Fast and easy quarantine meal plan that is affordable, delicious and healthy. I will show how I meal plan for the week in less than 30 minutes, at the same time cleaning my fridge and creating my weekly shopping list.
With the Coronavirus effecting our lives, trips to the grocery stores have been reduced. Also, food prices have skyrocketed, with the average cost of food up 3% – 5%. It is harder to find deals and make your food budget stretch.
But don’t worry, with a little creativity and planning I will show you how I create my quarantine meal plan during these times.
Step 1: Go Shopping
STOP! Don’t head to the store.
As with any meal plan, you need to go shopping, but not to the store. Instead head to your fridge, this is where you want to start first.
Most of your fresh produce and leftovers have a short shelf life, this is what needs to be used first to eliminate food waste and save money.
Look at all the items that are going bad or close to expiring. You can use a whiteboard or a pen and paper to write down all the items that need to be used.
I am more of visual person, so I just take all the leftovers and produce that needs to be used and set it on the counter. When I set it all out, it gives me a better idea on how to repurpose them.
As you are going through your fridge, toss out items that have expired and wipe down the shelves, this will save tons of time.
Tip: This is where I save time and double on my task. As I pull items from the fridge I toss the bad food out and wipe down the shelves.
As I am doing my meal planning, and tossing out the foods that has gone bad, I save time and write down items for my next shopping trip.
Tip: I have a whiteboard on the kitchen, as I am cleaning my fridge and meal planning, I am making a list of items for the next shopping trip. As I head to the store I simply take a picture of the whiteboard and have my list ready.
Step 2: Repurpose your leftovers
Before cooking a new meal, see what you can repurpose. You might have ground beef from a few nights ago. You can use that to make tacos, stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice or pasta with ground beef and marinara. If you have leftover steam rice you can make fried rice or taco bowl.
Be creative, but in case you can’t come up with a recipe, do what I do and Google it.
When I am just out of ideas I got to Google and search on how to reuse whatever I have on hand and just like that I have dozens of recipes to choose from.
Step 3: Create your quarantine meal plan
By now you should have all the items that need to be used up on a sheet of paper or on your counter top.
You are ready to prepare your meal plan.
But if you are having a hard time here is a great website, http://www.allrecipes.com/. Here you can add your ingredients and get recipe ideas based on your ingredients. I use this website often when I am just out of ideas or in a rush.
Head to your pantry and freezer. Here you are looking for items to add to complete your meals for your weekly quarantine meal plan.
In your pantry you are looking for dried goods, these can be legumes, grains and pastas. As well as canned foods and fresh vegetables like carrots, potatoes and onions.
In your freezer look for frozen vegetables, meats, or that batch of extra lasagna you made a few weeks ago.
Remember that your pantry and freezer are there to enhance and complete your meals.
Tip: Don’t meal plan for more than 2 weeks out. I would highly recommend you only meal plan only for the week.
Step 4: Time yourself
I am busy, I don’t have time or the patience to create lists, inventory my food supplies weekly or monthly. I am not preparing for Armageddon, just my next meal.
Now I do inventory my food supplies twice a year to give me an idea on what to stock up on and I find that sufficient and highly recommend it.
When I am creating my meal plan I always time myself. I give myself between 15-30 minutes once a week do meal plan, clean my fridge and create my shopping list.
When you time yourself you almost make it a game, who can finish first, you or the clock. So remember to set your timer and make it fun.
You can read more about How to be more productive at home?
Step 5: Meal plan for the week only
Yes, you read that right. I never meal plan for the month as many would suggest.
It just requires too much work, time and commitment, and I hate to spend a lot of time on one task.
I meal plan for the week only, nothing beyond that. I do this for several reasons.
I clean my fridge only once a week, during trash day. This is the best time for me to double or even triple up on tasks and save time. You can pick whatever day of the week that works for you.
As I clean my fridge I use that time to make a plan on how I will repurpose any leftovers, make a list of foods that close to expiring and creating my meal plan.
Tip: Remember to set your timer.
As I am making my meal plan, I toss out the food that has gone bad, wipe down the shelves and create my week’s shopping list, in less than 30 minutes. That is what I call productivity, time and money savings.
Tip: Don’t over plan, just plan for 1-2 weeks out
Step 6: Create your shopping list for the week
As you are creating your meal plan and clean out your fridge, this is the perfect time for you to write down items you are running low and create your week’s shopping list.
Tip: Use a whiteboard to create your shopping list
I have a small whiteboard that is hanging on my kitchen wall. As I clean the fridge, look through my pantry and freezer I write down items I am running low on and creating my shopping list.
As I am heading to the store I use my phone and snap a picture of the whiteboard. This is a great way to stick to your shopping list, limit your trip to the grocery store because you forgot something.
Tip: As you are cooking use the whiteboard to write down items you are low on or are complete out of.
This is the white board I use, I love it for its clean design and just the right size, it also comes with a magnetic dry erase pen that sticks to the board.
