Your Pantry During a Pandemic with Nom Nom Paleo’s Michelle Tam
Episode 04
Now that so many of us are figuring out what it looks like to be home all the time, we also find ourselves cooking, cooking, cooking. Whether you’ve got a family of seven like Jen, or are cooking for one, the temptation to stress eat (Doritos anyone? chased by some Haagen Dazs?) is strong. And conversely, so is the pressure to feed yourself and family well during a time of crisis when budgets may be under assault and grocery store trips aren’t as fruitful as they used to be. We have just the person to guide us through what to stock in our pantries during such a time as this–Nom Nom Paleo’s Michelle Tam. Michelle, along with her lawyer husband Henry, have created a delicious and whimsical food brand that includes an award winning blog, app and best selling cookbooks. And lest you think that Michelle’s pantry is filled with almond flour, ghee, and kale chips, she admits to us that there might be a can of Spam or two in the mix. With grace and humor, she gives tips on what we can easily procure for our pantries to create delicious, filling and affordable meals, but assures us that you’re not a food failure if your kids get hot dogs every once in a while.
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Quarantine Queens bonus series on the For the Love Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here. So we are hosting the most excellent leaders and thinkers and experts we can find to help us navigate all the pieces of this socially isolated space we are now finding ourselves in. We are releasing these episodes for you on Monday and on Fridays, trying to serve you as best we can. And then our regular For the Love Podcast episodes are still dropping on Wednesdays. We’re just doubling down everywhere. The Wednesday series right now is so smoking. It’s the Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire series which we already loaded up with the greatest of the greatest. So, I mean, what else do we have to do? I can sit here and podcast in my house and you can sit there in your house and listen.
So, we’re a couple weeks into quarantine at this point and just like here at the Hatmaker house, I am guessing that your food situation might be getting a little interesting right now. Some of our staples are not on the shelves, and we’re feeding people 24/7. We’re cooking virtually every meal. We’re trying to be careful with quantities and leftovers and snacks, and I’m just telling you,I get it and I love to cook. I’m a person who loves the kitchen and loves food and loves cooking and even I am like–it cannot be time for another meal. It just can’t be.
So I decided to call in a reinforcement today to give us fresh new ideas on ways to feed ourselves well and our families. And so my outstanding guest today is Michelle Tam. You probably know her, she’s so fantastic. She’s a working mom and food nerd behind Nom Nom Paleo. I have followed her for years.
So Michelle, along with her lawyer husband Henry, has created this entire delicious and whimsical food brand that includes an award winning blog, app and best selling cookbooks. She’s no joke. She’s a food expert. And get this–this is an interesting fun fact: for years, Michelle actually worked the graveyard shift at Stanford Hospital and Clinics as a night pharmacist before she switched full time to blogging and creating recipes and delicious healthy food for all of us to consume. Isn’t that awesome? So she is a renaissance woman of epic proportions.
Michelle and Henry and their sons Owen and Oliver split their time right now between Palo Alto and Portland. And so right now they’re weathering the pandemic in the Bay Area, which as you know, is a real hot bed and she and I talk about what it is like to live in the San Francisco area right now.
She is great, you guys. I have enjoyed following Michelle online. I make her food, for sure. She’s funny, she’s smart, I love her family. Couldn’t think of a better person to have on today. So it’s impossible not to enjoy her and she brings us so many great tips today that I am literally going to put into rotation this very day. So welcome my guest today, Michelle Tam.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
- Website: JenHatmaker.com/FierceEvent
- Book: Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire by Jen Hatmaker
- Website: JenHatmaker.com
- Jen Hatmaker’s Facebook Page
- Jen Hatmaker’s Instagram Page
- Jen Hatmaker’s Twitter Page
- Sponsor: International Justice Mission Stories of Hope
- Website: NomNomPaleo.com
- Nom Nom Paleo Cookbooks
- Michelle Tam’s Carnitas Recipe
- Michelle Tam’s Kalua Pig Recipe
- Facebook Post: Jen’s Big Snack Board
- Michelle Tam’s Paleo Pot Stickers
- Michelle Tam’s Paleo Scallion Pancakes
- Michelle Tam’s Garbage Stir Fry
- Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 Breathing Exercises
- Website: Jen’s Podcast Team, Four Eyes Media
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