What have you been up to while at home? We’ve been catching up on movies and shows, walking our pup, playing games, organizing, baking, and making maple syrup. This week we’ve got to get back to business as online college, dance and high school schedules have to be set up. I still want to keep things scheduled for game time and down time for us. If we have to be home, I want to really take advantage of the time to really be together…
Besides keeping your hands away from your face and washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, there has been a recommendation for stocking up the pantry and snuggling down at home. I am a big fan of menu planning, stocking up the pantry, batch cooking and stashing a few meals in the freezer. I always think it is a good idea in our regular day to day lives, but especially now in current times.
Below I have a 2 week menu plan with a grocery list. This allows you to only need to go out once for two weeks, but also takes in to account having enough space in your freezer, fridge and shelves. My other suggestion right now is to see what you can pull together for meals from the supplies you already have at home. This is great to do whenever the food budget is a little snug, but I also like to do this a couple of times a year just to see what I’ve got to use up and to keep my food as fresh as it can be. You know how things can get shoved to the back of cupboards… time to see what you got!
To figure out what I already have on hand, I make a quick list of all the meat and veggies I already have in the freezer and refrigerator. Then I take all the cans, grains, and gluten free noodles from my pantry put them on the table, sorting into meals I can make. I jot down the meal idea on a list I hang on my fridge, adding anything else I need to get at the store to complete the meal. For example, using just the items in my cupboard and freezer I could easily make Pad Thai with chicken or shrimp (just need fresh cilantro and a lime – though I always seem to have that in my fridge), 3 different kinds of chili (Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili, Taco Chili and White Bean Chicken Chili), Black Bean Enchiladas (I could use a few more corn tortillas, but could make it work in a pinch), Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes and Tuna Veggie Casserole. That means I easily have over a week comforting, filling dinners as backup just sitting on my selves. Check your shelves – you will be surprised how much you already have on hand.
Below is a menu for two weeks for a family of four. With there still being a chill in the air I’ve leaned into warming flavors and comfort foods for this plan.
Grocery List and Menu Cards (all recipes for the week are on the download)
Breakfasts: You Pick It Smoothie Kits and Baked Apple Oatmeal Cups
Lunch: Sandwiches, Chicken and Broccoli Salad, Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes, and dinner leftovers.
Dinners:
Day 1: Slow Cooker Black Bean Salsa Chicken (freeze about half for day 10’s burrito bowls) over quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice
Day 2: Crustless Breakfast Quiche with fruit of choice
Day 3: Roasted Veggies & Sausage
Day 4: Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs with Roasted Brussels.
Day 5: French Dip Sandwiches (save half of the cooked beef for tacos) on Noah’s Rolls with veggies of choice on the side.
Day 6: Shrimp Pad Thai
Day 7: Slow Cooker Chicken Jambalaya over quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice
Day 8: Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili with tortilla chips
Day 9: White Bean & Ham Soup for the Slow Cooker
Day 10: Black Bean Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls (with left over Black Bean Salsa Chicken from Day 1)
Day 11: Skillet Lasagna
Day 12: Carrot Cake Pancakes with syrup, sausage and fruit
Day 13: Pizza Sloppy Joes on Noah’s Rolls with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and veggies
Day 14: Baked Beef and Black Bean Tacos with veggies