Social distancing means trying to avoid going out as much as possible. This means not eating out, not seeing friends, and even avoiding going to the grocery store as much as possible. I’m trying to do my part by ordering the all goods from my favorite brands that sell Direct to Consumer (DTC).
I can just get online and order exactly what I want without having to worry about stores being sold out of my favorite items. It’s just an added bonus that it helps to cut down on my trips to the outer world. Here’s some of my favorite Direct to Consumer brands for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert that you can get shipped right to your door.
CORE Foods
CORE Foods’ Overnight Oats Bars are a metaphorical shoutout to all those healthcare workers and other essential employees out there. The rest of us are able to stay home because you all have the courage to get up every day and go to work. Hopefully a bar packed with oats and probiotics in the morning can be easy and delicious fuel to get you through the morning that you can get delivered directly to your door.
Bomani Cold Buzz
Alcoholic. Cold. Brew. Because there are no rules in quarantine. And you’re going to have to get creative with your boozy brunches. This stuff is the combination of delicious coffee and around 5.7% ABV, without the cream that comes with Bailey’s and gives most of us a stomach ache. Bomani Cold Buzz also can be used to make fun mixed drinks as extra as the heart desires.
Kashi
For those of us staying home and #socialdistancing, I highly suggest putting together some comfort meals. It helps to combat the anxiety and variety of emotions we’re all going through right now. One way that I think about comfort meals is finding things that I remember eating from childhood. For breakfast, that’s cereal. You can order a huge variety of cereal types from Kashi online through Target to get your recommended fiber and protein in while still feeling like you’re indulging in your favorite childhood morning meal.
#SpoonTip: Try the combination of Coconut Almond Crunch cereal with coconut milk for a tropical breakfast.
Ark Foods
While a lot of stores are still open for takeout, I’ve been trying to save some money by cooking all of my meals at home. Just because my brain is trying to be rational doesn’t mean my stomach is going to stop craving my takeout favorites. That’s where Ark Foods comes in. They have vegan veggie and sauce meals that are reminiscent of your favorite takeout available through FreshDirect. I love the General Tso’s cauliflower and sesame noodles for some Chinese takeout vibes.
Tessemae’s
If you’re more of a cold lunch kind of person, you can even get Tessemae’s salad dressings, dips, and marinades delivered straight to your door. With first order discounts and free shipping on larger orders, there’s no reason not to try out what may be your new favorite salad dressing. I enjoy using Cilantro Lime Ranch dip for a snack plate with veggies and Pipcorn snacks for a little salty-crunchy addition. Or try the creamy green goddess dressing on a delicious kale salad.
Banza Pasta
I’ve been obsessed with Banza for a few years now. In my mind, it’s pasta that tastes just as good as the original but has extra protein, fiber, and nutrients that keeps my body feeling good. I love to make a big bowl of pasta with my favorite homemade-tasting sauce, Rao’s, and the most delicious, high quality meat that can also be ordered DTC, Force of Nature. It’s the perfect filling and nutritious meal that takes about 30 minutes to make and doesn’t even require a trip to the grocery store.
Van Leeuwen
Didn’t think you could get your favorite ice cream now that New York is pretty much completely shut down, did you? Thankfully, Van Leeuwen has ice cream pints available online for order. You can get a pack of 6 pints, so it should last you… at least a week?? I personally go for the vegan flavors because they’re all the delicious of ice cream with none of the stomach ache that’s sure to follow eating all that dairy.
Bear Naked
Bear Naked granola has been on my list of favorites for a long time, but now that they have the premium granola options, it tops my list. Think of them as dessert granolas. They come in flavors like white chocolate macadamia nut and dark chocolate hazelnut butter. They are perfect on their own, but even better as a topping for ice cream, like Van Leeuwen.
You can find Bear Naked on any of your favorite online grocery suppliers, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Sunday Scaries
I’ve been feeling extra stressed these past few weeks, but CBD gummies at night at least help me get to sleep. With a million things going on at the same time and a million thoughts rushing through my head, it’s hard to wind down. This is an easy, low risk way to take CBD and help put your mind at ease. As someone who has gotten legit Sunday Scaries for a long time, I appreciate the irony of the fun brand name as well.
We’re all feeling a little uncomfortable with going to the grocery store right now, but that doesn’t mean that you have to eat pathetic bowls of ramen and canned soup all the time.
Try ordering some of these amazing brands online to do your duty in staying home, support some smaller businesses, and avoid the frustration of realizing you took the trip to the store only to realize the pasta, ice cream, or granola you really wanted was sold out. Be sure to continue to support your favorite brands to the best of your ability in this time by making purchases and posting about them online.
We’ll all get through this together.