Due to COVID-19, we have been quarantining for well over a month now. And chances are, we or someone close to us will be celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or some joyous event during this time. Since today is my sweet husband’s birthday, ( aww! 🥰) I’ve put together some ideas for celebrating and throwing a memorable party while in quarantine.
Making It Special
Since graduating college, we have always lived a great distance from our families, so both my husband and myself spend most of our birthdays and holidays with just each other. (That came across way more Debbie-downer than I intended. 🤣)
When our family and most friends are a minimum of a 9 hour drive away, (and 36 hours of traveling when we lived abroad!) we don’t usually spend a lot of special occasions with them. So FaceTiming on birthdays and holidays is pretty standard for us. But I know for a lot of people, this is new, and can be extremely stressful and sad. So let’s try and get creative!
“Inviting People”
Arrange to FaceTime or do a video chat with your friends and family.
Organize for everyone to have a meal or eat dessert at the same time during the call. That way it feels more authentic. Plan games or silly trivia to make it more fun and interactive.
If virtual calls are not possible, there’s still the good old-fashioned phone call. I have seen people print photos of family member’s faces and place them around the table. Or for children’s birthdays, their stuffed animals have been party attendees. As are pets. 😉
Decorating
Draw handmade signs and decorate with whatever you have lying around the house: flowers from your garden, candles, ribbon, tulle, torn up colored paper for confetti, Christmas lights. Be inventive and innovative.
Don’t go to the store to buy a card. It’s not necessary. Handmade cards are more personal and show that you took a lot of time to create it. Send an ecard. Or order one online. (For Easter, my parents sent our dog Ellie a card from Hallmark which they will sign when we see them next. Also, notice the dog got the card, not me and my husband. 🤔 And it was an ornate 3-D card to boot! 😂)
Make a “cake” out of the canned goods and nonperishables you have lying around. This is certainly something I never thought I’d do! Print out the images of decorations. (And if you want to color them, it’s very therapeutic.) 😉
What To Cook
I haven’t been to the grocery store in weeks. 😳 In preparation for my husband’s birthday, I recently received an order of fresh produce through Instacart. (Can we just take a moment to thank these people for their hard work and dedication so that we don’t have to get out and go to the store! You all are rockstars!) ❤️
I have found it very easy to make delicious vegan meals with limited options. Vegan soups, stews, chilis, and curries are a great way to use beans, grains, and vegetables all in one dish. (Canned and frozen vegetables are essential during this time!)
Pasta is a simple go-to meal during quarantine. I have everything from chickpea, red lentil, and black bean pasta to whole wheat soba, udon, and ramen noodles in my pantry currently. Make your own sauce with canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and Italian spices. Or make it into a curry with coconut milk and curry paste or powder.
Or try stir fries, beans and rice, or homemade bean burgers.
Burrito bowls are an absolute must in our house! Cook brown rice with vegetable bouillon then add lime juice and zest when finished cooking. Top with beans (black, pinto, and chickpea are our favorites), sauteed onion and vegetables with spices to taste, then fresh tomato and avocado. If you don’t have fresh vegetables, no worries. It will still be delicious!
Check out my Pinterest board for more vegan recipe ideas with limited ingredients.
Baking with Limited Resources
Common vegan replacements for eggs include applesauce, mashed bananas, ground flaxseed, and chia seeds. Check out the list of vegan conversions listed on my Pinterest page.
I have never been a good baker. I find it incredibly stressful, especially since more often than not, it doesn’t turn out the way it’s supposed to! It’s become a known fact in the family that I don’t bake. And I definitely shouldn’t bake. 🤷♀️
That being said, I actually find vegan baking to be simpler and less complicated. Plus when you’re as bad at baking as I am, the standards are pretty low. 🤣
Here are the black bean brownies I made recently. They turned out better than I expected–however, I forgot to add chocolate chips and nuts, which it really could have used. 🤦♀️
Here are also some vegan frostings, sprinkles, and food coloring.
And here are few other vegan recipes that don’t require many ingredients and would be easy to make. A must in my house! 🙋♀️
3-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Cookies
Vanilla Cake
Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Frosting
Making Sure They Feel Loved
These events can still be unique when we get imaginative. Above all, make sure the person feels special and loved. Focus on the good and try to shut out the negativity. (We all know how much this sucks!)
Make it creative and make it fun. It might even end up being the most memorable one yet!
Years down the road, we’re going to look back on this time and these ideas are going to sound really corny! But for right now, this is our reality. This is what we must do to be responsible and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Please practice safe social distancing and don’t get together for holidays and special events. The more compliant we all are, the sooner we can slow the spread–and get out of quarantine and back to some sort of normal. We’re all in this together! ❤️
Have you hosted an event during isolation while maintaining responsible social distancing? I’d love to hear your creative ideas!
