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:
Thank you so much for taking the time to help everyone with these great recipes at this difficult time in our lives. I had to look at Dozer in every recipe. I love Dozer!!
Thank you Nagi!!! The lists are awesome! You and Dozer are the best!🌶🍄🧀
WoW! That’s so sweet of you to prepare a menu and list of ingredients – timely and appreciated- Thanks Nagi! 🙂
Wow. Add this timely and practical post to the long list of reasons that I love your blog. I’ve followed you from Sydney Australia to Canada where I now live. Lockdown isn’t easy, but you’ve certainly made it more delicious! Thank you Nagi
You are awesome!
Thank you so much for doing this. I have been buying for just a few days at a time. This will help be very helpful to so many people.
Nagi, Thank you so much for putting this together!! The shopping list is perfect. We love your posts and recipes. xo from Canada
Nagi I look forward to seeing your posts every day. Now You are more important than ever in this crazy world.
I have used all your suggestions in meal planing and grocery shopping. We are ready & most grateful to you our friend on the other side of this crazy world. You are companionate and generous. I hope you are safe and comfortable. I hope Jeff is managing. What happens to the homeless of the world, when they have no home🙁
Thank you Nagi for all you do and how you embrace the world
I have to confess it was Dozer’s beautiful face that first caught my attention! But then I started looking at your recipes and I was hooked. My husband and I decided that in 2020 we would cook at home ea night and save money for our dream home. Each month we sit down and meal plan and our goal to use recipes that use up left overs, use recipes that have ingredients that we already have, don’t buy products we are not going to use. Every month I start on your sight and your recipes never disappoint! I think your 15 day plan just saved me a ton of time 🙂 Thanks for all your hard work!
Nagi, this is a wonderful resource. The shopping list in particular is so helpful. Thank you for the effort you put into this. Much appreciated!
love the thought!!! thanku and should we look forward to a vegetarian version?? would be really appreciated!!
Now, this is the best post ever! Brilliant idea and super execution. I am a fan of yours anyway, but this recipe collection tops everything. All the effort, thought and love put into it – incredible … Thanks so much for this, Nagi. And many thanks to Dozer, too, for the thorough quality control. Wouldn’t work without his contribution, would it. Best wishes and thanks from the UK, where life with the virus is just beginning to become awkward and restricted. Jana
Thank you so much Nagi. Never in my life I would imagine myself getting teary reading recipes – just the thought behind this touched my heart. Thank you for thinking for all your readers Nagi!
I’m from Hong Kong. We’ve been through all the craziness from lining up overnight for facemasks overnight to panic buying tp…. I can only say things will get back on track sooner than later and more importantly, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy!
Now I am going to make your wonderful Beef Stroganoff for dinner 🙂
Oh Nagi! You are the best to do this. I already substitute heaps with your recipes to make them vegan and sometimes vegetarian and they are better than my tonnes of cookbooks so I know these are really going to work for people. Great leadership in a stressful time!
Love the idea and love your recipes! A vegetarian menu would be great too.
Thank you so much for this, definitely going to make life easier.
Please do this even when there is no virus, makes life so much easier xxx
Thank you so much for all the effort and time you put into this article. It is excellent and much appreciated. The recipes look wonderful.
All the best Nagi
Ann
Thank you so much Nagi for your wonderful email. Times are very uncertain at the moment and reading your comments made me feel so much better. I heeded all of your advise today and have gone to the shops with your recipes in mind.
I just think you are incredible for the amount of time and effort you have put in for making people like me feel safer and in control for the future.
I cannot thank you enough.
Kind regards
Julie
Nagi, your a peach !
Thanks to new UK restrictions it looks like my hubby & I will be house bound for some time.
We are great fans of your food & will include a number of your dishes in our menus. Why should staying at home be boring. Thank you for your moral boosing dishes.
Could you make just a list of the meals without the recipes?