Step 7: Make it healthy
Eat your veggies
Just because we are home it doesn’t we can’t eat healthy. These are some of favorite staple and inexpensive vegetables I have on hand always.
- Cabbage – great source of vitamins and minerals, and it will last you weeks in the fridge. I always buy the whole head of cabbage, it is cheaper and lasts longer.
When I am ready I just shred the whole cabbage and store it in a zip lock bag. I add it to ground beef as a filler and make it healthier, to soups and stews.
You can also steam it or bake it to bring out the sweetness and add it as a side vegetable. I often shred it and make a great salad, from Thai to a great coleslaw, or just pickled with sugar, water and vinegar.
- Carrots – another great vegetable that lasts a long time and can be used a many dishes.
- Iceberg or Romain lettuce – skip the precut bagged lettuce, buy either iceberg and Romain lettuce. They are healthy, inexpensive and last a long time in the fridge, more so the iceberg than the Romain in my experience.
- Potatoes – any type of potatoes, they are healthy and a great filler. You can make so many dishes from potatoes, from hash, to mashed, fried. You can add them as a filler to meat, soups and stews.
- Onions and garlic – great source of vitamins and minerals, and if you cooked down, they will give any dish a sweet and aromatic taste.
I will share some recipes with some of these vegetables and how I use them. But with just these few inexpensive vegetables you can make delicious and healthy meals at home.
Add grains, legumes and pasta
- Rice – I always have on hand rice, my favorites include jasmine rice and sushi rice. You can use them in soup, make a great taco bowl and just have it steamed with side of vegetables and teriyaki chicken.
- Dried peas – dried peas are a great healthy, delicious and very affordable. You can get green peas or yellow peas, but I prefer the yellow variety as they are sweeter, just my opinion. You can make a great pea soup in minutes in your pressure cooker.
- Beans – another great staple, wether dried or canned you should always have them on hand to add to a variety of dishes.
- Pastas – Easy, inexpensive staple and they come in all types of fun shapes. You can make a tomato based sauce, creamy sauce or simply drizzle olive oil on and it tastes delicious.
These are just a few of the grains and legumes I have on hand, but there are so many and different varieties.
Add your proteins
Whether animal or plant based proteins there are a number of choices. Some of the most inexpensive proteins include the following in this order:
- Chicken – I buy my chicken whole, it is less expensive. I usually buy 2-3 whole chickens and disassemble it and freeze it in sections. I use the carcass to make the best chicken broth and freeze that as well.
- Ground meats – ground meats tend to be cheaper, especially ground pork and beef. I always have them on hand for best meatloaf recipe you will find. You can also use the same recipe and make meatballs instead of meatloaf.
- Pork – certain cuts of pork are inexpensive and taste delicious. You can always find great deals and this is another great source of protein.
- Beef – beef unless ground tends to be a more expensive cut of meat. New York strip or Rib Eye is delicious but certainly are more luxurious cuts of meat, not very budget friendly.
- Fish – I love to make my teriyaki salmon, but at $9.99/pound it is certainly a luxury. There are a number of other more affordable varieties of fish, like tilapia, trout and grouper.
Recap of my 6 steps quarantine meal plan
Here is a quick recap of the steps I follow to plan my quarantine meal plan, which saves me time and thousands of dollars on my grocery bill, by reducing food waste.
- Go Shopping
Fridge first: Don’t immediately head to the store. Save time and money. Go through your fridge first, look for items that are expiring and need to be used soon. Focus on these items first, as they have a shorter shelf life: vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and any leftovers.
Freezer and pantry to complete your recipes: After you completed your fridge list, head to your freezer and pantry. Here you are looking to add things that will complete your meal plan.
Look for proteins, ready frozen meals, frozen veggies, canned beans and veggies, canned soups. Items that you know have been there for a long time and need to be used first.
Stuck on finding the right recipe, go to http://www.allrecipes.com/ here you can add ingredients and get recipe ideas.
2. Repurpose your leftovers
Repurposing leftovers is the best way to save money on your grocery bill and reduce food waste.
Don’t throw it in the trash, make another great meal from your leftovers. Stuck and can’t find a way to reuse your leftovers. Do what I do do, Google it, you will find dozens of ideas to add to your quarantine meal plan.
3. Create your quarantine meal plan
Create your meal plan, 7 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas. Don’t forget to batch cook and put it in the freezer for quick meal.
Tip: Take one day off from cooking. If budget allows order take-out, or pull out one of your batch cooked meals. You deserve some time off from the kitchen.
4. Time yourself
Meal planning shouldn’t take hours, it should take minutes. I give myself 15-30 minutes once a week, during this time I create my meal plan, clean my fridge and create my weekly shopping list.
Make it a game, time yourself and see who wins, you or the clock.
5. Meal plan for the week only
Don’t meal plan for the month, only meal plan 1-2 weeks out. This just requires too much commitment too far in advance, as well as making sure you have all the ingredients for the next 4 weeks.
6. Make it healthy
Add veggies to your meals to make them healthy and stretch your. Make legumes, grains, pastas, and rice a great side dish.