In Quarantine? Try This 2-Week Meal Plan!

Dive into a two-week feast schedule perfect for those staying snug as a bug at home – think quarantine chic! This plan comes with **all the bells and whistles**: complete shopping lists to grab, portion guidance to avoid any guesswork, tips on stashing away leftovers for a rainy day, and even some swanky swap-out meal ideas. [Check it out here!](https://thestayathomechef.com/14-day-meal-plan/) You’ll become the master of your kitchen, whipping up dishes that’ll make your taste buds dance. Why keep reading? Because knowing the ins and outs of this culinary adventure could turn your next two weeks into a flavor-filled journey you never saw coming!

We are all extremely busy and committed to doing everything in our power to reduce the risk of exposure, particularly to the most vulnerable populations. Here are recipes to help you with delectable dinners that won’t make you feel like you’re eating from the cupboard, whether you are already in quarantine or are just trying to reduce your exposure. (1)

In order to provide you with 14 days’ worth of dinners that center on meats that can be frozen, pantry staples, and frozen vegetables, we hand-picked dishes from our collection of favorites. Some of these recipes won’t need any adjustments, while others might call for fresh food instead of frozen. (1)

You may make things work for you by omitting some ingredients where it is essential and getting creative with the ingredients you already have on hand.

It is important to keep in mind breakfast, lunch, and snacks when meal planning and making shopping lists. (1)

However, given that breakfast, lunch, and snacks can heavily rely on shelf-stable cereals, bread (which can last for a long time in the freezer!), nut butter, and oats, we are going to keep the focus of our quarantine meal plan on dinner. You can manufacture and store big batches of a quick pancake mix; all you need to do when you’re ready to cook it is add water. (1)

30-MINUTE TACO SOUP

The preparation of taco soup takes little time and effort, and it calls for many canned goods typically stocked in a pantry. Taco soup is delicious and satisfying. Regardless of your approach to making this dish, you won’t be disappointed with the outcome. (1)

Whether you start from scratch with dry beans, canned beans, frozen broth, or shelf-stable broth, the flavor won’t be affected in any way, and you can get the same great results from any of these options. If you are starting with dry beans, cook them first and then soak them for at least one night before using them. (1)

SERVE WITH: although this dish may stand alone as a meal, if you have any tortilla chips, shredded cheese, or sour cream on hand, feel free to include them.

If you don’t like taco soup, French onion soup is highly recommended.

BEST BAKED LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN

This has a very short period of time needed for preparation, and the entire process may be completed in fewer than forty minutes. Boneless and skinless chicken breast purchased frozen can be thawed in advance in the refrigerator, in a bowl of cold water with an airtight bag containing the chicken, or even in the microwave using the defrost setting. (1)

If you do not have any lemons available, you can always utilize lemon juice that has been bottled. When lemons are on sale, our family like to load up on them, quickly juice them, and then freeze the juice in either ice cube trays or glass jars that are a half pint in size. There is no need to garnish with parsley that is fresh. You can easily leave it out or substitute dry parsley in its stead. (1)

You can serve this with fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables and simple cheesy rice pilaf.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

There is something about a bowl of chicken noodle soup that instantly improves your mood and gives you a feeling that your soul is being warmed from the inside out. Additionally, it is an excellent method for making use of the canned vegetables that you keep on hand “just in case.” (2)

This soup can be made using fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables. You can also use any type of chicken that you have on hand. In addition, you may prepare this in a slow cooker if you like! You can serve this with frozen, tinned, or fresh vegetables and simple cheesy rice pilaf. (2)

NO FUSS CLASSIC CHILI

When you think of cooking using ingredients from your cupboard, you generally think of beans. Chili is the ideal dinner to prepare when only a few elements are available. (2)

We are confident that you have a tube of ground beef stashed away someplace in your freezer, and the remaining ingredients may be found in your cupboard. (2)

SERVE WITH: although this dish may stand alone as a meal, if you have any tortilla chips, shredded cheese, or sour cream on hand, feel free to include them.

