This post contains a 15 Day Meal Plan that’s based around recipes with common ingredients that have a long shelf life, and delivers big flavours with crowd pleasing food! There’s a consolidated grocery list, all the recipes are easy to make and it’s based around a family of 4 to 5.
If we’re housebound, let’s make sure that life is extra delicious!! {Also – Meal Plan #2 now available!)
Coronavirus Quarantine Menu Plan
2 weeks ago, you might’ve turned your nose up at the thought of stocking up on food in anticipation of being housebound due to Coronavirus.
Today, I’d consider it the wise thing to do. I don’t want to be overly dramatic or an alarmist, but these are uncertain times. But one thing we can do to give ourselves a sense of security is to stock our pantries with a sensible amount of food.
So here’s a 15 Day+ Menu Plan with a consolidated grocery list for a family of 4! This is what you’ll get:
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15 dinner recipes – most will have some leftovers
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Long shelf life ingredients – all ingredients are freezable or kept in the pantry
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Family friendly – I’ve parked the more exotic / spicy dishes for another day!
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Common ingredients across recipes – for efficiency (cost and number of items)
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Highly versatile – substitute away!
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Easy to make, complete meals – so you don’t have to think about adding sides
Hope you find it useful! – Nagi x
Tip: Go to the grocery store as soon as it opens. Or ask them when they do restocking of shelves!
IMPORTANT: Read this first
Here are universal changes I’ve made to the recipes that is reflected in the grocery list, aimed at space and cost efficiency, and shelf life of ingredients. I’ve also listed some useful substitutions.
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Stock cubes / powder instead of liquid broth/stock – use stock cubes / powder instead (bouillon cubes) instead of liquid stock sold in cartons. Dissolve 1 cube or 1 tsp of powder in 1 cup boiling water = 1 cup liquid stock. Much more space efficient than storing gallons of liquid stock;
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Can’t find canned tomato? (It’s hot property here in Sydney!) Here’s a substitute using tomato paste: Whisk 1.5 tbsp flour with 1/4 cup water until lump free. Then mix in another 1 1/4 cups water, 4 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tsp sugar. Bring to simmer on stove until it thickens to gravy consistency. Use in place of 1 can of crushed tomato;
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Switched short shelf life fresh ingredients for longer shelf life ingredients. For example, bean sprouts (lasts several days) switched for shredded cabbage (lasts 4+ weeks). These switches are specified in the list below;
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Skip insignificant garnishes; and
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Be prepared to substitute depending on what you can get your hands on. Don’t get hung up on using the right beans or right pasta, or exact herbs. Be flexible!
Also see my GOLD TIPS on smart food stocking(don’t hoard!)
15 Day Coronavirus Quarantine Menu Plan
Here’s an overview of the meal plan. Notes on long shelf life adjustments and substitutions for each are listed in each recipe below.
Click here to download and print the grocery list
1. Chicken Enchiladas
Filled with a juicy chicken and bean filling and homemade Enchilada Sauce!
Sub options: use any beans you have – even lentils or chickpeas, or add diced frozen vegetables instead. Or make the ground beef/mince version!
2. Creamy Chicken Pasta
Chicken, parmesan, garlic, creamy, sun dried tomatoes, and a sprinkle of bacon. Do you need anymore information? 😂
Subs: Use any pasta you can find, long or short. Also – cream and parmesan are freezable! Use frozen spinach in place of baby spinach – or any vegetable you can get your hands on. Or just leave it out!
3. Chunky Vegetable Beef Soup
Slow cooked for fall apart beef! Magnificent stew-like soup that’s hearty with a flavourful broth.
Subs: Use any vegetables you can. Switch the stewing beef for any protein suitable for stewing!
4. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Tastes like a risotto…but so much easier to make!
Subs: Skip the chicken and double up on broccoli to make it meat free. Switch the broccoli for any vegetables you have.
5. Corn Chowder
Creamy corn chowder with potato and sprinkled with bacon bits… it’s all MINE!!! Psst recipe recommends fresh corn, but just use canned or frozen (quantity is in the recipe 👍)
Subs: Switch the corn for anything you could add into soups. Diced vegetables, peas, even rice, quinoa or beans! (Ooooh…creamy bean soup….)
6. Creamy Tuna Mornay
The highest and best use for canned tuna, full stop! The creamy garlic parmesan sauce is 100% amazing (and no cream!)
Subs: Make this with any short pasta, switch tuna with canned salmon, use other chopped proteins OR stir in frozen veg and make it meat free!
7. Chicken Nachos
Imagine Friday nights in with THIS in front of Netflix……
8. Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Curry
Chickpeas made amazing, thanks to the Brazilians!
Subs: This sauce works with everything, from Fish to shrimp/prawns, chicken, beef, vegetables, any bean.
Click here to download and print the grocery list for this 15 Day Meal Plan
9. Beef Ramen Noodles
One pot wonder! Psst Recipe calls for beansprouts, but we’re going to sub with cabbage instead cause it lasts forever in the fridge (ok ok, “forever” is a slight exaggeration – but upwards of 4 weeks for sure!)
Subs: Make this with any ground/mince meat. (Fellow Aussies, there was still plenty of KANGAROO meat at the store today even though everything else was gone!)
10. Cashew Chicken
Chinese takeout gold standard! (PS Loads of sauce to soak your rice. Promise.)
Subs: Make this with any vegetables or protein you have. The sauce will make anything taste great!
11. Chili Mac and Cheese
Nope, not spicy. Just loaded with flavour! Juicy, saucy, cheesy, beefy, it’s a cross between Chilli Con Carne and Mac ‘n Cheese.
