My Best Tips This Week for Food + Beauty During the Quarantine

From boiling eggs to freezing milk to keeping hair and nails “presentable” while salons are closed, here is my quarantine advice this week.

Cooking “Back to the Basics”

Here are some helpful basic recipes that will make cooking easier any time, but especially during a quarantine.  I share what I consider basic need-to-know recipes. Below I share how to make all white meat chicken, hard boiled eggs, rice (without a rice cooker), and dry beans (for this recipe) and sausage (for a skillet meal).

• Baking Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts will yield all white meat chicken for soups, chicken salad, casseroles, etc…
• My method for foolproof hard boiled eggs is an easy way to make boiled eggs to keep in the fridge (up to a week).
• Rice is a pantry staple. No rice maker needed for this perfect every time rice made in the oven. 
• Dry beans are cheap. This recipe for Cajun red beans and sausage is easy and perfect to serve over rice.
• Cajun or smoked sausage keeps well and can be used to make fabulous meals. This skillet meal is one of our favorites.

You can eat for weeks or longer by making the basic foods above and adding fresh fruits and vegetables as you are able to get them if in a quarantine situation.  Below are photos of the sausage skillet meal and red beans and rice that are easy, yummy and budget friendly.

How to freeze milk.

It is helpful to know how to freeze milk during hard times. You can buy a few extra cartons of milk and freeze them. I buy the plastic half gallons; you can buy the carton as well. All you do is pour off about 1/2 cup of milk from the carton, then replace or close the lid. Freeze for up to 4 weeks. To thaw, simply place the frozen milk in the fridge to thaw naturally.

How to manage hair and nail salon closures.

Removing Gel or SNS Nails

Many of us who have gel or SNS nails are having to take them off ourselves. My friend Marie did some research and shared some of the items we need to remove our own SNS or gel nails. Below are the two main items that are needed. I just ordered off amazon; links are below.

• These remover wraps are like the ones used in the nail salons. You use these to soak nails in acetone.
• I ordered this acetone to use with the wraps. It won’t deliver until April 23rd, but I am ordering in case I can’t find sooner
• in a local retail outlet.

Managing roots and brassy tones

If you have routine highlights and/or color done by a salon professional, you are likely starting to see roots right now (or will be soon). There are a few options for those of us who don’t want to apply harsh or permanent color but do want a refresh. My friend Leigh Ann is the Queen of doing your own hair. Here are her tips and what I bought yesterday. Note: Choose a color specific to your hair type.

• Kristen Ess Signature Hair Color Gloss. I bought this color at my local Target; applying it soon and will update.
• Clean Freak spray on color. I bought this medium shade ordered and picked up at Target.
• Batiste spray on color. I got this divine dark at Target. Ordered online and picked up.

Below is a short video where I show my hair before the gloss, how I applied it, and how it looked after. I think it definitely made a subtle difference. It was like a refresh, and it neutralized my brassy tones.

This Week’s Podcast

This podcast on sex trafficking is one that is worth a listen. I encourage all who care about a problem that affects us all to take 30 minutes to hear from two women who are making a difference.

I hope these tips are helpful to you all. Most importantly, I hope and pray that you and yours stay well during this difficult time.