ROASTED CHICKEN

This is our go-to method for preparing and roasting chicken, so we usually have extra whole chickens stashed away in the freezer when we need them. You can carve the bird and serve it in its current form or remove all of the meat from the bird and utilize it in any way you see fit! (2)

You can simply omit the lemon and fresh rosemary if you don’t have access to those ingredients; nevertheless, they contribute to the dish’s flavor—a useful piece of advice: shred and store for later using any chicken that has been left over. (2)

To complete the dish, add chopped potatoes, carrot pieces (or baby carrots), and onion wedges to the pan during the final 40 minutes of cooking.

THE BEST TUNA CASSEROLE

We adore how simple it is to adapt this recipe to make it work with whatever ingredients you have on hand. If you don’t have any egg noodles on hand, you may substitute virtually any other kind of pasta. (2)

Consider penne, rigatoni, or macaroni noodles as some examples of the kinds of short or tube-shaped pasta that perform well with this technique rather than lengthy noodles. This recipe can also use reconstituted onions, pre-minced garlic, and freeze-dried onions. Panko bread crumbs are a type of Japanese bread. (2)

The stale bread you have lying around in your kitchen can be used to produce bread crumbs. Simply process it in a food processor until it reaches the required size crumb, then place it in a bag that can keep out air and freeze it. (2)

SERVE WITH: You don’t need anything else because this is already a full supper. A delicious addition to this dish would be fresh or canned fruits or a fruit smoothie.

PASTA CARBONARA

Tonight’s meal is going to be wonderful for you. Not only is this recipe absolutely delectable, but it also makes extensive use of ingredients that are commonplace in most kitchens’ pantries and freezers. (3)

Eggs have a shelf life that is significantly longer than that of bacon, but bacon is very simple to freeze and thaw. You might find yourself tempted to consume this on a daily basis. (3)

SERVE WITH: Although this is a complete dinner, you can always serve it with veggies that have been frozen, tinned, or fresh-cut from the garden. Others love eating this with garlic bread!

MOM’S CHICKEN POT PIE

At this point, we are well aware that you would give everything for some good, old-fashioned comfort food. Enter chicken pot pie. Do you remember how we prepared chicken by roasting it a few days ago? You can just repeat the previous step and use the shredded chicken, boneless skinless chicken breasts, or even chicken from a can in this recipe. (3)

You can be as inventive as you like with the vegetables; if you didn’t get your hands on fresh vegetables, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables would serve just well in this recipe. A helpful hint is to prepare two servings and then freeze one for later use. It does not require a significant amount of additional time or work at all! (3)

SERVE WITH: you don’t need anything else because this is already a full meal.

DUMPLINGS AND CHICKEN PREPARED IN A CROCK-POT

We know you have been looking forward to a hearty recipe for the crockpot, and here it is! If you do not feel like making dumplings from scratch, you can always use biscuit dough that has been refrigerated or frozen instead of starting from scratch. (3)

You always have the opportunity to go with this course of action. Rolling them out until they are very thin and then cutting them into strips is all required. If you get an early start on getting everything ready in the morning, by the time dinner rolls around, you’ll have a meal that will leave you extremely satisfied. (3)

During the last one to two hours of cooking, throw a bag of frozen peas and carrots to round out the flavor and boost the dish’s nutritional value. This will bring the dish full circle. (3)

HOMEMADE PIZZA

Having pizza in the freezer makes everything that much more enjoyable. It will feel like a time saver if you make a large batch and freeze individual portions for lunches. (3)

Although pepperoni is an excellent choice for freezing, you are not restricted to just that option. BBQ chicken pizza? Amazing. Do you have access to produce that is either fresh or frozen? Sauté onions, peppers, broccoli, or any of your favorite veggies. (3)

Pizza is a complete meal on its own; no need to serve it with anything else.

OLD-FASHIONED SHEPHERD’S PIE

We always have leftovers of shepherd’s pie for lunch the following day because it is so delicious and always leaves us with enough for two meals. When kept in excellent and dry conditions, potatoes have a reasonably long shelf life; however, if you don’t have a sweet potato on hand, you can always use instant potatoes instead. (3)

SERVE WITH: you don’t need anything else because this is already a full meal.

