As I write this we have spent almost a month at home/social distancing. Things are constantly evolving and have changed several times since being ordered to stay and that includes how I have been meal planning.
I only leave my house when absolutely necessary, and that is for groceries. I get groceries once a week to ensure that we have fresh produce, milk and other essentials on hand. Online shopping/grocery pick up and delivery is not an option as it is impossible to find a time slot. Today I am going to be sharing with you a glimpse into what meal planning and grocery shopping looks like for us.
Meal Plan Strategies
Usually when I meal plan, it was for a month at a time. You can check out February’s meal plan here. I changed how I have been meal planning since being stuck at home mostly because now my kids are home indefinitely for the rest of the year. I now have breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner to plan for. It is also not a guarantee what the store will have in stock, thus the monthly meal plan just was not working. I have to create “meal ideas” and work those around what the store has.
First thing I do, and recommend others to do is take an inventory of what they already have on hand. Things I already had on hand were: peanut butter, jelly, pasta, pork chops, chicken, taco kit, milk, mac and cheese.
After I write down what I have, I move onto my grocery list. With the list written, I run to the store as first thing in the morning as I can, hand sanitizer in hand, mask on my face and try to my best to make it in and out as quickly as possible.
As far as the stores I have been going to, I have been choosing smaller supermarket chains in my area to avoid lines. Walmart and Sam’s Club are out of the question. Wegman’s will only be on a weekday. On the weekend, like yesterday, I went to Aldi’s and Save A lot. I also go to a family owned local grocery store called Malacari’s for good prices on lunch meats and some produce. For a weeks worth of groceries, I spent $93.
Breakfasts
I don’t really have a set plan for breakfast. Since the girls are doing “distance learning” at home for school, we just make and eat what sounds good to us that morning. Typical breakfasts during the quarantine have included things like: eggs, bacon, sausage and eggs on croissants, toast, muffins, pancakes, French toast, fruit, and cereal. When the girls get up and ready in the morning, I give them choices based on what we have and they pick their breakfast.
Snacks
My kids LOVE to snack. So that is something I have to keep an eye on so that they don’t eat us out of house and home. They are allowed 2 snacks a day, and 1 of those must be healthy. Typical snack we have: assortment of fruit (mango raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, bananas etc. What I have on hand is typically dependent on the sales for that week. We also have muffins, granola bars, goldfish crackers, chips, carrots & ranch, applesauce etc.
Lunches
For lunch I don’t have a detailed plan either – it really is dependent on what’s on sale. This can range from PB&J, Mac n cheese, quesadillas, leftovers, turkey or ham sandwiches or roll-ups (no bread), chicken salad, soup, or chef Boyardee.
To keep myself sane because I am working from home, when the girls come downstairs for breakfast they pick their breakfast, snacks and lunches for the day. I then make it (if possible) and set everything in a bin with their names on it. That way, they can grab their stuff from the bin and don’t have to wreck my pantry or kitchen when they are hungry. Most times I am working through lunch, so the girls can grab from their bins what they want to eat and at the designated times.
Dinner
Based off of what I have in my pantry and freezer, I write down some dinner ideas and options, but ultimately it evolves based on whether the store has the meat in stock. This week I knew I had pork chops, a taco kit, chicken, ground beef and pasta. So from there I write down what I would like to have for dinner the rest of the nights. Based off of the stores inventory, this week’s meal plan is as follows:
Monday – Easter Leftovers
Tuesday – Tacos
Wednesday – Chicken Picatta with rice and asparagus
Thursday – Parmesan Crusted Porkchops, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Friday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Saturday – Carne Guisada with White Rice
Make sure to follow me on Pinterest for more meal planning ideas and awesome dinner recipes. For right now I am going to the store every week, but depending on what the future holds, this may change. How are you guys holding up? Did you make any changes to how you meal plan? Let me know in the comments. Stay safe & healthy!
