Hi friends. So much has changed in the past few weeks – including how we’re approaching food. I’m used to leisurely browsing Trader Joe’s every weekend like clockwork. Now, whenever we venture into the grocery store, I’m furtively wiping down cart handles and trying to minimize the surfaces I touch. And if things couldn’t get any worse, there are no samples at Trader Joe’s. Woe is us.
We’re learning to adapt our meal planning for self-isolation. If you’re staring into the void of your pantry, wondering exactly how to use 12 cans of black beans, this post has everything you need to knock out your meal planning stress.
But first, some caveats: I am not a nutritionist or a survival expert. My husband and I don’t even have any dietary restrictions. So this post is NOT going to tell you exactly how many bags of rice you need to survive an apocalypse or how to maintain any specific diet while meal planning for social isolation. (P.S. If there’s any time to be kind to yourself and let that diet go, now would be the time.)
This post will cover:
- How we’re tweaking our meal planning method
- The pantry staples we use
- Recipes to pull together those staples into cohesive meals
Our Life Situation
First, for context: I’m a intermediate-level cook who is only meal planning for my husband and myself. We live in a two-bedroom apartment without a deep freeze or a huge pantry. We’re still going to the grocery store, but we’re trying to reduce our trips to once every two weeks or so. If you have a multitude of ravenous children, I send my deepest apologies.
Looking for more ideas for surviving self-isolation? Check out:
- 31 Free Things to Do When You’re Stuck at Home
- 10 Books to Escape Into Right Now
- How to Get Things Done while Working from Home
How We’re Meal Planning for Self-Isolation
My typical meal planning routine (outlined here) is mostly working, but needs some tweaks. Here’s the method I’m following to adapt meal planning for self-isolation and reducing grocery runs.
Before grocery shopping:
1. CHECK YOUR SHELVES
This is essential if you have limited pantry space. See what you have in stock already so you don’t have to find space for 12 cartons of chicken broth in your one-bedroom apartment. You do not need to panic buy, I repeat, you do not need to panic buy.
This might also be a good time to clean out your fridge and make as much space as possible.
2. Meal plan
I meal plan like normal for the week after we go to the grocery store: I make a list of meals from my Trello board of recipes and write down all the required ingredients.
Things have felt too fraught and uncertain to try to create a daily meal plan for longer than one week. So for week 2 (and beyond), I’ve been buying a bunch of pantry staples that can be combined in multiple ways.
After grocery shopping
This is where lists become your best friend.
Optional step 1: Make a master list of meals. You can skip this step. But if you’re anxious about meal planning during self-isolation, can I encourage you to try it? I find it super helpful to have a list of all of the meals we can make. It reduces any panic and gives me backup ideas if I don’t feel like making what’s on the meal plan.
Step 2: Use the Week 1 meal plan you already made. Include a plan for lunch. Prioritize meals that use the perishable ingredients.
Step 3: After those meals have been made, make a Week 2 plan, including a plan for lunch. Check the fridge for other perishable ingredients to use up ASAP, then use the pantry/freezer staples.
The Pantry and Freezer Staples We Rely on for Meal Planning for Self-Isolation
Here’s what I’m keeping in stock.
In the fridge
- Romaine lettuce (the kind that’s still attached to the head. If you leave it until you’re going to use it, then wash it and put it in a lettuce keeper or Ziploc with paper towels, it keeps WAY longer than bagged salad mix.
- Kale. We also have a bag of this in the freezer. (We don’t actually eat that much kale… I accidentally bought an extra bag. But you can freeze it just fine!).
- Carrots
- Almond milk. It lasts way longer than regular milk!
- Tortillas. If you need lots, these freeze up fine, too.
- Eggs.
- Apples and oranges. These, especially oranges, keep for a long time in the fridge.
- Sauces. This is key, my friends. You could eat frozen chicken with some kind of veggie and carb pairing for a week if you used a different sauce each time. We always a million of bottles around, but our must-haves are the Trader Joe’s Soyaki (either regular or the Island version), a seasoned mayo, ranch, and barbecue sauce.
In the freezer
- Frozen veggies. If these are all gone, you can buy the fresh ones and freeze them yourself.
- Frozen meat. We buy frozen chicken, and we’ll freeze ground sausage and ground beef/turkey when we bring it home.
- Frozen meals. We love us some Trader Joe’s orange chicken. But fair warning, these seem to be the least cost effective option if you’re on a budget.
- Frozen garlic naan from Trader Joe’s. It makes any meal 12 times more delicious.
- Bread. We buy at least 2 loaves, keep one out to eat right away, and freeze the others.
