever time you want it or whatever you want to call it, this meal is a favorite! Try these easy and yummy spins on classic lunchtime cuisine.
Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich
It’s time to level up grilled cheese, and the only way this classic could be better: bacon and guacamole. Put it all together and you have a crispy, melty, toasty, awesome sandwich.
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Appliance: Stove
English Muffin Caprese Pizza
Everyone likes pizza, but it can be difficult to make on the spot when you get that 2pm craving. Not anymore! With this recipe you can make personal pizzas in a jiffy that the whole family will love to snack on. This is a kid-approved lunch that makes dad’s life a little easier in the afternoon.
Total Time: 10 minutes
Appliance: Oven
Southwest Quinoa Salad
Want a healthy, light and guilt-free lunch? This Southwest quinoa salad really takes the cake. Gluten-free and packed with protein, quinoa is a go-to for health gurus. The Southwest twist packs it full of flavor and other essential nutrition from avocado, veggies and seasonings.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Appliance: Stove
Delectable Apartment Dinners
Dinner is the quintessential meal that brings people together. However, it’s usually the meal that is the most complicated to prepare. We’ve curated an assortment of dishes that are both crowd-pleasers and apartment-kitchen-friendly.
One Pot Honey BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
Savory, sweet and soulful, this one-pot recipe will have the whole family begging for seconds. No one will believe how easy it is to make—even your mother in law will be impressed!
Total Time: 30 minutes
Appliance: Stove
Spicy Pad Thai
Take a cue from the cuisine masters of the East and try your hand at this Thai dish. A lot of people think that making Asian cuisine is difficult, but the truth is that it’s easy! Few simple dishes compare to the savory flavor of Pad Thai. The best part, you can make it as spicy as you want (or not)!
Total Time: 30 minutes
Appliance: Stove
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken (Cracker Barrel Inspired)
Cracker Barrel is known for it’s classic American cuisine, and there’s no resisting its broccoli cheddar chicken. With this simple recipe packed with veggie nutrition and protein you can bring this family favorite right to your own kitchen table.
Total Time: 55 minutes
Appliance: Oven
Garden Communities in Florida are excellent choices for the off campus student, the career professional, families and singles alike. The spacious kitchens are just one key feature of the lifestyle you can live here, and if you ever want someone else to cook, there are many great places that offer takeout near your community. Now that you have master your chef skill, you can put your green thumb to the challenge and start growing indoor plants and herbs in your apartment for your delicious recipes.