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Grocery Shopping—When Is The Best Time to Go?


In just a few short weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed our lives, from how we work to how we handle grocery shopping—if we can leave the house at all.

With some cities and states now thinking about easing social restrictions to reopen businesses, it’s more important than ever to be extra careful when it comes to running even the most essential errands. Although online ordering through services like Fresh Direct or Instacart is a great alternative to taking an extra trip outside the house, in dense areas like New York and Los Angeles, it’s been almost impossible to nab a slot. Curbside pick-up from major retailers is also a good option, but not all stores offer it and, again, it can be hard to access.

Whatever the reason, a trip to get groceries is something many of us can’t avoid. Given that the FDA recommends planning shops so that you bring home enough food to last you at least one to two weeks—a little longer than most of us are used to—a little strategizing can ease a lot of stress and make the process safer overall. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best tips to help shoppers stay safe while grocery shopping, including the best times to go, how to get in and out of stores safely, and what to wear to make the trip.

Before You Go

Get there before—or after—everyone else. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends going to the store early in the morning or quite late at night, when others haven’t started shopping or are wrapping up their days. Night owls, this is when to take advantage of those chains with 24/7 hours. Early risers, make sure to check your preferred retailer’s website before you head out the door. Some stores are reserving their first open hour or two for seniors.

Research when your local store is busiest. Google Maps tracks foot traffic at stores and other retail outlets with user-submitted data, then breaks it down by hour. Search your local grocery store before you shop to see when it’s emptiest. Sunday at 10 a.m., for example, is probably going to be busier than Tuesday at 7 a.m. If you have a flexible schedule, aim to go at a less busy time.

But also consider shopping somewhere you don’t usually frequent. Big-box stores aren’t the only option, especially if you live in a city with more speciality retailers. If the prospect of a crowded store stresses you out (understandable!), there are other options besides braving the masses or online ordering.

Look for mom-and-pop shops or mid-sized chains, like the beloved East Coast-headquartered H Mart, a Korean-American supermarket with 61 locations across the United States. Check out local grocers, which might have just the ingredients you need to inspire you to break out of a cooking rut.

But be sure to look up websites in advance; those are often tailored with specific information about what a store does and doesn’t have in stock and what policies it’s implemented to protect shoppers and workers. Call ahead to find out more or to ask specific questions.

Stretch your trip to the store and support local farmers or small businesses at the same time. Do quick search to see if there are any Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes in your area, or local butchers, bakers, or even restaurants, who’ve pivoted to delivering some bulk items or allow shoppers to pick up pre-paid orders from local greenmarkets or their storefronts.

With CSAs, you’re supporting local farmers and getting the freshest ingredients. Visit LocalHarvest.org to research CSA options near you.



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Watch a Woman Meet Her Newborn Son for the First Time After Being on a Ventilator for 11 Days Due to Coronavirus


Yes, there is still good news in the world in the time of coronavirus. We may be in the middle of a global health crisis the likes of which none of us has ever experienced, but every day inspiring stories of hope, help, and recovery are emerging and for that we’re so grateful.

Take Yanira Soriano, a woman who contracted COVID-19 while she was also 34 weeks pregnant in Long Island, New York. CNN’s Jake Tapper told her incredible story in a Twitter thread and the ending is a very happy one—but it didn’t begin that way.

Soriano became so ill doctors had to put her in a medically induced coma while also hooking her up to a ventilator to help her breathe. They were concerned she would not survive and delivered her baby via an emergency C-section. The infant was transferred to another hospital for monitoring. Miraculously, after 11 days, Soriano began to recover from the coronavirus. On April 15, she was released from the hospital to cheers from doctors and nurses.

But even more importantly, she was finally able to meet her son Walter for the very first time, with cameras recording her husband putting the newborn into her arms as she sat in her wheelchair surrounded by the hospital’s staff. Warning: It’s incredibly emotional—but the rare happy ending that we all need to see so much right now.

The online response to the story shows just how much the world is hungry for happy news during a really tough time. “I’ve sent this to my son who is an ER doctor,” one person tweeted. “These people do so much work to save lives and it’s easy to forget that they’re humans with emotions too. This is a lovely thread which portrays that very well.”

“That’s the sweetest thing, I’ve seen in awhile! I’m crying happy tears! Thank you for sharing. So many heros! [sic],” another wrote.

We hope Walter and his mom had a very wonderful first night together at home. Now, we’ll just be watching this video on a loop to keep our mood lifted.



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Prince Harry Just Opened Up About ‘Family Time’ With Meghan Markle and Archie in New Video


When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from their roles as working members of the royal family, they made it clear they would not be walking away from the charities and patronages they care so deeply about.

Harry made good on his word recently when he took part in a video call with parents and medical workers associated with WellChild, an organization providing care to seriously ill children and young people in the U.K. The Duke of Sussex has served as a patron for over 10 years, and even said “It’s very nice to see the familiar faces on here” during the video chat. On the call, he also let us in on how the Sussexes, including baby Archie, are faring during this period of self-isolation, which they are reportedly spending at their new home in Los Angeles.

“There’s a hell of a lot of positives that are happening at the same time and being able to have family time — so much family time — that you almost think, ‘Do I feel guilty for having so much family time?’ ” he said, per People. “You’ve got to celebrate those moments where you are just on the floor rolling around in hysterics. Inevitably, half an hour later, maybe a day later, there’s going to be something that you have to deal with and there’s no way you can run away from it.”