- Yeast. For homemade pizza dough. Plus, if disaster strikes, I can make bread. (Adam would like this to happen sooner rather than later. The homemade bread, not the disaster.)
- Butter
- Cheese. I am stocking up on our next grocery run, because we are currently out, and it is cramping my style.
In the pantry:
- Canned tomatoes (San Marzano, if possible!)
- Marinara sauce
- Salsa.
- Rotel tomatoes. (Apparently I have a thing for tomato products.)
- Chicken broth.
- Black beans
- Dried pasta
- Rice
- Sweet potatoes
- Onions
- Shelf-stable milk. We don’t have enough room in our terribly laid out fridge for more than one carton of almond milk, so I’m going to check out these varieties on our next grocery run.
- Extra peanut butter. Beyond being a great protein source, peanut butter is the one thing that must be on hand at all times or else I don’t know what to eat for breakfast.
- Popcorn kernels. This is actually a necessity. Stovetop popcorn is keeping us going.
- Tortilla chips. Guys. They’re so adaptable. Make nachos, or add to eggs for migas, or crush over a taco salad or BBQ chicken salad.
- Baking ingredients. Only required if you stress bake.
- Canned soup, especially chicken soup. Just in case!
Our Favorite Recipes for Self-Isolation
If you’re stuck for how to combine all those pantry staples as you meal plan during self-isolation, here are some ideas. Just about everything can be made from the ingredients listed above. Additional ingredients, including ones that are perishable, are noted!
This is probably a good time to get comfortable with the idea that you don’t have to follow a recipe to the letter. If you’re missing an ingredient, Google substitutes and taste as you go. You’ll be just fine.
Chili
I use a recipe from the Essential Instant Pot Cookbook. If you don’t have a recipe yet, Google is your friend. This one is great for making a huge batch and freezing. Perishable ingredients: bell peppers, celery. Optional (amazing) topping: Trader Joe’s cornbread crisps.
Baked pasta
This is one of our favorites, and it’s super adaptable! We often exchange the meatballs for ground sausage and the spinach for kale. Perishable ingredient: milk (you could substitute water in a pinch).
Trader Joe’s orange chicken
We don’t need Chinese takeout now that we have this. We pair with rice and frozen stir fry veggies.
Southwest Chicken Skillet
This is quick and delicious. Perishable ingredients: only the optional toppings (like avocado and green onions).
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
One of Adam’s favorites. We typically substitute the spinach for kale here as well.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
If you want crazy-amazing grilled cheese, add a layer of mayo AND a layer of butter to the outside of the bread. The extra fat makes for an extra-golden toast.
Chicken coconut curry
This is one of my favorite recipes recommended by the hosts of the podcast Sorta Awesome. Perishable ingredient: limes, some kind of milk. The recipe calls for coconut milk (which is not perishable!), but you could use regular milk or cream too. For an alternative curry recipe, try Trader Joe’s red or yellow curry sauces. Throw in some chicken and frozen veggies, and you’ve got dinner. Adam likes to add something creamy to this, too.
Stuffed sweet potatoes
Love these so much. You are going to need hot sauce and honey, and we mix a smidge of barbecue sauce in the chicken as well. Perishable ingredient: Greek yogurt and cilantro for the topping. You can just use ranch or blue cheese if you don’t have those in stock.
Funeral buns
If you aren’t from the Midwest and getting this recipe from a church cookbook, you probably call these ham sliders. You will need deli ham, sliced cheese, and brioche or Hawaiian buns of some kind. And a whole lot of butter. All of those things can be frozen.
Instant Pot crack chicken
This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes. (You could make it in a slow cooker, too!) It can be used in tons of ways, it makes a bunch, and leftovers can be frozen. Perishables: cream cheese.
Shakshuka
Love love love this super-quick dinner. You will want feta (and Trader Joe’s garlic naan) if you want this to live up to its potential. It also calls for jalapenos, which I have left out or substituted for
Homemade pizza
Stock up on your favorite toppings (pepperoni freeze great!). I’m still looking for the perfect dough recipe that doesn’t need to rise for long, but I’m excited to try this one. If you’re in a pinch, you can also make passable pizza with naan, pitas, or English muffins. We also love to make pizza dough into calzones.
Quesadillas
You are a kitchen wizard and don’t even need a recipe for these.
Fried rice
This method for making fried rice explains how to adapt it to whatever you have on hand!
The Lazy Genius Noodle Bowl
You can pull this off with just about any combination. Frozen veggies are totally acceptable.
Now go conquer dinnertime! (And breakfast, and lunch, and snacks…)
How are you mastering meal planning for self-isolation? What’s on your grocery list? Tell me everything in the comments or @annaleighsaxton on Instagram!