CRISPY OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS

Chicken thighs baked in the oven only require a few simple ingredients, which you will probably already have. In addition to being filling and flavorful, it is very simple to prepare. We have no doubt that you will return to this recipe time and time again. (3)

SERVE WITH: You can serve this dish with canned, fresh, or frozen veggies. Try a straightforward pasta side dish like angel hair pasta tossed with brown butter, garlic, and herbs.

STOVETOP MAC AND CHEESE THAT’S EASY TO MAKE

Macaroni and cheese is a dish that is popular with children, and when it is prepared from scratch, it is also one of our favorites. Cheese can be preserved in the freezer; were you aware of this? (3)

If you freeze bags of pre-shredded cheese, the cheese can thaw very quickly, making it an excellent option for the storage of food in the freezer. You can also use reconstituted evaporated milk from a can; to do so, simply combine one part by volume of evaporated milk with one and a half parts of water in a separate container. Milk freezes very well. (3)

SERVE WITH: fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables.

CASSEROLE MADE WITH CHICKEN AND RICE

The Chicken and Rice Casserole is a time-honored dish that is sure to become a favorite in any household. When attempting to eat from the pantry, we appreciate how tasty it is even though it does not call for a lot of fresh produce. Thighs are our particular favorite for this dish, but you can use any chicken cut you have on hand. (3)

SERVE WITH: You can serve this dish with canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables.

SIDE DISHES

Some of these dishes can be consumed on their own as full meals, while others might not provide quite enough food for your household. (3) The following are some additional accompaniments that you might want to consider adding to your dish, in addition to the suggestions that are provided under each recipe:

VEGETABLES:

• Best Green Beans Ever
• The Best Roasted Broccoli Ever
• Honey Roasted Carrots
• Roasted Cauliflower

STARCHES (POTATOES, RICE, PASTA):

• Cilantro Lime Rice Pilaf
• Honey Roasted Smashed Potatoes
• Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Super Easy Olive Oil Pasta

BREADS:

• The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls Ever
• Homemade Sandwich Bread
• Irish Soda Bread
• Rapid Rise Skillet Yeast Rolls
• Perfect Homemade French Bread

Shopping List:

Baking Aisle

• 7 Tbsp.extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp. lemon pepper
• 4 tsp. dried basil
• 4 1/2 tsp.dried oregano
• 5 Tbsp.salt
• 1 Tbsp.pepper
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp.ground mustard
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp.cayenne pepper
• 4 Tbsp.chili powder
• 2 Tbsp.paprika
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 1 Tbsp.onion powder
• 3 Tbsp.cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp.baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. instant dry yeast
• 7 32 oz containers of chicken broth
• 6 cups beef broth
• 8 1/2 cups flour
• 24 oz. egg noodles
• 1 lb.elbow noodles
• 1 lb.spaghetti pasta
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp.brown sugar

Canned Goods

• 2 6 ounce cans albacore tuna
• 2 15 oz. cans red kidney beans
• 3 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 4.5 oz. cans green chilies
• 1 15 oz. can black beans
• 1 15 oz. can pinto beans
• 1 jar pizza sauce

Produce

• 2 lemon
• 6 carrots
• 1 bunch celery
• 8 white onions
• 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 13 cloves garlic
• 5 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 4 large russet potatoes

Baked Goods

• 2/3 cup crushed tortilla chips

Frozen

• 2 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 2 pie crusts
• 1 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup mixed frozen peas and carrots

Meat

• 7 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb. thick-cut bacon or pancetta
• 1 whole fryer chicken
• 12 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
• 3 cups cooked chicken or leftover chicken if it will fit your recipe
• 4 lbs. lean ground beef

Bulk Bins

• 2 cups white rice

Cheese/Butter

• 2 1/4 cup butter
• 5 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese

Dairy/Eggs

• 6 3/4 cup milk
• 6 eggs
• 4 oz. sour cream (for topping)
• 1 cup heavy cream

References