Subs: Make this with any ground/mince meat, switch the red kidney beans for any beans you have. Or sub with diced veg. This one’s all about the sauce (eeer….and cheese 😇)
12. Chicken Lo Mein Noodles
The beauty of these noodles? You could make it with just spaghetti and cabbage, and it’s still going to be delicious (I should know, I’ve done it!). That Lo Mein Sauce ROCKS.
RECIPE CHANGE: Grocery list calls for this to be made using instant ramen / dried noodles because of long shelf life (recipe calls for fresh noodles). Also grocery list accounts for double batch to serve 5 (recipe as written serves 2 – 3).
13. Salmon Patties
Who knew you could make something so amazing with CANNED salmon!!?
Subs: Try this with any canned fish, especially tuna! Skip the fresh dill if you don’t have it, just add 1 tsp of any dried herbs you have.
14. Baked Spaghetti
A vision that makes me weak in the knees…
Subs: Make this with any pasta, and any ground/mince meat.
15. Mexican Beef Rice Casserole
This is how you take a packet of beef mince (ground beef) and a cup of rice and turn it into an amazing dinner.
Subs: Any ground/mince meat, any diced veg! Only rule – no skimping on the CHEESE 😉
Grocery List
I’ve combined the ingredients for all the above recipes into one consolidated grocery list. You can even browse the big matrix I used to calculate the totals and check the formulas I used to convert the ingredients into different metrics! 😂
Click here to download and print the grocery list
I hope you find this Menu Plan useful! If there’s enough demand, I’ll prepare another one which is more adult focussed – more worldly foods, more exciting flavours. (Think – Chicken Shawarma, Indian Chickpea Curry, Lamb Koftas etc)
And lastly, you might also find this useful – my gold tips for food stocking for Coronavirus. Sensible suggestions for space saving and cost saving food items.
Stay safe everyone! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Life of Dozer
Rest assured the Baked Spaghetti above was subjected to a thorough quality control:
You are lovely for thinking to do this for your most appreciative followers.
Stay healthy Nagi xx
Just received your fab email in my inbox. What an absolute star you are. I’ve made so many of your great recipes and never left a comment…so this is to put that right.
THANK YOU NAGI👏👍🎉😘
Thank you so much! This is fantastic, and maybe it will help calm the farm!
My pantry is awesome: 2 kinds of dried mushrooms, many kinds of rice-pasta-beans-lentils, etc., dried hominy, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies 3 ways, olives, several kinds of canned tomatoes, canned artichoke hearts, canned salmon, dried raisins-cranberries-barberries, saffron, cardamon (whole pods + ground), cinnamon, black peppercorns, many kinds of salt, pomegranate and date syrups, and loads of other exotic spices, chicken stock + beef broth cubes, powdered heavy cream and powdered milk, several kinds of flours (including chickpea, almond, bread, and cake), yeast, lots of fats, oils an. vinegars, tubes of pureed herbs, SPAM (for my Hawaiian scramble, with canned pineapple, fresh jalapeños — ALWAYS on hand, and red onion), plenty of sour cream, milk, and eggs. My freezer is full of the usual meat-poultry-fish and veggies, but I also have foie gras in cubes and torchons (because I’m extremely self-indulgent). I can bake breads and biscuits, cakes and pies, cookies galore!
And all of this was compiled WELL BEFORE the pandemic! I cannot believe how lucky I am!!!
Thank you ! We love your recipes here – our entire 7 day menu plan last week featured RecipeTin dinners – and we enjoyed each and every one. This list is just what I need today – I’m sitting here trying to work out what to buy to have for current meals and storage meals for if (when) school is closed here in Australia and we go into isolation. It’s overwhelming so to come across your email tonight with a pre-prepared menu AND shopping list is just beyond generous. Thank you so much Nagi 😀
Thank you for this Nagi. It made me a little less worried since I have just about most things of the list. Really glad you mentioned things that can be frozen too. Take care x
Thank you Nagi for thinking of us all in these worrying times and for all the hard work you put into these two posts……much appreciated x
We enjoy your meals on a very regular basis here and no doubt will be extra grateful of them over the coming weeks. Stay safe. X
Love your grocery list, Nagi – especially for the wine! Have already several of these on my weekly menu.
Thank you! Please do the adult focused one too 😀
Nagi, you are a legend. I cook your recipes ALL the time. So nice to see helpful suggestions amongst all the craziness! (I also thought “must make sure I can make Charlie if things get really tough”)
Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions.
Fantastic! Genius idea.
This is an awesome idea! Thanks so much for your ideas. Only trouble I have here is the shortage of food in the supermarkets!
Wow you are a gem thank you for being so caring. Have tried a lot of your recepies love the simplicity of them with fabulous tast.
Dear Nagi.
Thank you from the UK. I have been stressing a wee bit about what to do about food and your recipes and ever thoughtful shopping list as got me heaving a huge sigh of relief. All l have to do now is taking my shopping list to the store. Thank you. I love your recipes.
Thank you so much Nagi and Dozer.. Love receiving your recipes Always tasty and very reliable.
Cheers Margie Xx🐶xx
Thank you! I’m particularly pleased to see that Dozer is fully stocked with his beloved stuffed toys. Most important of all 🙂
Wow! Thank you so much! You’re a star!
I love your website in good and bad times. Thank you for all of your hard work. Your recipes will be well used.
Thank you Nagi! , I work in ICU in a rural town and this was so helpful. I have been surreally buying an extra pack of pasta or canned tomatoes with my usual shopping but am worried what my family will eat during this uncertain time! I dont want to randomly panic shop so this was so great to have some calm, specific, realistic advice ! Thank you ! Stay safe, stay healthy x
You are such an angel . How thoughtful and caring Let’s hope more people look outwards instead of inwards and make a difference Onya!