Harry then praised the caregivers who are working with children with special needs and require around-the-clock attention during this pandemic. “The resilience and strength that you guys have shown is absolutely incredible and you must never ever, ever forget that,” he said, according to Harper’s Bazaar. “And, of course, there’s going to be hard days, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you guys, having just one kid [myself]—an 11-month-old—so to see what you are doing on a day-to-day basis, I have so much respect for every single one of you.”

“On a day-to-day basis, it’s incredibly challenging for all you guys, but now this has taken it to a whole new level. … You are a shining example of being superparents,” he continued. “Spinning so many plates and juggling so many balls at the same time, it’s amazing.”

While (Prince) Harry and Meghan Markle’s plans for their newly-named Archewell charitable organization aren’t public knowledge yet, they are obviously keeping busy behind the scenes. Yesterday, it was announced that they are directing excess money made from their 2018 televised wedding to COVID-19 relief.



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51 Best Action Movies of All Time


Sometimes you just need to watch someone kick some ass on screen for a few hours—that’s where the best action movies come in.

Taking down bad guys, stealing cars, starting an intergalactic war, and good old-fashioned saving the world moments are what the best action movies are made of, but, for some reason, people seem to assume that the genre is dominated by muscled up actors who look like The Rock…or Harrison Ford, if you’re in an Indiana Jones sort of mood. We’re here to tell you that there are a ton of great picks that star and feature some pretty badass heroines. Yes, even before Wonder Woman hit the big screen in 2017.

Take ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ as the perfect example. The film, starring Charlize Theron, proved that women can even dominate a supposedly male-led franchise (sorry, Tom Hardy). Still don’t believe us? Here are 51 insane action flicks that also happen to have strong female leads throwing the punches.



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Dua Lipa's 10 Best (and Worst) Songs of All Time


“No Goodbyes” is a pretty song, sure, but, again, I just have a hard time remembering it when Lipa has so many slammers in her catalog.

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5. “Boys Will Be Boys”

Like “Good in Bed,” “Boys Will Be Boys” is also jarring on Future Nostalgia —not for its sound but its sentiment. It’s a very serious song about the innate differences between men and women. That’s a great, powerful statement to make, but it’s a bit off in the context of this album, which up until “Boys Will Be Boys,” is a full-on dance party about frothier topics.

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4. “No Lie” with Sean Paul

Lipa adopts a bit of a reggae-tinged accent on this tropical pop track, which in itself is just off.

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3. “High” with Whethan

This sexed-up song from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack never really takes off and has a beat drop that’s too muffled to properly enjoy.

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2 “Room for 2”

“Room for 2” is one of the only songs Lipa didn’t perform on her 2017 tour, and there’s a reason for that. It’s simply too damn sleepy, with a chorus that, sorry, sounds like a creepy children’s nursery rhyme.

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1. “My Love” with Wale, Major Lazer and Wiz Kid

The biggest crime here is that Lipa gets lost in the shuffle of her collaborators. That, and the fact the track is generic unz-unz fare. She has far better club songs. (Please see: My entire “best” list.)

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This Is the Best Banana Bread Recipe of All Time


If the result of a two-second Google search is correct, the first banana bread recipe appeared in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook, and later found mainstream success with the release of Chiquita Banana’s Recipe Book in 1950. In the six decades that have followed, everyone from Chrissy Teigen, Joanna Gaines, Kourtney Kardashian, divas, Nana, Sally, Southern ladies and everyone else you know have created their own quietly (or not, in Teigen’s case) superlative version.

Despite its lowkey everwhereness, banana bread always seemed to me the equivalent of staying in bed on a rainy day; a cozy, occasional delight. It’s the thing you grab a slice of at the buffet or the brunch table because it’s there, barely even tasting it as it goes down. Then came The Great Quarantine of 2020, and in a matter of weeks banana bread has found itself posturing alongside Dalgona coffee and sourdough as one of the Internet’s Favorite Things; a newfound salve seemingly tailor-made for the isolated reality we’ve found ourselves in.

At last count there are more than 1.3 million posts tagged #bananabread on Instagram; websites are consulting mental health professionals to unpack our newfound obsession; and bloggers are ranking celebrity recipes because what else do they have to do? The point: those of us privileged enough to be bored at home have gone banana bread crazy, and it doesn’t take a therapist to understand that sometimes it’s the most familiar, most utilitarian things that bring us comfort in times of uncertainty. Recipes that are practical, participatory, and whose outcomes don’t depend on their ability to photograph well (though that’s certainly a bonus). Banana bread is not a showpony like an Alison Roman Cookie nor is it as florid as Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon (something I personally say I’ll make “when I have time”).

During the last few quarantined weeks, I’ve seen dozens of varied banana bread recipes surface in my feed and I commend them all. But—and this is where things get controversial—I believe I am the owner of the best one.

To be clear, I did not create this banana bread recipe. It’s my mother-in-law’s, but since my husband and I have started making it, it’s been a gigantic hit with everyone we know. I’ve had fierce banana haters admit it’s delicious and I’ve had people request it for their birthday. Last fall, I got away with making a particularly large loaf for my mother as payment for watching my infant son for a week during a childcare snafu. The bottom line: this banana bread is the best.

Before you dive in (or challenge me), a few tips: Use a hand mixer if you can. You can blend the ingredients by hand but the end result will be denser and the flavors not as symbiotic. Do not use decently ripe bananas, they must be bordering on rotten. Also, do not add nuts. Nuts are for banana muffins, not bread. There’s a difference.



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