14 family friendly reader favourite recipes, feeds 4 to 5, efficient grocery list with long shelf life ingredients, economical, everyday ingredients. Just because we’re in lockdown, we shouldn’t have to suffer sub standard food!!
Coronavirus Meal Plan 2 – Quick & Easy Meals Family Favourites
Here’s my second Menu Plan with a combined grocery list suited to a family of 4 for 14 days! This is what you’ll get:
14 dinner recipes made with everyday ingredients Most are well rounded complete meals in one – ie protein, carb and vegetable Sides included for those that need a hit of fresh veggies Long shelf life ingredients – all ingredients are freezable or kept in the pantry Common ingredients across recipes – for efficiency (cost and number of items) Highly versatile – for these times when we can’t always get what we want/need (or prices have sky rocketed!). So substitute away!
Hope you find it useful! – Nagi x
14 Day Coronavirus Quarantine Menu Plan
Here’s an overview of the meal plan, and here is the combined grocery list.
Notes on adjustments to the recipes so all ingredients have a longer shelf life are listed in each recipe below, along with an overview of how flexible the recipes are. Click through to the recipes for more extensive notes on substitutions and alternatives. Don’t fret if you can’t find all the ingredients. These recipes were chosen for their flexibility and how customisable they are.
1. Dinner Fried Rice – everything but the kitchen sink!
Fried rice is usually deemed a side, comprising of 99% rice and 1% “stuff”. Here, it’s a meal with less than half the rice, and more of the good “stuff”, all tossed with the same great sauce. Throw ANYTHING into it! Ingredients: rice, Mirin, oyster sauce, light soy, sesame oil, chicken, bacon, garlic, onion, eggs, carrot, peas, corn, green onions (optional) Get the recipe »
2. Beef Ramen
One of the top recipes for 2019, the Magic 4 ingredient Asian sauce in this is one we’re using multiple times in this Meal Plan. In this one-skillet ramen, you can use any ground/mince meat. The recipe calls for beansprouts, but these have a very short shelf life so sub for finely sliced cabbage (this is in grocery list) or any vegetable that can be cut into matchsticks. Ingredients: ramen or other noodle cakes, beef mince (ground beef), garlic, onion, cabbage, green onion (optional), sesame oil, dark soy, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, Mirin Get the recipe »
3. Quick Corn Chowder
It all comes out of cans, and it tastes like a million bucks! Ingredients: bacon (or ham), flour, butter, milk, garlic, onion, potato, green onion, creamed corn, canned corn, chicken stock/broth, thyme Get the recipe »
4. Pork Schnitzel with Mash & Gravy, and a leafy salad
No need to deprive yourself of your weekly pub-grub schnitty! MAKE IT AT HOME! Treat yourself to a full blow out with a side of mashed potato AND gravy – ingredients for both of these are included in the grocery list along with a leafy garden salad (or any fresh veg side). Ingredients: thin steaks (or pound) – pork, chicken, turkey or veal, egg, flour, Panko (or other breadcrumbs), frozen peas, mashed potato (below) & gravy (below) Get the recipe »
Gravy & Creamy Mashed Potato
There are few combinations in life that can rival a crispy golden schnitzel placed on a bed of creamy mashed potato then covered in a rich brown gravy….
GRAVY Ingredients: butter, flour, chicken and beef stock powder/cube, onion powder (optional), water. Get the recipe » MASH Ingredients: potatoes, butter, milk, salt & pepper Get the recipe »
This gravy is used multiple times in this meal plan because it’s great bang for your buck. Couple of stock cubes, butter, flour plus water = gravy that makes everything delicious.
Essential Side: Salad Dressing for EVERYTHING!
3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, 1/2 tsp mustard. Shake and dress everything:
leafy greens and garden salads steamed and boiled veg – dress while hot so they soak up the flavour. Peas, broccoli, everything! roasted veg – roast anything with just oil, salt and pepper. Douse with dressing while hot so they soak it up.
Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil (or other oil), vinegar, dijon mustard. Optional extras: garlic, sugar or honey, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs Get the recipe »
5. Crispy Chow Mein
CRISPY noodles smothered in a saucy stir fry, this is Chow Mein the Hong Kong way that’s a firm favourite in suburban Chinese restaurants all across Australia! ANY veg, ANY meat (or not) Ingredients: ramen noodle cakes, chicken, garlic, onion, carrot, cabbage, buk choy (or other Asian greens), green onion (optional), cornflour (corn starch), chicken stock/broth, light soy, oyster, Mirin, sesame oil Get the recipe »
6. One Pan Sausage & Vegetable Bake
Sausages, Potatoes, Veg AND Gravy all cooked up in one bubbly pan (yes really, even the gravy!). ANY roast-able veg, ANY sausages. Ingredients: sausages, butter, flour, garlic, red onion, baby potatoes, carrot, beef stock powder / cube, thyme Get the recipe »
7. Chinese Chicken & Corn Soup
Dinner done in 15 minutes – Corn Chowder, Chinese style. Thick soup made with creamed corn with shredded chicken and the perfume of fresh ginger and garlic. One of my favourite starters at Chinese restaurants! (But we’re making this meal size). Ingredients: chicken, canned creamed corn, garlic, green onion, ginger, eggs, cornflour / corn starch, chicken stock/broth, soy sauce, Mirin Get the recipe »
8. Rissoles with Rice
The Great Aussie Rissole! Juicy beef patties with hidden veg, I’m serving this up with a side of seasoned rice and a big leafy salad using the Salad Dressing (or steamed greens, your choice!) Ingredients: beef mince, garlic, onion, zucchini, carrot, panko breadcrumbs (or normal), egg, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, tomato ketchup, seasoned rice Get the recipe »
Essential Side: Buttery Seasoned Rice
Why Seasoned Rice instead of Mash with rissoles, you might wonder? Well, you can either lug 1kg of potatoes home for each meal, OR you can make a side for 6 people with 2 cups of rice. I’ve got the mash for schnitzel in this meal plan, and now we’re making a giant batch of this rice to serve with multiple meals! Ingredients: rice, butter, spices (paprika, thyme, onion, garlic), chicken stock powder/cube Get the recipe »
9. Saucy Chop Suey – Chicken or any meat Stir Fry
When you’ve got a real Chinese restaurant sauce, you’re armed with everything you need to make a fantastic healthy dinner using literally whatever you’ve got in the fridge, and canned or frozen vegetables. Serve with rice or any noodles – or if you’re doing the low carb thing, go for Cauliflower rice. Ingredients: rice, chicken or other meat, cornflour/corn starch, garlic, onion, carrot, Choy Sum (or other Asian greens), mushrooms, beansprouts (or cabbage), light soy, oyster sauce, Mirin, sesame oil Get the recipe »
10. Baked Chicken Breast with Gravy & Rice
This quick, easy way to make JUICY chicken breasts – dust with seasoning and bake at a high temp. Serve with gravy and seasoned rice – remember we made big batches of it earlier?? ↑↑↑ Add a leafy green salad or any steamed/roasted vegetables, tossed with the Salad Dressing. Ingredients: chicken breast, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, gravy, seasoned rice Get the recipe »
11. Cream of Vegetable Soup with Noodles
Any vegetables, any pasta in a creamy white soup. This is the soup version of this “make with anything” creamy pasta bake! Ingredients: any pasta, butter, milk, flour, garlic, onion, frozen vegetables, Vegeta stock powder, thyme. Get the recipe »
12. Mushroom Ramen
See? I told you in the first recipe ↑↑↑ – this sauce is so good, we’re going to use it multiple times! Make this ramen stir fry with any veg, that Sauce makes everything tasty! Ingredients: ramen noodle cakes, mushrooms, garlic, green onion (or any onion), dark soy, oyster, Hoisin, Mirin, sesame oil Get the recipe »
13. Chicken and Rice Soup
Nourishing and just tastes so, so good. Just what you need right now. Throw in any veg, use any rice OR pasta! Ingredients: bone in chicken thighs, white rice, butter, garlic, onion, carrot, celery, Vegeta stock powder, chicken stock / broth, thyme Get the recipe »
14. Chicken Rolls with Gravy
Remember that big batch of gravy you made earlier? ↑↑↑ Now we’re going to make big fat juicy chicken rolls with them. Toast the buns, slather with butter. Toss shredded chicken with salt and pepper, douse with gravy then pile it on. Hold the lettuce. 😈 Ingredients: poached chicken breast (or just pan fry)or store bought cooked chicken, bread rolls (or make wraps), butter, gravy
Grocery List
I’ve combined the ingredients for all the above recipes into one consolidated grocery list. See above in each recipe for notes on changes I’ve made to each recipe so the ingredients have a longer shelf life and are more economical. Click here to download and print the grocery list And just for your convenience, here are all the recipes: I hope you find this useful! If you’ve got any specific questions about any of the recipes, leave them in that recipe – I’m spending more time answering questions about substitutions etc at the moment (because I’m cooking far less for work nowadays). – Nagi xWatch how to make it
Watch how to make it
Preview of your 14 Day Coronavirus Meal Plan!
Life of Dozer
On the WRONG side of the pantry door, according to him. On the RIGHT side, according to me.
